Michelle Moffa, a senior at Holy Spirit High School, Absecon, and Linwood resident, has distinguished herself through science competitions, as well as her musical ability and desire to help others.
Last October, she was named a semifinalist in the 2013 Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology.
The national competition, for high school seniors, awards students solely on the basis of submitted research reports, with a grand prize of $100,000. Out of 1,599 projects submitted, 300 were chosen as semifinalists.
Michelle submitted the research she had completed at the Simons Summer Research Program at Stony Brook University in New York, a chemistry project entitled “Fabrication and Modification of Cellulose Nanofibers for Use on Antifouling Water Purification Membranes.” In this project, Michelle developed a novel, inexpensive and environmentally safe method of fabricating cellulose nanofibers that can be used for water purification membranes and other applications.
Michelle was listed in “USA Today” with the other Semifinalists.
Michelle also was named a semifinalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search Competition, considered the nation’s most prestigious pre-college science competition, open to high school seniors, with a grand prize of $100,000. Out of 1,794 projects submitted, 300 were chosen, based on their research report in addition to other factors, including exhibiting exceptional research skills, a commitment to academics and their communities, innovative thinking and promise as a scientist.
Contestants in this competition were subject to a rigorous application process comprising of the research report, standardized test scores, transcripts, recommendations, past and present research experience, extracurricular activities and a number of essays.
For this competition, Michelle submitted engineering research she conducted her junior year, a culmination of three years of work, titled “A Point-of-Use Water Filter for Developing Countries – Year III: Improving Effectiveness, Practicality, and Sustainability of Arsenic-Removing Biosand Filters.”
In addition to these competitions, Michelle has been named a National Merit Scholar Semifinalist. (Finalists are announced at the end of this month.)
She also helped establish “Hearts in Harmony” – a 501c3 non-profit that not only refurbishes and distributes musical instruments, but also provides music lessons to underserved students.
A talented flutist, Michelle has performed with the Atlantic Pops Community Band, the South Jersey Wind Ensemble, and in Holy Spirit’s pit orchestra. She also serves as student conductor and moderator of the Tri-M Music Honor Society.
At the school, she is also the founder and leader of a school wide end-of-year school supply recycling effort. After realizing that many school supplies are thrown away at the end of each school year, Michelle remembered an experience she had as a third grader, while volunteering at St. Mary’s Mission, on a Navajo Indian Reservation in New Mexico with her family. As part of a bingo activity she helped run for the children of the reservation, the prizes were school supplies. Michelle couldn’t help but notice how thrilled the children were with a pencil or notebook. Together with friends, faculty and volunteers, students now recycle everything from pencils and pens to half full notebooks, binders and backpacks, that are then sent to organizations that distribute them to students in need.
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