Alex Nagler, 15, of West Windsor was recently honored as one of the 12 winners of the annual Young Naturalist Awards, a research-based national essay contest for students in grades seven to twelve presented by the American Museum of Natural History and sponsored by the Alcoa Foundation.##M:[more]##
Nagler, a rising sophomore at High School South where he is on the baseball team, investigated the water quality in Mercer County Lake after he suspected that the water was polluted and unsafe. He became curious after he and his chocolate Labrador retriever were chased out of the lake by a park ranger.
“Given the natural beauty of Mercer Lake and its surroundings, it’s easy to forget that it is situated within a densely populated part of the state,” Nagler says. “Heavily trafficked roads surround it, and two golf courses adjoin its shores.I decided I would do my own investigation and find out more about the water in Mercer Lake.”
Nagler tested the lake’s water at four different sites over a period of five weeks. He concluded that the data did not support his hypothesis and that additional data was needed before he could confirm that the lake was healthy.
The program challenges youngsters to embark on their own scientific expeditions and then to document their research, observations, and analyses of the natural world. The Young Naturalist Awards program was developed by the museum to promote young people’s active participation in the sciences and to recognize excellence in biology, ecology, Earth science, and astronomy.
The awards ceremony took place in the museum’s Cullman Hall of the Universe in the Rose Center for Earth and Space. Christopher Raxworthy, associate curator in the department of herpetology and associate dean of science for education and exhibitions, spoke to the young winners on the parallels between their fieldwork and the original research conducted at the Museum.
Nagler’s mother, Myra Levine, is a physician with a specialty in internal medicine, and his father, Gerry Nagler, is in satellite communications. Nagler has a brother, Matthew, 12.
Nagler, who received a $1,”000 scholarship, an awards certificate, a book about the universe, and a Discovery Channel DVD, also received a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum.
