66th Annual STS (2006-2007)
Finalists
Abhinav Rohatgi

NEW YORK
Abhinav Rohatgi, 17, of Garden City, studied the effects of MTBE, a gasoline additive, on the physiology and mortality of marine mollusks for his Intel Science Talent Search project in environmental science. MTBE has been found in high concentrations in water sources around Long Island. Using blue mussels common to the area, he demonstrated that there is a direct linear relationship between their death rate and the MTBE concentration in the water. He also found that when MTBE concentrations exceeded 100 ppb, levels of nitric oxide in the nerve tissues became elevated and morphological changes occurred in blood cells, leading to death. Because humans have similar mechanisms for producing and using nitric oxide, Abhinav hopes his findings will lead to the development of safe chemical blocking agents to mitigate MTBE's harmful effects, and to stricter laws regulating waste management of chemicals. President of the chess club and founder of Japanese Animation Studies at Garden City High School, Abhinav also enjoys playing guitar. He hopes to pursue a degree in chemistry at Brown or Rice University. Born in India, Abhinav is the son of Drs. Rajesh and Shiphali Rohatgi.