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Maharishi School student Pranav Chhalliyil was the 2016 Young Scientist Grand Champion.
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by Leanne Hays at Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, Iowa, USA, The Review
19 May 2016
After having won the junior division state championship last year as an 8th grader at Maharishi School, 9th grader Pranav Chhalliyil has now won the senior division of the State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa, competing against 300 other young scientists grades 9–12. Not only did Pranav’s hard work earn him an Intel International Science and Engineering Trip Award to attend the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona—he is also the 2016 Young Scientist Grand Champion!
Last year he found that traditional oral hygiene using activated charcoal to brush followed by tongue cleaning was the most effective reducer of oral bacteria.
This year, in a study involving 92 subjects, he worked to discover what percentage of specific dental damaging bacteria was removed using three different approaches to cleaning with activated charcoal products.
During the course of experimentation, Pranav developed a form of activated charcoal derived from rice husks, a product typically considered waste material. This technology is simple, cost-effective, efficient, microbiome friendly, even eco-friendly, and can be used in both developed and developing countries. This product is particularly important for developing countries, where people may not have access to commercial toothpaste, or the means to purchase it.
© Copyright 2016 Maharishi University of Management
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