Student Wins EPA Award for Citrus Greening Disease Solution

National Recognition for Environmental Project

• 🏅 Tanishka Aglave, a junior at Strawberry Crest High School, has been named a national winner of the President's Environmental Youth Award by the EPA.
• 🏆 Her project, "Reviving Citrus, Reviving Florida," addresses the significant threat of citrus greening disease.

Addressing Citrus Greening Disease

• 🍊 Citrus greening disease is identified as the most prominent threat to citrus cultivars worldwide, particularly devastating Florida's groves.
• 💡 Aglave developed a sustainable and eco-friendly treatment using curry leaf extract.
• 🔬 She engineered modified trunk injection syringes using 3D printing to administer the extract.
• ✅ This treatment achieved a 65% reduction in disease severity.

Community Impact and Future Aspirations

• 🌳 Beyond the treatment, Aglave led initiatives including planting over 1,500 citrus trees and distributing disease management kits.
• 🤝 She also conducted educational workshops for farmers, highlighting the importance of drawing attention to this critical agricultural problem.
• 🎓 Aglave, who aims to pursue biological sciences, is the only winner from Florida this year, underscoring the local impact of her national achievement.