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Talie Cloud, a member of Sanger FFA
was celebrated at a White House event
for students who excel in science.
Article courtesy of National FFA Organization Press Release dated April 12, 2016
Talie Cloud, 15, was invited to participate in the sixth annual White House
Science Fair. It was the last science fair under President Barack Obama’s
administration and was held on Wednesday, April 13. The science fair
celebrated the accomplishments of student winners in a broad range of science,
technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions throughout the United
States.
Cloud won first place in the category of Animal Systems at the 2015 National
FFA Agriscience Fair, an annual competition sponsored by Cargill, John Deere
and Syngenta as a special project of the National FFA Foundation during the
National FFA Convention & Expo. The fair features the research and results of
FFA members who plan on pursuing careers in the science and technology of
agriculture. This accomplishment earned her the special White House invite.
Her project explored the effects of Momordica charantia, or bitter melon seed,
on the reproductive rate of Drosophila melanogaster after four generations of
exposure. The purpose of the project was to determine whether the bitter melon
seed could be used as a potential organic insecticide.
Her findings determined that with more investigation on the chemical makeup,
ideal concentration mixture, environmental impact and application method,
Momordica charantia would be a cost-efficient and effective agricultural
insecticide that acts upon the reproduction of the pest, rather than the mortality
rate. •
Talie with House Speaker Paul Ryan
California FFANEWS • Page 9 • Fall 2016