My name is Gage. I am a 16-year-old former AP chemistry student. I have loved science my entire life, especially physics and chemistry. Also, environmental issues have been, and still are, very important to me. Over the summer, I received an internship with the American Chemical Society. When I applied for this internship, I requested roles that would allow me to contribute to research that could benefit the environment, and it's been an amazing experience.

For my internship, I have been working in a chemistry lab at Boise State University. I have been electropolishing and anodizing tantalum oxide in order to study the effect of surface roughness on the structure of tantalum oxide nanopores. Tantalum oxide is widely used in capacitors, which are similar to batteries. When the size of the pores in tantalum oxide increases, so does the capacity of the capacitor. This research could contribute to allowing batteries to retain power for longer, which would reduce our overall energy consumption. This would reduce the need for us to burn more fossil fuels, improving out air quality and conserving resources.

I have just learned that I have been selected to present my research at the American Chemical Society National Meeting in Washington, DC. It's something I really want to do. I'm very excited about the opportunity, but I also know that it will be very expensive. Anything you could spare to help me would be greatly appreciated.