A coconut husk fungi ocean cleanup project developed by Vera Wang, a senior at Kaiser High School in East Honolulu, has earned her multiple awards at the Hawaiʻi State Science and Engineering Fair, and a place at the International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona, next May.
Wang’s project, formally titled Bioprospecting of Novel Sunscreen- and Plastic-Degrading Fungi in Tannin-Rich Coconut Fiber, builds on two years of work. According to the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, she received Best in Category for Microbiology, third place Best in Fair, a special award from the Friends of Hanauma Bay, a special award from the Association for Women Geoscientists, and a scholarship from the McInerny Foundation.
From Filter to Fungus: How the Coconut Husk Became the Research Focus
The project’s roots go back to Wang’s sophomore year, when she designed and built an ocean filter that removed sunscreen and microplastics from surface water. The filter drew on traditional Polynesian weaving techniques while incorporating modern environmental science, and was made entirely from coconut byproduct waste.
The device worked. But Wang recognised that removing pollutants from the water is only part of the problem. Physically capturing contaminants simply transfers them elsewhere, the question of responsible disposal remained open. That gap sent her research in a new direction.
‘I learned that the pore structure of coconut fibre supports the movement of air and water, which can create a favourable environment for microbes,’ Wang said. ‘That led me to wonder whether coconut husk could do more than physically capture pollutants. So this year, my research at the Amend Lab began exploring the fungal communities living in coconut husks and studying their growth and degradation abilities on sunscreen and plastic media.’
Coconut Husk Fungi Ocean Cleanup: What the Lab Results Showed
Working in the lab of Anthony Amend at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and alongside graduate student Kaylee Christensen from the Marine Biology Graduate Programme, Wang found that fungi occurring naturally on coconut husks can biodegrade both sunscreen and plastic. The research also identified that a tannin compound can be used to detect fungi capable of breaking down these pollutants. The tannins already present in coconut fibre may, the team concluded, be encouraging the growth of these complex degraders.
The genetic analysis produced an unexpected result. Some of the fungal species returned no match in the world’s largest reference database of known genes and genomes. That finding suggests at least some of the species may be previously uncharacterised, in other words, new to science.
The scope of the problem the project addresses is real. Sunscreen chemicals wash off swimmers and enter coastal waters in significant volumes, while microplastics are now found throughout marine environments. Most filtration approaches, as Wang’s earlier work showed, capture rather than destroy these contaminants. Biological degradation (using living organisms to break pollutants down) offers a route toward disposal, not just removal.
‘I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to pursue my project in the Amend Lab,’ Wang said. ‘My research would have never, ever, been possible without Anthony and Kaylee. This project has been part of a much longer journey, so having it recognised feels both surreal and deeply rewarding.’
Amend, who is based in the Pacific Biosciences Research Centre at SOEST, credited Wang’s own initiative for making the work possible. ‘This work was made possible because of Vera’s vision, and it gives me such optimism about the future of science in Hawaiʻi,’ he said. ‘Her success is a testament to our public school system which is doing a wonderful job supporting and training our next generation of students. I can’t wait to see what discoveries she makes in college.’
Wang will next compete at the International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona, in May, where her coconut husk fungi ocean cleanup research will go up against student projects from across the world. The competition follows directly from her state fair results, and will be the first international stage for work that began, by Wang’s own account, as a question about what happens after the filter does its job.
