SHREWSBURY – Shrewsbury High School student Angad Pannu recently competed and won second place in the Massachusetts Science and Engineering Fair.
His biomedical engineering project not only made him as the highest award winner from Shrewsbury High School, but also allowed him the opportunity to present at the Science Symposium at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Pannu’s project is titled “Multi-Step Meta-Analysis of Multiple Human Genome-Wide-Association-Studies to Uncover Highest Risk SNPs Associated with Coronary Artery Disease, Type II Diabetes, and Alzheimer’s Disease.”
His fascination for this project struck during his sophomore year when he began researching how various diseases are diagnosed and treated. While furthering his exploration of this topic, he realized that the majority of information surrounding disease diagnosis revolved around environmental factors and impact. He quickly noticed that analysis into the genetic factors of these diagnoses were lacking heavily.
Pannu decided to take matters into his own hands and conduct his own research which eventually led to his highly praised and awarded project.
“I wanted to give awareness to the fact that genetics are an important variable in our health. With that awareness helps people realize that we can look more into our genetic markers and ancestry to get a better idea of what we may contract later on in life. It can help really change our perspective on how we view and treat diseases,” said Pannu.
While researching his project Pannu reached out to numerous professionals to assist in answering some of his questions.
These conversations led to a summer internship at Yale University where he plans to further his research in biomedical engineering. He is thrilled to be able to “look more into genetics and work on my passion at a higher level.”
“I’m currently doing a lot of work that can really impact the future of genomics,” said Pannu.
Pannu’s love for science stems from his early years when he was attending Oak Middle School. While in seventh grade, he created a project based off of COVID-19. It analyzed the amount of antioxidants different fruits and vegetables have, and how that contributes to boosting the human immune system.
Similar to his most recent project, his research and findings led to massive success and national recognition as he was chosen to be listed on the Broadcom Masters 300 list.
Throughout his years in the Shrewsbury Public School System, Pannu has received immense support from his teachers throughout the years. In regards to his most recent award winning project, he gives his highest praises and gratitude to his high school teachers Ryan Stoens and Catherine Phillips for assisting him with his research and the completion of this project.
