MY Camper Pavithra Parthasarathy: Water treatment for human health
18-year-old Pavithra Parthasarathy is an university student of biology and particularly fascinated by the complex ways the human body works. Pavithra wants to build a career in healthcare field, finding ways to reduce the impact of harmful substances on the human body.
Pavithra Parthasarathy from Canada.
“Science is incredible. Its subtle presence in everything is exciting,” says 18-year-old Pavithra Parthasarathy, who is originally from Madras, India but grew up in Mississauga, Canada. Pavithra studies biology and human biological systems at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.
“I find the human body complex and fascinating; so many intricate, detailed processes and elements work in such simultaneity,” she says.
Pavithra heard about MY Camp while she was still in high school. “The reason I was particularly drawn to MY Camp was because it seemed refreshingly unique, being a new, international camp where I could meet people of various backgrounds who share my passion for science,” she says.
Even though the camp’s themes are more linked to environmental issues than human biology, Pavithra’s found a natural link to her field of choice. “In the future, I hope to work in reducing the impact of harmful substances on the human body. Applying for the Water category is a great place to begin, since many diseases are waterborne,” she says.
Her project plan for the second phase of the MY Camp application process focused on removing triclosan, a chemical in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and other household products, from wastewaters.
“Before I jumped into my research, I read a few articles on common effluents, and came to know about triclosan, and the issues that prevent its separation from water. Sensing that it posed a serious problem, I decided to focus on it. Then, I researched common filtration methods, and investigated how I could increase their efficacy by adding my own filtration mechanism,” Pavithra says.
During the camp, Pavithra is looking forward to network, draw inspiration from other people, and continue working on water treatment issues with her group. “I hope to come up with a solution that is feasible and directly applicable to the real world; this would be fantastic.”
Pavithra says her rolemodel in science is the former president of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. “He motivates me because of his immense work in aerospace science, and his commitment to inspiring young children into cultivating an interest for the scientific betterment of the world.”
Pavitra herself also wants to raise awareness about world issues. “I enjoy organizing fundraisers for charity organizations.” For fun, she likes to watch classic films and dance classical Indian dance called Bharathanatyam. “I love dancing because it is such a beautiful form of expression, and a great stress-reliever.”
Like during the previous years, MyScience will introduce each MY Camper and offer news, videos and photos during the Camp. Stay tuned, but in the meantime watch videos and photos from MY Camp 2010 and MY Camp 2011.
Read more about Millennium Youth Camp from Finland’s Science Education Centre LUMA’s website.
Elisa Lautala is the editor of MyScience. With her educational background in translation and communication, she is learning more about science everyday. Elisa likes all kinds of cultural events, good books, warm weather, and aqua-jogging.