The bright lights of Hollywood are the pinnacle for actors, musicians and artists, all of whom head to the city looking for stardom.
Reeves Balderson, a freshman at Moorestown High School, got to Los Angeles on a different path.
Reeves won first place at the Coriell Science Fair in March, which was the beginning of a series of science fairs that led him to Los Angeles, where he competed in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.
“He has always been interested in math and science,” said Stacey, Reeves mother. “He first had an opportunity to participate in a science fair in sixth grade and he’s loved it ever since.”
Stacey has a Ph.D. in chemistry, and Reeves attributes his fascination with science to growing up around it his whole life.
“It definitely helps that my mom is a chemist,” Reeves said. “She can explain things to me in ways that make me want to learn more.”
The double science education Reeves has received has paid off greatly, and while his first-place finish at the Coriell Science Fair was a great accomplishment, it was the Silver Medal he earned at the Delaware Valley Science Fair in April that sent him to the ISEF competition in Los Angeles.
The ISEF competition is the world’s largest international pre-college science competition. Reeves was one of 1,700 finalists from among the 7 million high school students who tried out at regional science fairs.
“It was a great experience,” Reeves said. “I had a lot of fun and I got to see a lot of other interesting ideas, too.”
The title of Reeve’s research is “Sun In….Water Out! Light Absorbing Nanoparticles Dramatically Enhance Vaporization in Solar Desalination.”
“Our family has a house at the beach and, during the initial project scoping, he became interested in the idea of converting salt water to fresh water using the sunlight to change light to heat to drive the process,” Stacey said.
While Reeves has garnished a lot of success from these competitions, he understands he still has a great deal of work to do to get where he wants to be.
“I’m going to continue to do my research,” he said. “I want to prove this project even more and make some improvements on my design.”
He is planning on entering more science fairs next year, but in the meantime, he is continuing his designs.
“He has developed an idea for designing small desalination units using readily available components we purchased at Target and Home Depot, powered by solar energy, for families to use in areas far away from large towns or cities,” Stacey said.
While Reeves strives to do the bulk of the research on his own, he always knows he can rely on his mother for support and guidance.
“She’s there whenever I need something,” he said. “That definitely makes things easier for me.”
