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Winning a national award for a science project was exciting for four boys from Conroe ISDs Coulson Tough Elementary, but what was perhaps more exciting may have been the moment that Bill Nye the Science Guy looked into the boys’ microscope and learned about what they designed to help solve climate change.

“It was life-changing,” one of the boys, Aarush Shenoy, said. “We’ve never really talked in front of all of these important people before.”

The team — made up of Shenoy, Calvin Nyeholt, Aditya Thakar and Owen Plourde — was the first-place winner in the fourth through sixth grade national division of the Toshiba International and National Science Teachers Association ExploraVision competition.

For this competition, one of the world’s largest K-12 STEM competitions that challenges students to envision futuristic technology to solve real-world problems, the boys created a living roof tile concept called Algatiles that is to naturally absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.

As part of their award, the team and their science teacher Dawn Caldwell traveled to Washington, D.C. earlier this summer to be recognized and for the chance to spread their idea to Toshiba International Executives, senators and other students. Each winning student also received a $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond.

Caldwell said this trip was a proud moment for her.

“(The boys) were shining through this entire thing. I feel like they stole the show. They’re so engaging and really spirited and excited about their idea. They worked hard, and they had fun too,” Caldwell said.

During the trip, the team visited Congressman Kevin Brady and Senator John Cornyn’s offices to explain their prototype. They were interviewed by retired astronaut Leland Melvin during a satellite media tour and had the attention of Nye for several minutes during an exposition with the other winning teams.

While the boys may have had some moments where they were intimidated or nervous to present to these well-known figures, they overcame the nerves and said they learned a lot from the experience. Nyeholt said he had no idea when they started the project that they would get to speak to so many officials.

“We learned a lot about what it’s like to do this kind of thing. If you want to change the world, you have to talk to a lot of people and have to be able to get your idea out,” Nyeholt said.

Thakar said he learned that there have to be many people working together to solve such big issues like climate change.

“You can’t solve one problem with only one solution. There’s always going to be another solution that you combine,” Thakar said.

Plourde said that being able to present their project on a national scale made him feel like there are people who care about the world.

“Now that they know we can do this, they expect more and more from us. We’re going to keep going, using our energy to create new ideas better than the last one and make them accessible to the world,” Plourde said.

All four boys are moving up to seventh grade next year at McCullough Junior High School. They want to grow up to work in the science world, becoming entrepreneurs who develop ideas that change the world while investing in new ideas and donating money to charity.

Their principal from Coulson Tough, Shawn Creswell, praised the boys for representing the school well with their passion.

“You already have that internal drive to do more than you’re asked to do, and that will take you so far in life. I want you to always go back to where your passion is, to fulfill that in whatever it is you decide to do as a career so that you’re excited about going to work every day and making a difference,” Creswell said.

jane.stueckemann@chron.com