About
The Full Story
My name is Samiksha Sanjeev. I'm a highschooler from New Hampshire, USA with a huge passion for science, culture, and linguistics. I moved to the United States just before high school and have participated in many activities: HOSA, Research, Debate, Honors Societies, volunteer work, and guitar. The two biggest influences for this blog were my internship and my research. For my research, I analyzed the genetic diversity of orchids native to New England, contributed to building a genome for the genus, and became a published author in a peer-reviewed paper where I submitted my findings alongside a few other scientists. While conducting my research, I began noticing the relationship between human and plants on a deeper level, watching as humans saved an orchid from endangerment. This intrigued me a lot which inspired me to explore this intricate relationship between plants and humans, and later inspired me to make this topic a part of my blog. Additionally, I also became interested in linguistics. As a person from a small tribe in India, I spent a summer internship researching the language and culture of my people. While working with a professor at a university, I began to understand what it takes to keep both a culture and language from dying out by utilizing a variety of different methods which I researched. Both of these experiences have contributed to my interests today and have encouraged me to continue exploring these interests as I take my next steps into college.
Researching Orchids
I've been working with the New Hampshire Academy of Science (NHAS) since I was 13 years old. My main researched project with the lab is to assess the genetic diversity of the Cypripedium orchids native to New England. These orchids have had a huge genetic diversity issue in the past, and the lab is now working to assess the diversity each year to ensure that these orchids are still thriving. To further improve their health, myself and a few other researchers are currently working on creating a genome for one of the species of the orchid, Cypripedium Reginae, with a genome 15-20 times as large as the human genome. We are also publishing a paper on the diversity of these orchids, that will be published by December end.
Non-Profit
After working on preserving a species at the lab for so long, I became inspired to help in the preservation of cultures. I started a non-profit dedicated to preserving both the language and culture of the Abenaki tribe by raising money through bake sales (and other events) as well as educating people by hosting virtual informational meetings.
Research Internship on Coorgi Culture & Language
Over my junior summer, I interned at M K Cariappa College, where I did research under one of the professors there, with the intention of understanding more about a native tribe's culture. The native tribe's people, the Coorgi people, live in a small district in Coorg, Karnataka, India that speak an endangered language called Coorgi. During my internship, I studied their culture, including different family roles and festivals. Later, I began to help in documenting their lineage and exploring provocative measures to ensure that their language doesn't die out.
Debate Team
I'm the co-president of my school's debate team. I've been a part of the team since my sophomore year and have attended and helped host multiple debate meets. As co-president, I've helped new members improve upon their debate skills, hosted club meetings, held mock debates, connect with other teams in NH, and aided in fundraising for our club. I love debate team and hope to continue it in college, maybe with a new style of debate!
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