Hannah Habershaw '21
During the 2022-2023 school year, Hannah Habershaw ’21, participated in the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science--an elective at Ellis School. She proposed a chemistry project in September that determined UVA and UVB absorption in three drugstore sunscreens. Her personal sensitivity to a variety of sunscreens is what sparked her interest in this topic.
In partnership with her chemistry teacher, Hannah conducted her research at the University of Pittsburgh in the Chevron Science Center labs. In order to determine the absorption ability of each sunscreen, she needed to determine their respective molar extinction*. After compiling the research and results, Hannah had the opportunity to present her findings at a regional Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science competition at Baldwin Highschool in Pittsburgh where she placed 1st in her division. She also then received a special award from the American Chemical Society as a result of her research AND qualified for the state competition which was held on May 15th at Pennsylvania State University where she again placed 1st in the state for the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science in the chemistry division.
Well done, Hannah! It is a privilege to share your academic accomplishments with the Valley School Community.
Molar Extinction*: The measure of how strongly a
substance absorbs
light at a particular
wavelength, and is usually represented by the unit M-1cm-1 or L mol-1cm-1.
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