Berlin HS Goes To Bat For Bats And Its Efforts Are Rewarded

Berlin High School

BERLIN, CT — A group of young high school inventors has gone to bat for bats, and they were recently rewarded for their efforts.

Berlin High School has been awarded a $7,500 Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam grant to create an invention designed to help insectivorous bats improve their odds of surviving White-Nose
Syndrome.

WNS is a devastating fungal disease that has decimated bat populations across North America.

The team’s invention will support both bats and their food sources while fostering a safe, clean roosting environment that helps limit the spread of WNS spores.

BHS is one of only eight high schools nationwide to be selected as an InvenTeam this year.

The Berlin High School InvenTeam, calling their broader effort the “Carpe Noctem
Initiative," is focusing on mitigating the impacts of WNS.

Bats play a vital ecological and economic role by protecting forests, supporting agriculture, and controlling insect populations.

BHS teacher Christopher Wisniewski, who teaches AP and UConn Early College Experience
biology and SCSU early college zoology, initiated the InvenTeam application process during the summer.

He worked with the students to prepare the final proposal and will guide the team throughout the 2025-26 academic year.

“We are deeply honored that Lemelson-MIT selected Berlin High School as one of just eight InvenTeams nationwide,” said Wisniewski.

“Our students are incredibly passionate about the Carpe Noctem Initiative and are eager to begin developing a real-world solution that could make a lasting difference for bats threatened by WNS.

"Their creativity and sense of purpose have been inspiring to watch, and I couldn’t be prouder of their commitment to meaningful science and community-driven innovation.”

Michelle Liu, a Berlin High School junior and founding member of the InvenTeam, shared her enthusiasm about the project:

“I'm so excited to develop this project with my team. It still feels surreal to realize how far we've come
since we began working together over eight months ago. I am incredibly grateful that Lemelson-MIT has given us this opportunity to learn new skills and have fun building a tool that will hopefully help conserve wildlife in Connecticut and across the country,” said Liu.

Over the next eight months, the Berlin High School InvenTeam will research, design, and build a working prototype that aims to mitigate WNS-related impacts on bat populations.

Their progress will be showcased at a Technical Review in Berlin this February, and again at EurekaFest, an annual celebration of invention taking place in June.

For more information on the InvenTeams, click on this link.