Portsmouth Student's Research Helps RI's Coastal Environment

PORTSMOUTH, RI — A student at Portsmouth Abbey School with a passion for the environment was recently awarded a scholarship from the National Society of High School Scholars Foundation for her work to protect Rhode Island's coast.

Graduating senior Alaina Zhang of Portsmouth received the award for her research of sugar kelp. She spent months taking water samples along Narragansett Bay, analyzing how kelp farms influence water clarity, nitrogen levels, and biodiversity. She reached out to local policymakers, kelp farmers, and marine scientists to explore how policy could better support aquaculture.

Zhang said she was inspired to conduct this research from her youth, growing up in China.

"I sort of grew up in this polluted environment since I was really young," Zhang said. "I noticed there was a similar problem to back home. "I'm the type of person when I see an issue that resonates with me a lot, I have an urge to take action. When I realized there was this environmental issue that's been with me since I was 6, I can't just watch it get worse."

Zhang carried those conversations to Capitol Hill, where she served as a youth representative in the United Nations Ocean Decade and presented her research on kelp’s role in combating ocean pollution to policymakers. In one meeting, she spoke with U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner’s office, advocating for the inclusion of kelp farming in Rhode Island’s blue economy initiatives.

Zhang said her research centered on using waste seaweed to create bioplastics, an alternative, biodegradable source compared to traditional plastic.

"When there’s too much seaweed because of pollution, we can turn it into something biodegradable," Zhang said. I collaborated with several local institutions, kelp farmers, and local scientists, giving them some insights."

Beyond policy work, Zhang works with students across Rhode Island to introduce them to marine conservation. At a local elementary school workshop, she explained how sugar kelp could absorb pollutants, reduce ocean acidification, and even become a source of food — and set up an experiment. At the Rhode Island Science and Engineering Fair, she also presented her findings on kelp’s impact, opening discussions with local environmental organizations.

In the fall, Zhang will attend Stanford University. She said she will major in science technology and society with a concentration in environmental policy. She also wants to go to law school someday.

Zhang credited her teachers in the science department at Portsmouth Abbey School for helping her get her research off the ground, especially Susan McCarthy, a chemistry teacher at the school.

"I think our school has a really healthy environment in the way your peers and teachers help you," Zhang said.