Nitish Vankina
High schooler interested in synthetic biology, bioinformatics, and hardware.
Encoded binary data into DNA base sequences and decoded it back to a Linux-readable script. Added Reed-Solomon error correction to simulate and recover from radiation-induced DNA damage.
Paper on the convergence of biological systems and computer hardware as a storage medium. Published in the Journal of Emerging Investigators.
Current research submission building on DNA storage work with new experimental depth and hardware integration.
Centreville Media Consulting Agency
Led a team of 12 students doing digital work for local nonprofits. Cut costs and grew audience reach by 40%.
Journalism Club
Grew the club from 5 to 28 members by rethinking recruitment through the morning news program and targeted outreach.
Save the Children
Managed fundraising and spending for the local chapter.
Digital Marketing Club
Teach workshops on app design and SEO. The person other clubs call when their websites break.
Fencing
Coach 20+ students in fencing mechanics while competing in regional tournaments.
FBLA
State and regional competitions in engineering and business.
DNA as a storage medium
Using biological molecules to encode, store, and retrieve digital information — with a focus on error correction and resilience under physical stress like radiation.
Bio-cyber interfaces
The boundary between biological signaling and digital systems — sensing, decoding, and reasoning about the channel between them.
Synthetic biology
Engineering biological systems with the rigor of software — new substrates, programmable behavior, and systems that don't exist in nature.
Bioinformatics
Computational tools and models for understanding biological data — sequence analysis, structure prediction, and biological system simulation.