18-year-old's plastic-to-water system earns her a $100,000 scholarship

Image: Left/Davidson Institute/Right/Elizabeth Hanechak/LinkedIn Many young people are still working out how to change the world, but Elizabeth Hanechak has already started with the plastic choking our planet. At eighteen, the student from Russell, Massachusetts, designed a microbial system that uses an engineered enzyme and microscopic algae to break plastic waste down into drinkable water and fertiliser materials. Her work earned one of the nation's most prestigious honours for students eighteen and younger. Curious how one young researcher tackles such a huge problem? Read on. This article walks you through her story, her science, and the hopes she carries for communities facing plastic pollution.Who Elizabeth Hanechak is, and how she became a 2025 Davidson Fellow Laureate with a $100,000 awardElizabeth Hanechak, known as Eli, comes from Russell, Massachusetts, and was named a 2025 Davidson Fellow Laureate in the science category, an honour that carries a $100,000 scholarship. According to the Davidson Institute, she was one of three Massachusetts students recognised in 2025, alongside Ethan Yan of Groton and Philip Meng of Andover; the three share $175,000 as part of a program ...