New Design High School
PROJECTS 2026
Bacteria vs. Batteries
FINALIST PROJECT
Zeinabou Traore, Marrow Snell, Eliana Orellana, Angel Rosado
Lithium-ion batteries power the modern world — and are quietly poisoning it. As e-waste accumulates at an unprecedented scale, conventional recycling methods struggle to safely recover the toxic materials locked inside. Bacteria vs. Batteries proposes a biological solution: deploying Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, a battery-consuming bacterium, to break down and extract valuable materials from spent lithium-ion cells. The approach offers a cleaner, more scalable alternative to chemical and thermal recycling processes, turning a microbial organism into an agent of environmental remediation. As battery consumption continues to rise, this project asks what nature itself might offer as an answer.
Fixation on Pads Worldwide
Nonfinalist PROJECT
Lizbeth Ramirez, Aprill Tavarez, Isabella Miranda
Students responded to the reported discomfort and toxicity of many period products. They used resin from pine trees as an alternative to adhesive in pads, and identified a method of bamboo fabric manufacture that introduces no potentially harmful chemicals to fabric of those pads.
https://sites.google.com/newdesignhigh.com/pads-worldwide-bio-design-proj/home
Instructors 2026
Pinck Pinckney is a Special Education teacher at New Design High School with a profound love of Biology and student exploration of the sciences. This is her 9th year of teaching in New York City public schools, and her 5th year of teaching Biology. Pinck is passionate about student development of their ability, creativity, and sense of civic and global engagement. She is a passionate advocate of student independence and real-word experiences to develop their confidence in creating meaningful change in their communities.