Malini Mukherji, a Notre Dame junior, center, is with science teacher Jocelynn Yaroch and NDP principal Fr. Joe Hindelang, s.m., after she was honored March 30 for her participation at the science fair in Detroit.
Mukherji also picked up an honorable mention in the “Special Awards” category for her project, which was called, “A Smart Light-Tracker Using Machine Learning and Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.”
The junior’s project earned entry into ISEF by virtue of winning a Grand Award from the 60th Science & Engineering Fair of Metropolitan Detroit (SEFMD), held at Cobo Center on March 15.
Mukherji’s project was inspired by current world trends that show the reduced utilization of fossil fuels and the renewed focus on renewable sources of energy, such as solar energy. Her project specifically investigated ways to more efficiently collect solar energy by tracking the movement of the sun.
“As fossil fuels and other sources of energy are depleting, the world is turning to green energy,” Mukherji said shortly after the Detroit science fair. “A major type of green energy is solar energy and solar trackers provide an effective way to collect the sun’s energy by tilting and rotating to follow the sun’s position throughout the day. Identifying the position of the sun is important for solar trackers. These trackers often use chronological or passive systems to determine the position of a light source.”
Using machine learning, a method for computers to learn without being directly programmed, and dye-sensitized solar cells, Mukherji created an alternative method for solar trackers and other light tracking machines to identify the direction of a light source.
“This ‘smart’ light tracker can be implemented with current solar trackers and my machine learning program will allow the trackers to always know the position of the sun in real-time and in turn face the sun at the optimum angle,” she explained. “This technology can also be used in any machine that needs to identify the direction of a light source — even robots or autonomous cars.”
Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.