Pukar Hamal hopes to clone another science award and genetically engineer it to the top.
The Forest Hills HS senior was among 1,000 young scientists competing yesterday at the New York City Science and Engineering Fair at City University of New York.
About 150 of the whiz kids will find out a week from today if they advanced to the next round March 25 at the American Museum of Natural History.
Off that competition, another 15 to 30 will go to the World Series of high school science fairs – the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Reno, Nev., on May 10 through 15.
Hamal is one of Gotham’s best hopes for glory, having won the $1,500 second-place prize in last year’s Animal Science category in the international competition.
“I feel like a veteran, but there are some great projects [in the competition],” said Hamal.
Event organizer Jeanette Kim said she marvels at how students have made their experiments so topical, with real-world applications.
“There are a lot more projects where students get their ideas from current events like biofuels, stem cells and environmental issues,” said Kim.
Project partners Aziz Rahman, 17, and Abanoub Wanees, 16, both from Townsend Harris HS in Queens, hope their sun-capturing lens will convert pond scum to fuel.
“That’s what makes this cost effective – because it uses the sun to burn algae instead of using costly fossil fuels and nonrenewable sources of energy,” said Rahman.
Additional reporting by David K. Li