Recognizing Mr. Ethan Albright for His Achievement in Local and International Science Fair

Floor Speech

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Mr. SMUCKER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to congratulate and recognize Mr. Ethan Albright of Hempfield High School for his achievement of third place in the `Material Science' category at the 2025 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, a competition including 1,700 students and representing over 60 countries.

Mr. Albright, a rising senior at Hempfield High School in Lancaster County, was also the Division Champion at the 2025 North Museum Science and Engineering Fair. Mr. Albright is the first North Museum Science & Engineering champion to win an award in international competition since 2017.

In both competitions, his project centered on experimenting with and designing fully biodegradable fishing lures as an eco-friendly, cost- effective replacement for plastic lures. The worm-shaped lure, made from a biopolymer recipe, could substitute for traditional soft plastic lures which can break off hooks and sink to the bottom of waterways. Mr. Albright cites his early memories of swimming and fishing on the Susquehanna River with his father as the driving motivation for his desire to keep our community's waterways clean and plastic-free.

I want to congratulate Mr. Albright on his achievement at the local and international level, and to recognize the hard work, dedication, and innovative spirit that went into his project. As a fisherman myself, I am grateful for Mr. Albright's contributions to solving the pollution issue. I wish him continued success in his studies and pursuits.

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