Teen uses diapers to inspire science project

You never know where kids will find the inspiration for a school science project. Kira Powell found hers in disposable diapers.

The high school student from Washington state figured out that the powder used inside disposable diapers, which absorbs liquid like a sponge, can be mixed with soil to capture more rainwater. Kira used the powder on test patches of dry farmland — producing 26 percent more wheat than land without the powder. That’s a big difference!

Last month Kira, 16, won first place in the plant science category at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. She also won the top prize at the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. She has attracted a lot of interest from adults who want to turn her idea into a real product for farmers.

But Kira does more than science. Last month she also won a state golf championship — for the second time.