Natalie Farquharson, a junior at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, founded a nonprofit that built 10 vermicompost bins over the summer for a local food bank.
The organization, the Applied Engineering Research Institute (AERI), grew out of B-CC's Climate Innovation Club and combines environmental science with hands-on engineering, The Tattler, B-CC's student newspaper, first reported. The group is fiscally sponsored by the Student Global Ambassador Program and is expanding its work beyond Bethesda.
Farquharson started AERI after realizing B-CC lacked an engineering-focused environmental science community. "We [decided to make] vermicompost bins because we realized that many compost systems are really expensive and it's all outside," Farquharson told The Tattler.
The bins use a simple design: two utility buckets with drilled holes for airflow and mesh inside. Worms break down food scraps into fertilizer, and residents add soil and kitchen scraps to keep the system running. Unlike traditional composting, which requires outdoor space and relies on microorganisms, vermicompost bins can work indoors and in smaller settings.
On Sept. 20, AERI held a workshop at KID Museum in Bethesda focused on soil. Students used soil moisture probes to test cups of soil, learning how to gauge whether conditions are right for composting. Soil moisture in the 40-to-60-percent range is critical for effective composting, according to the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, as cited by The Tattler.
AERI's engineering projects are led by junior Ivy Rochkin, the group's design lead. Rochkin sketches initial concepts and builds examples so other members can replicate them. The group previously worked with household materials like cardboard and scraps. This year, members plan to shift to 3D design software and build functional prototypes that students can interact with.
Junior Elle Laycox, another member, told The Tattler she joined because of her interest in engineering and the group's goal of teaching the community through engineering.
The club even has a mascot: a turtle named Turbo Ted, created collaboratively by Farquharson and Rochkin.
No upcoming AERI events or meeting dates have been announced publicly. The group plans to continue prototyping and expanding its engineering workshops during the current school year.
