Little Rock teen’s diesel fuel project wins award
A freshman at Little Rock Central High School’s project testing soy-derived fuel in what he hopes will be a go-kart diesel engine, took first place at the 2025 Soybean Science Challenge at the Arkansas State Science and Engineering Fair.
Vishak Meenachi’s “Environmental Sustainability of Soybean Derived Biodiesel Compared to Standard Diesel,” was not only a Soybean Science Challenge winner, but it also took second place in the Energy and Transportation Division at the Central Arkansas Regional Science and Engineering Fair, first place in the chemistry division, and won the U.S. Naval Science Excellence Award at the Arkansas State Science Fair.
Meenachi, 14, tested soybean-derived fuel in a 196 cubic centimeter, 3.5 horsepower diesel engine, which he hopes to put in a go-kart of his own design. Meenachi received a $1,000 cash award.
PHOTO: STATE CHAMPION — Vishak Meenachi, 14, took first place at the 2025 Soybean Science Challenge at the Arkansas State Science and Engineering Fair. (Division of Agriculture image.)
