Scott Highlands Middle School seventh grader Mitra Suriyanarayanan is redefining what it means to be a young researcher. Her award-winning science fair project, Musical Minds: How Music Shapes the Task Performance and Emotional Behavior of Children with Autism, earned her top honors at the 88th annual Minnesota State Science and Engineering Fair.
Mitra’s journey into science fairs started in kindergarten, and her first formal behavioral research project was in fifth grade. It investigated how screen exposure before bed affects melatonin production and sleep quality. Since then, she has explored topics including artificial intelligence versus human intelligence and the inefficiency of multitasking. Each year, she has expanded the scope of her research.
With her current project, the passionate young vocalist wanted to explore whether music could positively influence emotional behavior and task performance in children with autism. “I love to sing, and I know how music affects me emotionally,” she said. “I wanted to see if it could help others, too.”
Mitra secured approval from a local non-profit autism institution and designed observations using standardized scales to assess task performance and emotional behavior. She demonstrated scientific maturity far beyond her years, crafting observation tools and administering a staff survey.
Although her hypothesis—that music would have a positive impact on emotional behavior and performance—was not supported, Mitra saw this as an opportunity for growth. “To draw a stronger conclusion, I’d need a larger sample size and a more controlled environment,” she noted. She also recognizes the subjectivity of observations and hopes to reduce bias in future research by incorporating multiple evaluators.
Mitra’s work was recognized with the prestigious 3M “Science Applied to Life” First Place Award and a Silver Grand Award from the Minnesota Academy of Science.
“It’s not about competing with others,” Mitra said. “It’s about competing with myself and getting better every time.” She is appreciative that she connected with Theresa Back and Mr. Austen Kruzeski, her teachers at Scott Highlands who arranged so many opportunities for her.