by CEE Staff
October 8th 2026
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CEE is excited to announce that Andrew Ma, a high school student working with Dr. Peyman Abbaszadeh as part of his U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded research project, has been named a runner-up for the 2026 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes! Each year, the Gloria Barron Prize recognizes 25 outstanding young leaders who have made a positive difference in their communities and beyond. Ma was among those selected from nearly 600 applicants across North America.
Andrew developed an innovative early warning system, ADAPT, designed to provide smallholder farmers with affordable and accessible drought forecasts. Using physics-informed artificial intelligence (AI), ADAPT can predict drought conditions months in advance, with a reported accuracy of 93%. His work was inspired by childhood visits to Oregon's U-Pick fruit farms, many of which later faced challenges or closures due to drought. Motivated by these experiences, Andrew interviewed local farmers to better understand their needs and began developing a practical drought forecasting solution.
You can learn more about this award and Andrew's work on the 2026 Winner's Announcement website.