Maxwell Swann

Maxwell Swann is a deeply engaged scientist with passions for agriculture and genetics who believes that sustainable agricultural practices are critical to making the world a better place. He is the founder of Indigenesis, a youth-led social innovation platform that aims to create impactful change in the way food is produced.

 

When he was 6, Maxwell experienced the importance of food. As part of a charity program, he made over 60 meals for disenfranchised people, and realizing the impact a lack of food can have on people, was inspired to create change so that everyone can have access to such a basic right.

 

Currently, Maxwell is taking advanced science courses in high school, such as AP Biology and AP Chemistry, to further his knowledge of the topics that interest him. Outside of school, he is co-president of two clubs with 30+ members and a board member of the National Honor Society and Science National Honor Society, building the leadership skills he will need to make impactful change. 

 

Outside of the comforts of school, Maxwell also challenges himself in the real world. He is exploring the possibilities of genetic engineering and its real-world consequences as part of the iGEM competition. Finally, Maxwell has experience in academic research settings from his internships at the Buckler Lab for Maize Genetics and Diversity at Cornell, where he worked to improve cold tolerance in corn, and the Food Quality Lab of the United States Department of Agriculture, where he helped developed a novel solution that could drastically improve peanut yields.

 

On Indigenesis, his objectives are to use his passion for genetic engineering to create crops that can provide more food while not relying on current destructive practices. Furthermore, Maxwell has been invited by KIDsforSDGs to work on the Youth Towards Zero Food Waste Campaign along with the World Food Forum.

 

In the long term, Maxwell hopes to lead innovations in plant genetics to combat global issues such as climate change and food insecurity.