Henderson 13-year-old Luka Nguyen came up with the idea for his award-winning science project after watching a news story about Lake Mead’s declining water levels.

It led him to do some research.

“My main inspiration behind the project was trying to mitigate climate change — obviously, something very big and controversial,” Luka told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

He learned about mangroves, a tree and shrub species found in tropical coastal areas, and their success absorbing carbon.