Charlie Lanning’s Independent Science Research: Tackling Athlete Safety in Extreme Conditions

At Wellington, students are encouraged to follow their passions, and the Independent Science Research (ISR) program offers the perfect platform for those ready to dive deep. Through ISR, students design and implement their own research projects, collaborating with faculty and experts in their chosen fields. They engage in the full scientific process — experimental design, data collection, and analysis — and work toward important milestones throughout the project.  

Charlie Lanning ’25 has truly made the most of this opportunity. Driven by his interest in climate science and conservation, he developed a research project of personal significance. He connected with professionals at The Ohio State University’s Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center to explore an emerging issue: how extreme weather conditions impact student-athletes. His work exemplifies the initiative, curiosity, and perseverance we aim to foster through ISR. 

In this Q&A, Charlie shares his journey through the ISR program, from initial ideas to collaborating with experts and publishing his findings. His experience is a testament to what’s possible when students combine their intellectual curiosity with the opportunities Wellington provides. 

Q: When did you first become interested in climate science?  

I’ve been interested in science from an early age. My dad is an energy and sustainability entrepreneur, so I’ve always had science, especially conservation, close to me growing up. When I came to the upper school, I wanted to do more on my own. I looked for places to work with, and I was able to volunteer at the Columbus Zoo.  

Q: How did you first connect with the Byrd Center? 

In the summer of sophomore year, I was writing an article for The Paw Print, Wellington’s student newspaper. The editors asked us to write about what we wanted, and I chose climate change because I thought, “I’ve been around this topic. Might as well tackle writing about it.” 

I had an opportunity to attend a meeting at Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at The Ohio State University, where they were discussing a project to deploy new weather sensors around central Ohio. That’s where I met Jason Cervenec, the education and engagement director at Byrd, and other scientists, including Dr. Aaron Wilson, Ohio’s State climatologist. After the meeting, I had an opportunity to interview both men about the challenges of sustainability and get ideas of how high school students could make a difference as background for my Paw Print article.

The following summer, I asked if I could do an ISR. It sounded like fun, but I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. I talked to Dr. Sullivan, upper school academic dean, and we looked for upcoming projects I could work on. But they all required college-level prerequisites and weren’t open to high school students.  

So, I thought about where I’d been at OSU recently, the Byrd Center, and I was able to get in contact with them, and they were interested in working with me. So, in the summer before junior year, I joined a project there.  

Q: What was the focus of your research?  

The project was to learn more about protections for student-athletes who train or compete outdoors, whether in extreme heat or poor air quality.  

My project felt relevant after the poor air quality during the summer of 2023 when Canadian wildfire smoke swept into the United States. Some athletes preparing for the fall sports season were still out on the field even though the Air Quality Index was above 100, which is considered moderate (anything below 100 is considered satisfactory).  

That was on my mind when I joined the project.  

Q: How did you conduct research? 

I went to Byrd every Thursday for multiple hours. It was a little nerve-wracking at first, because they don’t typically do high school research projects.  

I led the project, but I was years and decades behind in experience. So, everyone I was working with expected me to catch up. I had to work really hard to get my understanding of the topic where it needed to be. Everyone was welcoming, and I caught up quickly.  

I started with looking at what protections are mandated by the Occupational and Health Safety Administration (OSHA), as a baseline of what we might expect to see for student-athletes. Then, I looked at the National Federation of State High School Associations’ guidelines. Since their guidelines are recommendations and not mandates, schools choose what they want to implement. Since each state has its own independent athletic association, protections vary from state to state.  

The preliminary result was that guideline differences often depended on region. The West Coast had more restrictive ones, because they’ve had wildfires and extreme heat. The Southwest also had requirements for heat. But if you look elsewhere, there are fewer guidelines.  

I decided we were going to focus on the Great Lakes region (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York) and the Midwest. I interviewed six representatives from state athletic associations to find out what protections currently existed. 

Based on my literature review and interviews, I authored an 18-page article with a large table comparing differences between states. I’ve even worked with medical professionals to contextualize my findings on the physiological impacts of heat and air quality protections.  

Q: How will your research be shared? 

I want my paper, “Qualitative Survey of Requirements, Recommendations, and Educational Efforts for Extreme Heat and Wildfire Smoke by High School Athletic Associations in the Midwest/Great Lakes Region of the United States,” to be published broadly and am considering internationally published journals.  

I’ve been working with a few publications to get through the approvals process, which includes editor feedback.

Q: What was your biggest challenge? 

I had to conduct a lot of preliminary research to catch up on my understanding of the topic. I also had to spend time digging through websites and 100-page policy documents that could be cryptic. That’s why the interviews were necessary.  

Q: How did Wellington prepare you to do this research? 

I had looked at large, analytical documents, especially for Ohio Youth in Government.* I was familiar with public policy and state legislation from trying to figure out where my proposed bills would fit. I knew a lot of scientific language from lab reports, so that made it easier to read studies.  

Q: Has your ISR experience shaped your future plans? 

I’m interested in studying public policy and sustainability as a major or minor. From my experience, we need to revisit a lot of current policies as they are based on old information or weather patterns we no longer experience. 

I found it interesting when working at Byrd that when reviewing weather and energy consumption patterns, scientists have moved from comparing a 30-year historical average to 20-year averages. Now they focus on comparing to a 10-year average. The weather we experience each season is changing. I hope to make an impact in this space.

Q: Any advice for a student interested in doing an ISR? 

If you want to do something, just ask. Most of the time, the only thing holding you back is not asking. For a lot of things, if you just ask, you’ll open a door, and it will lead you to a lot of places you never thought you’d be. 
 
 

*Editor’s note: Ohio Youth in Government is a beloved and long-standing program that provides students the opportunity to engage with the legislative process by writing, debating, and voting on bills. The experience culminates with a multi-day experience at the Ohio Statehouse, where students debate and vote on one another’s bills and meet politicians, including the governor.