How a Teen’s Love for Mushrooms Could Clean Up Our Mess

Finnegan Miller didn’t just grow up loving science—he grew up wanting to fix things with it. While other kids his age were testing video games or scrolling through memes, he was peering at fuzzy mold on old fruit in his kitchen. That early curiosity about fungi didn’t fizzle out. Instead, it turned into a full-blown obsession with mycology, the study of mushrooms, and how they interact with the world. By high school, his experiments had evolved into serious research, earning him top awards and a spot as Berks’ Best 2026 in science and environment. Miller isn’t just playing in a lab—he’s thinking about real-world problems. His award-winning work shows how mushrooms can break down plastic waste and even filter out PFAS, the stubborn chemicals that cling to soil and water for decades. These aren’t just lab tricks; they’re ideas with the potential to reshape how we handle trash and pollution. His goal? To work in food safety after college, where he can tackle issues like salmonella and listeria while pushing for greener ways to grow and package food. It’s a bold plan for someone who’s still in high school.Behind Miller’s drive is a family that saw the value in getting their hands dirty—literally. His grandfather, a retired agriculture teacher, spent years teaching him about Pennsylvania’s ecosystems, from the crops in the fields to the critters in the backyard. That kind of hands-on learning stuck. At school, Miller took that curiosity and ran with it, leading his FFA chapter to national competitions and juggling roles in student council, FBLA, and even coaching youth soccer. He doesn’t just join clubs—he makes things happen in them. What’s striking about Miller isn’t just his achievements, but how he ties them to everyday life. He coaches kids in soccer, removes invasive plants from local parks, and even mentors his younger brother, Sullivan, by turning simple moments into science lessons. It’s easy to picture a future where he’s not just another scientist in a lab coat but someone who bridges the gap between research and real change. His work with mushrooms alone could inspire a whole new way to think about waste—one that’s less about burning trash and more about letting nature do the cleanup. Still, Miller’s story isn’t just about awards or future plans. It’s a reminder that passion often starts small. A seventh-grade experiment with mold might seem trivial, but for him, it was the spark that lit a path toward bigger questions. Now, he’s asking whether fungi can solve some of humanity’s biggest messes. The answer could change how we see not just science, but the world itself.