Jack Aronian

2026 Eco-Hero

2nd PLACE

Jack Aronian
Age 16
North Salem, New York, USA
The H5N1 Prevention Initiative: Avian Influenza Awareness and Biosecurity Hub

At 16 years old, filmmaker, scientist, and activist Jack Aronian is leading a vital national effort to combat the threat of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). Jack’s environmental path is deeply intertwined with his family's legacy. Following the passing of his grandfather, an avid birder and wildlife rehabilitator, his family posthumously published a book his grandfather had written, which prophetically foretold the devastating impact of bird flu on a small community. In the fall of 2024, while filming a video for the Audubon Society and working as a local farmhand at Snow Hill Farm, Jack noticed real-world drops in bird counts and severe agricultural spikes in egg prices. Realizing his peer group and schools were completely silent on this rising zoonotic crisis, Jack decided to use his skills as a filmmaker to sound the alarm for what he terms "the COVID generation."

In early 2025, Jack launched the "H5N1 Prevention Initiative," writing, directing, and editing a comprehensive documentary film featuring interviews with leading global experts in epidemiology, public health, and ornithology. Funded by a Youth Service America Hershey Heartwarming Grant, Jack organized a public premiere at the Mahopac Library in New York, drawing 70 attendees. The event was introduced by Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne, and Jack was honored with an official public health recognition and proclamation from North Salem Mayor Warren Lucas. He expanded the documentary into multiple structural formats (ranging from 1-minute trailers to 30-minute educational cuts) to fit diverse distribution networks. Local public access television networks broadcast his film twice daily, and short cuts earned prestigious accolades, including Best Student Film and Best Student Trailer from The Sicilian Film Awards (Madonie Film Festival) in Italy, Best Student Film from The Beach Cities Inspirational Film Festival (BCIFF) in California, and 8 official international and national selections. To date, Jack’s multimedia campaigns and national presentations, including lectures at the Stanford University Undergraduate Global Public Health Club, the Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance, and the June 2026 Points of Light Conference in Washington, D.C., have reached an estimated 185,000 people, with his recent film selection also featured in the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC) June Newsletter. Dr. Elizabeth Gray, CEO of the National Audubon Society, lauded his work, noting how remarkable it is to see a young person bring science and storytelling together in such a meaningful way.

While visiting various wildlife clinics to film, Jack identified a critical systemic weakness: regional bird sanctuaries, wildlife rehabs, and nature centers were working completely in silos, leading to wildly inconsistent biosecurity guidelines. Recognizing that under-resourced or independent centers struggled to access uniform epidemiological protocols, a major environmental justice issue that leaves local ecosystems and vulnerable human communities exposed to disease, Jack created the "H5N1 Bird Center Hub." Backed by research scientists from Cornell University’s Animal Science Department, Jack created a centralized database and platform where sanctuaries can collaborate and securely share operational on-site protocols (such as proper foot-bath chemical ratios) and public messaging strategies. Jack's relentless outreach, involving hundreds of targeted communications, has successfully engaged 85+ facilities, with 60 centers spanning 35 U.S. states and an international partner (UCN SSC Wild Parrot Specialist Group) already fully onboarded into the active Hub network. Cornell Raptor Center expressed interest in hosting the repository directly on their server. Recently, he was invited to collaborate with a non-profit biomedical research institute. His work has profoundly moved industry veterans; Chris Eksteen, Executive Director of the Ojai Raptor Center, remarked that Jack successfully "connected the dots we needed in the industry," inspiring the center to launch its very own youth advisory board.

In tandem with his digital biosecurity infrastructure, Jack has managed a successful GoFundMe campaign tied directly to his screenings, raising $9,158 to purchase PPE, quarantine units, and property protections for underfunded wildlife centers. To maximize local community defense, he even established a winter bird seed distribution project through public libraries, appending educational QR codes to every package. Jack balances his biosecurity work with rigorous interdisciplinary academic courses in epidemiology and health policy through Johns Hopkins and HarvardX, all while dedicating over 445 hours to community service, earning him the Platinum Service Award from the Mensa Honor Society and the Gold Presidential Volunteer Service Award from AmeriCorps. His hands-on conservation fieldwork includes assisting the NYC DEP with Peregrine Falcon chick banding at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and a Red-tailed Hawk release at the Delaware County Fair. An award-winning photographer at the NY State Fair, Jack also serves as a varsity band musician, co-president of his school's chess team, and co-founder of the teen coaching platform chessin1day.com. He is currently producing a secondary documentary tracking the implementation of the Bird Center Hub and plans to expand the network to all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, and beyond.

"Bird and wildlife centers are on the front lines when pandemics like avian influenza strike, stretching limited resources to protect animal and human populations. Stand-alone, marginalized centers often struggle with basic preventive strategies and funding. All centers require collegiality, financial support, and education to maintain the best safety practices as they address zoonotic diseases and potentially hazardous environments."

h5n1prevention.com
instagram.com/h5n1prevention/
gofund.me/d3ba0e249