Two years ago, CEGEP student Nivatha Balendra made headlines for a discovery she made in her own backyard: what she believed to be a new strain of an existing bacteria.

Today, at 19, the McGill student is finalizing research into what was in fact an undiscovered species with potential “oil-ingesting” properties that could prove useful in the event of an oil spill — and debating whether to name said bacteria after herself.

Finding a new species of bacteria usually involves a large group of scientists, said Éric Déziel, a microbiologist and Balendra’s mentor at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique in Laval, where she is doing research as an intern.

“What is unusual is a 17-year-old identifying the bacteria,” said Déziel. “She has both been intuitive and lucky.”

Balendra was in her second semester at Marianopolis College in 2013 when she became interested in exploring the lack of options to effectively clean oil spills. She decided to research this topic for the school’s science fair.

She began sampling moist soil in her Ville-Émard backyard and along the St-Lawrence River, many times accompanied by her father, Perry. (The teenager’s parents admit that although they always supported their daughter, they didn’t think much of her research at the beginning.)

Balendra says there was no single “light bulb” moment when she realized how significant her backyard discovery was. She couldn’t yet see with her naked eye that the soil samples she was bringing to the lab were special. She refers to her work as a “good accident.”

Hearing that Balendra may have found a new strain of an existing bacteria, a McGill professor offered Balendra the opportunity to examine her samples on a genetic level.

It was an extensive database search of all known bacteria at McGill that revealed the importance of Balendra’s find: no scientist had seen this bacteria before.

The discovery was only confirmed a few months ago. The significance of this new bacteria is because of its biosurfactant production, Déziel explained. A biosurfactant acts like a soap to break down hydrocarbon molecules within oil, which allows a more efficient and eco-friendly cleanup in the event of a spill.

It took months and many tests to confirm that the bacteria produced biosurfactants. After each positive result, Balendra became more and more surprised. “Oh my god, it’s actually working!” was how she reacted after each testing stage.

After the research is published, taxonomists around the world will be able to determine whether the bacteria is specific to the Montreal area.

For her early research, Balendra won the World Economic Forum Prize at the Intel International Science and Technology Fair, a global science competition for high school students held in California.

In June, Balendra was invited to speak at the TEDx Montreal Women’s event as the conference’s youngest speaker. That month, she also received Plan Canada’s 2015 “Top 20 Under 20″ award. Plan Canada aims to improve the lives of children through promotion of education and health in impoverished areas around the world.

Balendra’s mother, Romani, said that seeing the teen practice her TED speech in the living room evoked memories of her daughter staging plays for the family in the same spot as a child.

Balendra said she was bit nervous before the TEDx event, but as a full-fledge South Indian Classical Dancing teacher who has been performing since a young age, she was also excited.

“I love performing in front of people,” she said. The TEDx audience loved it, too, and gave her a standing ovation.

Luck may have played a part in Balendra’s discovery, but from hearing her speak, it makes sense that she’s experiencing so much success so soon.

“There’s so many things we can do,” she told the TEDx audience, “if we go forth and take the action to do it.”

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