A boy in a suit and tie holds a white paper sculpture with a geometric pattern

Miles Wu says he spent at least 250 hours testing the strength of different origami folds.

Courtesy of family

Standards

Article Options

Presentation View
Teaching Resources

Language

The Power of Paper

March 30, 2026
By Chrisanne Grisé

Miles Wu has enjoyed making origami art for years. Now he wants to use the Japanese art of paper folding to help people in need. 

Miles has been testing the strength of a fold known as Miura-ori (mee-oo-rah-o-ree). The zigzag fold is extremely strong. It easily expands and collapses into a small shape. Miles hopes a version of the fold could one day be used to create pop-up shelters that could be transported to disaster sites. 

Last October, Miles won a $25,000 prize at a national competition for middle schoolers. It was held by the Society for Science. The 14-year-old from New York City spoke with Scholastic News about his project.

Scholastic News: How did you do this project?

Miles Wu: I made 54 variants of Miura-ori with different heights, widths, angles, and paper weights. I tested each one by placing weights on it until it broke to see how much it could hold. The strongest could hold 10,000 times its weight. I calculated that as basically the equivalent of a taxicab carrying more than 4,000 elephants. 

SN: How did it feel to win the Society for Science prize?

MW: I’m really honored that my project, which I came up with and did all on my own at home, was recognized on a national scale.

SN: Do you have any advice for other young people?

MW: When you’re thinking of science projects, look at what you’re already passionate about. Be curious and study more about your hobbies. You’ll be surprised at how they’re connected to science! 

Note: The interview has been edited and condensed.

Society for Science

Miles stacks books and weights on a version of his origami fold to test its strength.

Text-to-Speech