Roanoke County Science Fair Winners Prepare For Regional Event
More than 100 Roanoke County middle and high school students competed in the Roanoke County Science Fair Saturday, February 28 at William Byrd Middle School. Students competed in different categories and school levels. Projects ranged from determining the optimum blade count for windmills to the effect of storage temperature on battery energy to the effect of climate on bacteria.
All finalists qualified for the regional level. In all, 40 projects (30 high school and ten middle school) advanced to the Western Virginia Regional Science fair to be held at Virginia Western Community College March 21.
The following winners and projects will compete in the regional science fair:
High School Division:
Physics and Astronomy, Earth and Planetary Sciences category:
- 1st place: Exploring the Magneto-Transport Properties of a Semiconductor Sample by Nadia Aly (HVHS/RVGS – 12th grade)
- 2nd place: Mosquito Ringtones: Is it true only kids can hear it? by Daniel Vieth (HVHS – 10th grade)
Chemistry category:
- 1st place: What is the Effect of Storage Temperature on Battery Energy? by Dylan Tokotch (CSHS – 9th grade)
- 2nd place: Heat House by Seth Yost (WBHS – 11th grade)
- 3rd place: Time Restraints of Pain by Charles McKeever (WBHS – 11th grade)
Plant Sciences category:
- 1st place (tie): The Effect of Irradiating Raphanus sativus Seeds on Growth by Matthew Meise (NHS/RVGS – 10th grade)
- 1st place (tie): The Effect of UV Exposure on the Growth of Lactuca sativa by Ethan Scott (CSHS/RVGS – 11th grade)
- 3rd place: Are Radish and Cabbage Extracts Allelopathic to Brocccoli? by Madhura Chitnavis (HVHS/RVGS – 10th grade)
Microbiology/Biochemistry category:
- 1st place: Effectiveness of Preservatives to Inhibit Botrytis cinerea Growth on Strawberries by Jared Johnson (NHS/RVGS – 11th grade)
- 2nd place: The Effect of Storage Time on Vitamin C by Alexandra Clark (GHS – 10th grade)
Animal Sciences category:
- 1st place: The Effect of Bisphenol A on the Development Artemia by Sarah Zillioux (CSHS/RVGS – 11th grade)
- 2nd place: Cricket Response to Various Sound Frequencies by Colin Bittner (GHS – 10th grade)
Engineering: Electrical and Mechanical Energy and Transportation category:
- 1st place: Effect of Different Temperatures on Electrical Efficiency of Solar Panels by Alexander Paul Thomas (CSHS/RVGS – 9th grade)
- 2nd place: The General of Mechanical Energy Through Passive Solar Heating by David Moylan (HVHS 11th grade)
Environmental Management – Environmental Sciences category (group 1):
- 1st place: Efficiency of Cleaning Solutions on a Bench Scale Sand Filter by Nicholas Kidd (GHS – 10th grade)
- 2nd place: Using Sand Particles to Filter Water; Does Size Really Matter? by Kelsey Rae Tripp (WBHS – 10th grade)
Environmental Management – Environmental Sciences category (group 2):
- 1st place: The Leaching of Bifenthrin through Different Soils by Jordan Gulli (WBHS/RVGS – 11th grade)
- 2nd place: The Effect of Sucralose in Photosynthesis in Elodea densa by Suellen Li (HVHS/RVGS 11th grade)
- The Effect of Biomediation in Nitrates in Groundwater by Elyse Parker (HVHS – 10th grade)
Mathematics – Behavior and Social Sciences category:
- 1st place: Questioning the Roanoke County Public Schools Grading Scale by Hayden Smith (HVHS – 9th grade)
- 2nd place: Mathematical Logic and Tic Tac Toe by Abby Caldwell (GHS/RVGS – 10th grade)
Team projects category:
- 1st place: Bottled Water: Is it safe? By Andrew Johnson and Matthew Gallimore (NHS – 9th grade)
Middle School Division:
Animal Sciences, Medicine and Health, Plant Sciences category:
- 1st place: Do Different Types of Treated Water Affect Plant Growth? by Charles East (NMS – 7th grade)
- 2nd place: Spirometric Lung Function Tests in Middle School Band Students by Matthew Myers (HVMS – 8th grade)
- 3rd place: The Effect of Different Detergents on Plant Life by Darby McPhail (WBMS – 7th grade)
Chemistry category:
- 1st place: Do Different Types of Popcorn Leave Different Amounts of Unpopped Kernels? by Chloe Johnson (NMS – 7th grade)
- 2nd place: Rust Never Sleeps by Alexandra Cox (HVMS – 8th grade)
Engineering: Electrical and Mechanical category:
- 1st place: Solar energy at Its Best by Sebastian Wellford (CSMS – 7th grade)
- 2nd place: The Force of Compression Springs with Different Number of Coils by Alexander Nguyen (CSMS – 7th grade)
- 3rd place: The Effect of Wire Type on the Strength of an Electromagnet by Andrew Maczugowski (CSMS – 7th grade)
Physics and Astronomy, Energy and Transportation category:
- 1st place: What Type of Aluminum Foil Produces the Most Electricity in an Aluminum Air Battery? by Michael Waering (NMS – 7th grade)
- 2nd place: Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot by Laura M. Sowder (HVMS – 7th grade)
- 3rd place: Degrees of Strength by Kasey McGhee and Scott Wiggington (HVMS – 8th grade)
Environmental Sciences category:
- 1st place: The Effect of Climate on Bacteria by Carly Jenison (WBMS – 7th grade)
- 2nd place: The Effect of Gases on Produce Life by Morgan Spangler (WBMS – 7th grade)