Unfolding in the Tuscarora High School gymnasium on Saturday was a sea of scientific curiosity and innovation by middle and high school students throughout Frederick County.
Each student aimed at different distances. One is microscopic, investigating the properties of microbes and antibiotics, and the other is macroscopic, using coding and technology to develop robots.
But what nearly every student at the 42nd Annual Frederick County Science and Engineering Fair had in common was a desire to solve today’s challenges and change the world for the better.
The high school grand prize went to Tuscarora High School’s Janelle Lynn and Alek Tekeyan. Their robotic hands were able to sign parts of the American Sign Language alphabet from voice and typing.
Urbana High School’s Tarun Malarvasan, Kathrik Muthukumar, and Pranav Sristi are overall runners-up in the high school category for their robotics project that links a depth-sensing camera with a handheld module to show nearby objects. was.
In middle school, homeschooling Lincoln Moody was the overall winner for his project on Resonance Rejection.
Urbana Middle School’s Shreya Parmar was the runner-up for a project on water pollutants.
High school finalists will have the opportunity to represent Frederick County at this year’s International Science and Engineering Fair in Dallas.
Attendees at Saturday’s science fair received numerous awards and cash prizes from partnership organizations and international science and technology fair organizations.
Avery Radwinsky and Benson Zhang, a duo of Urbana High School sophomores, are concerned about the environment and are deeply concerned about the pollution of the Chesapeake Bay from fertilizer runoff.
Their project tested three basic eco-friendly compounds (such as high pH) that could be applied to the soil to reduce the acidity introduced by nitrogen-based fertilizers.
They hoped that, if successful, the most effective compound would be spread around the field after farmers applied fertilizer to their crops.
That way, when rain and terrain move water and fertilizer through the soil, the surrounding compounds can neutralize the runoff before it reaches the Chesapeake tributaries.
Their experiments showed that a particular compound, sodium bicarbonate, was most effective at doing so. I felt like I was waiting for
“We’ve found a solution, and it’s certainly not prime time yet, so the field is ready,” says Radwinsky. “But it really lets us know that there are solutions to environmental problems.”
Her partner Zhang says being able to explore small-scale solutions to problems like this has eased concerns about broader global issues like climate change.
“So we got together and thought about what we could do within our capabilities, which might also help the environment,” Zhang said.
Tuscarora Sr. Roni Madilo sought to explore a more personal scientific inquiry in his experiments.
Madiro tested the effects of Moringa oleifera, a tree native to the Indian subcontinent.Moringa oleifera powder is used by his family for its health benefits.
“My family has a history of high blood pressure,” Madiro said. ’ And my parents [Moringa] This is to reduce the risks and symptoms of conditions such as high blood pressure. “
Madiro wanted to know how the properties of moringa could benefit human health. We did it by measuring.
His findings suggested that moringa solution was effective in inhibiting the growth of E. coli.
“When it comes to my family, I’ve learned that it’s a really effective way…to fight those viruses and diseases,” Madiro said.
Other students have developed technology to assist people with visual and hearing impairments. One person has created a robot that can assist rescue workers in dealing with collapsed buildings.
FCPS Curriculum Specialist and fair organizer Colleen Beall says the range of questions and the curiosity of students exploring them is one of the best aspects of science fairs.
“They are all amazingly creative,” says Beall. “I strongly support science fairs because it raises more questions. maybe.”
