The 11th annual Positive Impact Symposium, held at Wheeling High School, attracted more than 65 unique student research projects from eight high schools.
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What do you get when you combine the time-tested science fair with a modern initiative focused on societal good? Wheeling High School’s innovative and popular Positive Impact Symposium.
In terms of numbers, the symposium recently celebrated its 11th anniversary and attracted more than 65 original student research projects from eight schools, but the value of the event goes beyond any statistics.
“Our main goal is to shine a spotlight on student research,” said Dr. Greg Wallace, a Wheeling science teacher who has helped organize the event for eight years. “What makes this event unique is that student research has to have a positive impact on society.”
As evidenced by this year’s winning project, Wheeling High School senior Jenny Dawson demonstrated how to make a fibrous water collection net designed to collect drinking water from fog. Jenny’s work made an impression beyond the symposium: Her project also won a gold medal at the Illinois Junior Academy of Science (IJAS) Regional Science Fair, a gold medal at the IJAS State Science Fair, and second place at iBio’s Illinois BioGENEius Challenge.
“I was very interested in water scarcity and came across the use of spider silk and biomimicry in desert beetles,” says Jenny, who plans to study biology or environmental science after graduation.
“Both of these animals/natural elements have unique properties that affect their ability to collect water from moist air, so I researched how to replicate these properties and implement them in a way that addresses water scarcity. From there, I researched ways to collect water in arid regions, one of those methods being mist collection nets,” Jenny explains, thanking Nano teachers and events coordinators Carol Bouvier and Kim Milligan, and school librarian Barry Hanrahan, for their guidance in conducting her research.
What further differentiates the Positive Impact Symposium from a traditional science fair is that it includes both a gallery walk and five keynote presentations: two by STEM professionals who serve as judges and three by students who were finalists for their projects.
Wallace said the increased interaction between students and professionals will provide an invaluable element for participants.
“In ‘Ask a Scientist,’ we have a panel of judges on hand and students can ask them any questions they want,” Wallace says, “and then we bring a STEM expert out to talk one-on-one with the students. That’s a really rewarding part for a lot of kids, because they get to interact with an expert and get recognition for their work.”
Many STEM professionals enjoy the event so much that they return year after year, and organizers often struggle to find the dozens of judges they need.
“The kids keep coming back and inviting colleagues to come and see what the kids can do,” Wallace says. “We often hear, ‘I wish I could have done this when I was in high school. I’m so impressed with what these kids can do.'”
The Gallery Walk is impressive in itself, where attendees can get up close and personal with other projects by Wheeling students. This year’s gallery included a variety of STEM initiatives by Wheeling students, including a fuel-efficient vehicle, a Robot Rumble robot, a programmable robotic arm, and a flight simulator by aviation students.
This year, students from eight suburban schools participated: Elk Grove and Wheeling in School District 214, Glenbard South, Niles West, New Trier, Oak Park River Forest, Stevenson and the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy.
“I teamed up with Ken Indeck (former WHS math and science teacher) who wanted to elevate the local science fair by addressing current issues with expert judging. From that shared vision, Positive Impact was born,” said Hanrahan, who helped lay the foundation for the first event in 2012 and has watched it grow and thrive.
“We are pleased that Dr. Wallace is bringing this event to even more schools and students.”
Dr. Wallace, on the other hand, accepts all that the Symposium represents while denying any personal credit.
“We really encourage projects that show how research results can have a positive impact on society,” he said. “We’re very proud of that.”