First Place Projects on View at County Fair March 19-28
Awards Ceremony Set for April 15
Overall winner Sarasota High School’s Jared Carter presenting his chemistry research project, Body Armor Utilizing a Sheer Thickening Fluid
Sarasota, Florida – February 11, 2010 – The finest young scientific minds in Sarasota County will be honored with prizes, scholarships, cash awards and – for two gifted high school students – a chance to shine in international competition thanks to the 2010 Regional Science, Engineering and Technology Fair.
Susan Puchalla announced winners by age group, research category and school this week. First place projects will be on display at the Sarasota County Fair from March 19-28.
Puchalla, Sarasota County Schools’ Science and Health program specialist and the fair’s director for ten years, said that 756 Sarasota County students from 37 public, private and home schools submitted 701 individual and team projects to the regional competition. More than 120 volunteer judges helped determine the overall winners, winners in each of the categories, and a large number of special prizes to be presented at April’s annual awards ceremony.
Sarasota County Schools collaborates with the Education Foundation of Sarasota County and the Sarasota County Fair Association to present the fair each year. Hundreds of Sarasota County students participate by completing research in science, engineering, math or technology using the scientific or engineering method, and then submitting their projects for judging at Robarts Arena in late January. The Education Foundation underwrites the regional fair, the county’s participation in international competition, and numerous cash awards through the generosity of community sponsors.
The two overall winners of the high school contest will go on to compete internationally this spring. Sarasota High School’s Jared Carter and Out-of-Door Academy’s Brittany Wenger will represent the county at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) in San Jose, California from May 9-14. Carter’s experiment, “Body Armor Utilizing a Sheer Thickening Fluid,” captured top honors in the chemistry division. Wenger’s project, “Does Practice Make Perfect? The Role of Training Neural Networks,” bested all others in the computer science category. All expenses for their trip to the Intel ISEF will be paid for by the Education Foundation.
The Intel ISEF has been called the “Olympics, the World Cup, and the World Series of science competitions.” Now in its 60th year, the Intel ISEF is the world's largest pre-college science competition and the only science project competition for students in grades 9-12. The Intel ISEF brings together students, teachers, corporate executives, and government officials from around the world. This year, more than 1500 students from 50 countries will compete for over $4 million in scholarships, tuition grants, scientific equipment, and scientific trips.
Other overall winners of the Regional Science Fair include:
Overall Middle School Awards for Grades 6, 7, 8
Billy Russel, The Tabernacle Christian School
“Hang Up and Drive!” (Behavioral and Social Science)
and
Taylor Greenan, McIntosh Middle School
“Coliform and Ammonia Testing on the Phillippi Creek Basin” (Environmental Science)
Overall Intermediate Award for Grades 3, 4, 5
Priyanka Devaguptapu, Venice Elementary School
“Can Playing A# Help You B#?” (Behavioral and Social Science)
Overall Primary Award for Grades Kindergarten, 1, 2
Coral Lipenstein-Rodriguez, Sarasota Suncoast Academy
“Temperature of the Road” (Physics)
Local sponsors support the Regional Science Fair at various levels. New this year as DaVinci Sponsor is The Faulhaber Foundation, Inc. Einstein Sponsor is the Dart Foundation. The Sagan Sponsor is the Sarasota-Manatee Area Manufacturing Association.
Major scholarships underwritten by sponsors are presented to outstanding high school student participants. The Faulhaber Foundation Prize for the Scientific Exploration of Nature will be awarded to two students for their accomplishments. The Dart Foundation Award for Medicine & Health and the Omar Y. Cooper Student Achievement Award will also be presented at the awards ceremony on April 15 in the School Board chambers, 1980 Landings Blvd., Sarasota.
2010 Science Fair Winners
Grades K - 2
Grades 3 - 5
Grades 6 - 8
Grades 9 - 12