Dart Foundation - 2011 Regional Science, Engineering and Technology Fair

Science Fair Celebrates Young Scientists

Sarasota County Schools

SARASOTA, FL – Sarasota County’s brightest young scientists will enjoy the limelight this Thursday night at the 2011 Regional Science, Engineering & Technology Fair Awards Ceremony.

Superintendent Lori White, district leaders and donors will recognize 192 students of all ages who placed first, second or third in twelve different categories of research this year. Special prizes and cash awards for exceptional projects will also be presented. Two students will go on to represent Sarasota County next month at the prestigious Intel International Science & Engineering Fair in Los Angeles.

Sarasota County Schools

The $500 Dart Foundation Award for Medicine & Health will go to Brittany Wenger, Out-of-Door Academy, for her "Neural Network Diagnostics for Breast Cancer."

The annual awards event will be held at the School Board auditorium, 1980 Landings Boulevard, in two sessions. Elementary (grades K–5) awards will be presented from 6:30 to 7:30PM Middle and high school (grades 6–12) awards will be presented from 8 to 9:30PM.

Cindy Kaiser, Executive Director of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, will present cash awards to all first place winners at both sessions. The fair’s major sponsors will award scholarships to outstanding high school participants at the end of the evening.

The Faulhaber Foundation Prize for the Scientific Exploration of Nature will be awarded to two Sarasota High students. Garrett Moler’s physics project, "Harvesting Wave Energy Using a Full-Scale Piezo Buoy," took first place in its category. Nathan Elsishans project, "The Optimization of Dye-Sensitive Solar Cells," placed first in high school engineering. Both will receive awards of $1,000.

The $500 Dart Foundation Award for Medicine & Health will go to Brittany Wenger, Out-of-Door Academy, for her "Neural Network Diagnostics for Breast Cancer."

Two Omar Y. Cooper Student Achievement Awards will be offered this year, both granting a $2,000 prize and a year-long mentorship. North Port High’s Devon Gales won for his project entitled "The Effects of Oil Spills on Marine Life." Sarasota High’s Amanda Holly won for her project, "The Effect of Different Synthesis Methods & Ball Mill Times on the Formation of Photocatalyst InVO4 to Promote the Conversion of CO2 to Methanol." Over the next twelve months, Gales and Holly will have the opportunity to do advanced work with professional mentors in their fields of choice.

Sarasota County Schools

Garrett Moler, Sarasota High School, one of two overall winners who will represent Sarasota County at the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair in Los Angeles in May.

Venice Elementary School, Laurel Nokomis School and Sarasota High will receive the Christopher P. Puchalla, Sr. School Award for Encouraging Young Engineers. The surprise announcement for the evening will be the Carl Luer Biological Science Award, to be presented by Dr. Carl Luer of Mote Marine Laboratory.

The two overall winners of the high school contest will fly to California to compete internationally next month. Sarasota High’s Garrett Moler and Out-of-Door Academy’s Brittany Wenger will represent the county at the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) in Los Angeles from May 8–13. All expenses for travel, entry fees and chaperone to participate in the Intel ISEF are 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 61st 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 65 countries will compete for over $4 million in scholarships, tuition grants, scientific equipment, and scientific trips.

Susan Puchalla, Sarasota County Schools’ science curriculum specialist and the fair’s director for the past eleven years, said that nearly 900 Sarasota County students from 51 public, private and home schools submitted 739 individual and team projects to the regional competition this year. More than 70 volunteer judges helped determine the overall winners, winners in each of the categories, and recipients of special awards. Student projects were evaluated at county-wide competition held at Robarts Arena in late January. First place projects were featured at the Sarasota County Fair in March.

Sarasota County Schools collaborates with the Education Foundation of Sarasota County and the Sarasota County Fair Association to present the fair each year. Students participate by completing research in science, engineering, math or technology using the scientific or engineering method. The Education Foundation underwrites the regional fair, the county’s participation in international competition, and numerous cash awards through the generosity of community sponsors.

Local sponsors support the Regional Science Fair at various levels. DaVinci Sponsor is The Faulhaber Foundation, Inc. Einstein Sponsor is the Dart Foundation. The Carver Sponsor is Florida Power & Light.

2011 Sarasota County Regional Science, Engineering & Technology Fair — Special Awards By School

2011 Intel International Science & Engineering Fair Representatives:
Garrett Moler, Sarasota High; and Brittany Wenger, Out-of-Door Academy.

New Gate School:

U.S. Air Force Award
Cutting Edge, Evan Waid;

North Port High School:

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
"Taking the Pulse of the Planet" Award,
Omar Y. Cooper Student Achievement Award,
Stockholm Junior Water Prize, and
U.S. Navy & Marine Corp Office of Naval Research Award
The Effects of Oil Spills on Marine Life, Devon Gales;

Out-of-Door Academy

Intel Excellence in Computer Science Award and
Dart Foundation Award for Medicine & Health
Neural Network Diagnostics for Breast Cancer, Brittany Wenger;

Sarasota High School:

American Meteorological Society Atmospheric Science Award
Effects of Elevated Atmospheric CO2 on the Growth of Plants, Colton Moler;

American Psychological Association Award
Human Sharkbait, Alexandria Brantley;

Association for Women Geoscientists Award and
U.S. Navy & Marine Corp Office of Naval Research Award
Eliminating Karenia Brevis from the Gulf Coast Oyster, Celeste Lyons;

Mu Alpha Theta Award for Mathematics
Functional Relationship Between Card-Counting and Advantage in Black Jack, William Olson;

National Society of Professional Engineers Award,
Planetary Society Award for Space & Environmental Projects, and
The Faulhaber Foundation Prize for the Scientific Exploration of Nature
The Optimization of Dye-Sensitive Solar Cells, Nathan Elsishans;

Ricoh Sustainable Development Award,
U.S. Metric Association Award,
Yale Science & Engineering Association Award, and
The Faulhaber Foundation Prize for the Scientific Exploration of Nature
Harvesting Wave Energy Using a Full-Scale Piezo Buoy, Garrett Moler;

Stockholm Junior Water Prize
The Most Efficient Method to Clean Up Oil Spills, Shelby Hinds;

U.S. Air Force Award
The Effect of Anthocyanin Levels on Output Voltage of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, Jacquelyn Mogensen;
The Effect of Different Synthesis Methods & Ball Mill Times on the Formation of Photocatalyst InVO4 to Promote the Conversion of CO2 to Methanol, Amanda Holly;
A Composition on Decomposition, Thomas Keene;

Omar Y. Cooper Student Achievement Award
The Effect of Different Synthesis Methods & Ball Mill Times on the Formation of Photocatalyst InVO4 to Promote the Conversion of CO2 to Methanol, Amanda Holly;

Sarasota Military Academy:

Stockholm Junior Water Prize
Effects of Water Quality on Macroorganisms in Urban Man-Made Lakes, Timothy Bedell.

2011 Sarasota County Regional Science, Engineering & Technology Fair
High School Winners:

Behavioral & Social Sciences:

1st Place, Sarasota High, Human Sharkbait, Alexandria Brantley;

2nd Place, Pine View, Currency Exchange Rate Correlation, Victoria Farris;

Biochemistry:

1st Place, Sarasota High, The Effect of Anthocyanin Levels on Output Voltage of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, Jacquelyn Mogensen;

2nd Place, Sarasota High, Use of Different Fermentation Enzymes to Increase Alcohol Yield Percentage, Hayden Wachob;

Botany:

1st Place, Sarasota High, The Study of Biofilm Attachment on Local Sea Grasses, Christina Morgan;

2nd Place, North Port High, Smokin Plants, Courtney Naylor, Gina Nagy, Lizabeth Longstreet;

3rd Place, North Port High, Starch & Photosynthesis, Courtney Opsatnick, Lauren Hashem ;

Chemistry:

1st Place, Sarasota High, The Effect of Different Synthesis Methods & Ball Mill Times on the Formation of Photocatalyst InVO4 to Promote the Conversion of CO2 to Methanol, Amanda Holly;

2nd Place, Sarasota High, Composite v. Aluminum v. Wood: Which Baseball Bat Performs the Best?, Brandon Chapman, Payton Jenkins;

3rd Place, North Port High, Candy Chromatography, Andrea Valle, Heather Deemer;

Earth Sciences:

1st Place, Sarasota High, Effects of Elevated Atmospheric CO2 on the Growth of Plants, Colton Moler;

2nd Place, Sarasota High, Most Efficient Method to Clean Up Oil Spills, Shelby Hinds;

Engineering:

1st Place, Sarasota High, The Optimization of Dye-Sensitive Solar Cells, Nathan Elsishans;

2nd Place, Sarasota High, Application of Aluminum Waste as Fuel in an Aluminum Air Fuel Cell, Courtney Dust, Dylan Seeman, Zelda Blowers;

3rd Place, New Gate High, Cutting Edge, Evan Waid;

Environmental Sciences:

1st Place, North Port High, The Effects of Oil Spills on Marine Life, Devon Gales;

2nd Place, Sarasota High, Eliminating Karina Breves from the Gulf Coast Oyster, Celeste Lyons

3rd Place, Sarasota Military Academy, Effects of Water Quality on Macroorganisms in Urban Man-Made Lakes, Timothy Bedell;

Mathematics:

1st Place, Sarasota High, Functional Relationship Between Card-Counting & Advantage in Black Jack, William Olson;

2nd Place, Pine View, The Stock Market, Mary York;

Medicine & Health Sciences:

1st Place, Out-of-Door Academy, Neural Network Diagnostics for Breast Cancer, Brittany Wenger;

2nd Place, North Port High, Does Eye Diameter Affect Peripheral Vision?, Whitney Burrows;

3rd Place, North Port High, The Pressure of Energy Drinks, Alina Chevstov, Kateryna Pantyuhina, Kayla McLain;

Microbiology:

1st Place, Sarasota High, Nutrient Level Effect on Oil-Eating Microbes, Shelby Gladhill;

2nd Place, North Port High, Blasting Flu Viruses, Jonah McCrorey, Turan Huyler;

Physics:

1st Place, Sarasota High, Harvesting Wave Energy Using a Full-Scale Piezo Buoy, Garrett Moler;

2nd Place, Sarasota High, The Effect of Barriers on Sound Absorption, Rachel Mead;

Zoology:

1st Place, Sarasota High, A Composition on Decomposition, Thomas Keene;

2nd Place, Sarasota High, The Effect of Gauno Deposition on Mangrove Height, Courtney Dust;

3rd Place, Venice High, The Taste Test, Hayden Aristizabal, Tyler Adams;