Savanna Aiello, a junior at the regional high school, held out a pair of her ice skates during an explanation of her science fair project, Scratching the Surface.
Savanna readily admitted science wasn’t her subject of choice, but she entered the fair with a project that focuses on one of her passions, figure skating, and took home second place in the engineering category.
“I wanted to construct a pair of my own custom skates,” she said. Her project tested different materials to find which would make the best, most durable skate.
Savanna’s tri-fold poster board detailing her process was one of nearly 50 projects displayed at the 17th annual Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School Science and Engineering Fair on Saturday. Students entered projects that were investigative in nature or worked to solve a problem. Projects explored the amount of baking soda in cupcakes to a solar-powered cellphone to a recycled water filtration system. Many of the projects focused on renewable energy, recycling and clean water.
Curtis Fisher won first place in engineering and first overall for his project titled the Information Space Age. Rose Engler and Katharine Roberts were second with their Solar Powered Cell Phone, and Daniel Gaines and David Webster came in third with Utilizing Polystyrene to Replace Concrete.
Top winners from the fair will go on to compete at the South Shore Regional Science Fair at Bridgewater State University on March 12. Due to weather, the judging for the junior and senior physics students’ wind turbine engineering competition will be held on Monday.
Nicolas Andre and Miles Albert built a solar-powered phone charger. Miles said they were able to fully charge an iPod in two hours and it was as simple as pointing the pocket-sized panel at the sun.
Daniel Gaines and David Webster, the third place winners overall, experimented with using recycled polystyrene (which makes Styrofoam) to replace concrete.
The material was created virtually emission free, Daniel said. “We are keeping it from going into landfills.”
Camilla Prata also focused on recycling, creating sturdy zipped cosmetic bags out of old one-use shopping bags. “People know about recycling but don’t put it into action,” she said. “You can do something as simple as this.”
Students chose and began work on their projects in October and November, working outside of school hours to complete them.
“It takes a lot for [the students] to get here today,” said science teacher and fair coordinator Jackie Hermann. “As you saw with the caliber of the projects, it’s fantastic.”
This year’s fair had some bumps along the way, as a snow day on Friday interrupted the planned judging. Ms. Hermann said several of the judges were not available Saturday morning, but those who were rallied together to find last minute fill-ins.
Before presenting the overall awards, Ms. Hermann took a moment to honor William Waterway, who died in September. Mr. Waterway had been involved with the science fair since its inception. “Through water we are all connected,” Ms. Hermann said, quoting Mr. Waterway.
Overall Winners
First place: Curtis Fisher, The Information Space Age
Second place: Rose Engler and Katharine Roberts, Solar Powered Cell Phone
Third place: Daniel Gaines and David Webster, Utilizing Recycled Polystyrene to Replace Concrete
Engineering Projects
First place: Curtis Fisher, the Information Space Age; Rose Englerand Katharine Roberts, Solar Powered Cell Phone; Daniel Gaines and David Webster, Utilizing Recycled Polystyrene to Replace Concrete
Second place: Sam Bresnick, Filter Straw; Savanna Aiello, Scratching the Surface; Elizabeth Williamson and Gabriel Bellebuono, Magnificent Magnets
Third place: Camilla Prata, Multi-Use Products; Connor Downing, Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell; Nils Aldeborgh, Sustainable Railways
Investigative Projects:
First place: Addy Hayman, Effect of Light on Maze Movement of Slime Molds; Alexis Condon, Effect of Salinity on Germination of Spartina Alterniflora; Mackenzie Condon, The Effect of Ocean Acidification on Oyster Shells
Second place: Skylar Eddy, The Effect of Temperature on Brine Shrimp; Alley Estrella and Alicja Vickers, How Much Baking Soda Affects Cupcake Rise?; Allyse Guyther, Pinwheels
Third Place: Patrick Dutton, Are Recycled Material Shoes More Waterproof?; Sydney Jasny and Lia Potter, Hydraulic Power; Jason Davey and Nathaniel Packer, Help Save the Ocean! Don’t Be Shell-fish
Special Prizes
Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation Award: Owen Bresnick and Hunter Cleary, Got Algae? Got Health?
The Cape Light Compact Award: Kanika Datta and Maggie Burke, Third World Purification System
The David Brand Award: Owen Bresnick and Hunter Cleary, Got Algae? Got Health?
The Island Grown Initiative Award: Miles Jordi, Structural Enhancing Growth
The Marine and Paleobiological Research Institute Award: Victoria Scott, The Effects of Temperature on Dermo Disease
The Martha’s Vineyard Surfcasters Association Award: Mackenzie Condon, The Effect of Ocean Acidification on Oyster Shells
Sustainability Award: Mitchell Chaves, Recyclable Greenhouse
Lagoon Pond Association Award: Emma Searle, Clear Water On the Half Shell
Biology Award: Miles Jordi, Structural Enhancing Growth
Physics Award: Allyse Guyther, Pinwheels
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