Good Hope Country Day School welcomed 29 judges to its gymnasium on Wednesday, April 3, where 159 Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) projects awaited evaluation. Students from grades 5th through 12th, totaling 168 participants, presented their innovative projects, transforming the space into a dynamic Science Exposition. The event, known as the Good Hope Country Day School STEM Fair, is affiliated with the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).
The first and second place winners from the Upper School will compete for almost $9 million in awards, prizes and scholarships at the international level in Los Angeles, Calif., in May.
Jane Coles, STEM Fair coordinator for the past 22 years, expressed her enthusiasm, saying, “This was the best STEM Fair in several years, evidence for an upward trend toward excellence in critical thinking.”
Coles emphasized the importance of perseverance in STEM projects, saying that “More important than a good idea, a good STEM project is the result of perseverance. Grit is a character trait that serves every person well, in any field.”
During the fair, fifth and sixth grade students presented their projects to a panel of judges who circulated the room. These judges, described as “interested adults,” were very impressed with the quality and diversity of the projects, the visual displays and the professionalism exhibited by the young scientists.
With the responsibility of selecting the top projects, two panels of judges were tasked with identifying the top six projects for Middle School students in grades 7 and 8, as well as Upper School students in grades 9-12. To accomplish this, judges individually reviewed the displays and scientific reports, then collaboratively created a shortlist of 10 students to interview. Throughout the interview process, each judge meticulously took notes, leading to rich conversations about the merits of each project.
By the end of the day, ribbons were placed on the following projects to recognize the overall winners:
Upper School
1st Place: Tristan Samuel — “Ecological Extrusion” in the category of Engineering
2nd Place: Vedant Mittal — “Linear v. Parabolic Concentrated Solar-Thermal Power” in the category of Energy
3rd Place: Kennedy James — “The Geology of St. Croix: Exploring the Density of our Foundations” in the category of Earth Science
Honorable Mention: Luis Torres — “Machine Learning Machine Learning – Algorithm to Classifying Coral Reef Health” in the category of Embedded Systems
Honorable Mention: Isabelle Langley — “Media on the Subconscious Mind”
Honorable Mention: Asia Williams — “Recall vs Recognition” in the category of Behavioral Science
Middle School
1st Place: Avery Adams — “Science Friction” in the category of Physics
2nd Place: Nicolas Hutchins — “Wild Winds” in the category of Engineering
3rd Place: Makayla Malcom — “Blending Bacteria” in the category of Microbiology
Honorable Mention: Cuyler Roberts and Kyanna Cherubin — “Sunny Secrets” in the category of Material Science
Honorable Mention: Zaid Yusuf — “Magnetic Trains” in the category of Engineering
Honorable Mention: Chaney Smith — “Soil Supplements” in the category of Plant Science
A special Awards Ceremony will be held on April 23 to recognize the winners.
