More than 200 students compete in annual science fair

More than 200 students participated in the 58^th annual Northeastern Indiana Tri-State Regional Science Fair, held on the Trine University campus.

The event was held Saturday, March 17, with 20 of the 221 competitors qualifying for the Hoosier Science and Engineering Fair, which will be held Saturday, March 24, in Indianapolis.

Ninety-two volunteer judges, most of them Trine University faculty and students, graded the student projects.

During the fair, Jeff Benzing, senior-community investment specialist for BAE systems, presented three awards to science fair teachers.

Bobbie Thompson has taught science at the middle school level in the DeKalb Eastern Community Schools District for the last 22 years. Her passion for science has led to being part of local and regional science fairs as a parent, teacher, district facilitator and volunteer judge at the state level for more than 15 years.

Amy Edelman has been a fourth grade teacher for 30 years in the Diocese of Fort Wayne South Bend, and has served as science fair coordinator for the last 28 years at Saint Joseph School in Garrett.

Susan Zuber has taught biology, Advanced Placement biology and anatomy at DeKalb High School for 21 years. She has coordinated the DeKalb Central District Science Fair for the last eight years.

The teacher awards were made possible through a BAE Systems Science Fair Grant that encourages STEM education in Northeast Indiana.

Student awards were presented in the following categories:

First grade: First place — Luke Wachtman, Lima-Brighton Elementary, “Video Games and Mushy Brains??”l Second place — Riley Hartsough, McKenney-Harrison Elementary School, “No Yellow Jackets”; Third place — Jane Engleberth, Country Meadow Elementary School, “Color Feelings”; Fourth place — Lincoln Harp, McKenney-Harrison Elementary School, “Bounce Bounce Bounce;” Fifth place — Alli Hartsough, McKenney-Harrison Elementary School, “Amazing Pancakes”; Honorable mention — Maggie Martin, Parkside Elementary School, “Flour Power.”

Second grade: First place — Shaheer Ahmad Kazi, Carlin Park Elementary School, “Low Fat Snacks: Which Brand of Reduced Fat Potato Chips and Crackers are Lower in Fat?”; Second place — Coralynn Harp, McKenney-Harrison Elementary School, “Drop by Drop:  Surface Tension and Surfactants”; Third place — Piper McGregor, Ryan Park Elementary School, “How can we make photoluminescent objects glow brighter?”; Fourth place — Mikaela Kolar, Ryan Park Elementary School, “Does the temperature of a magnet affect its strength?”; Fifth place — Andrew Rice, McKenney-Harrison Elementary School, “Fold and Fly”; Honorable mention — Isabelle Wellman, Parkside Elementary School, “Measuring lux in liquids”; Leah Riesen, Parkside Elementary School, “Ice Ice Baby”; Sylvia Neal, McKenney-Harrison Elementary School, “Don't Burst My Bubble”; Juliana Walsh, Fremont Elementary School, “Will training speed up learning?”

Third grade: First place — Cooper Eads, James R Watson Elementary School, “How Long Can your Boat Float?”; Second place — TJ Knox, St. John Lutheran School, “Plastic From Milk”; Third place — Mara Keyes, James R Watson Elementary School, “To Tea or Not to Tea”; Fourth place — Taylor Gibson, James R Watson Elementary School, “Are Your Sunglasses Sun Safe?”; Fifth place — Emma Creager, Fremont Elementary School, “Is Fodder Worth the Fuss?”; Honorable mention — Jodie Schroads, Waterloo Elementary School, “Number of Pennies to Break Toliet Paper”; Zoey Bowman, Lima-Brighton Elementary, “What's Cookin'”; Rylee Mizik, Avilla Elementary & Middle School, “The Science of Slime”; Allison Bloss, West Noble Elementary School, “How are white and colored eggs different?"

Fourth grade: First place — Logan Hartsough, McKenney-Harrison Elementary School, “Should I Drink That?”; Second place — Lilly Moser, St. John Lutheran School, “Rapid Recall”; Third place — Addison Moughler, Butler Elementary School, “Right vs Left”; Fourth place — Nabeeha Kazi, Carlin Park Elementary School, “Do Temperature and Mass Affect the Growth of Yeast?”; Fifth place — Daniel Koch, Ryan Park Elementary School, “Can I Collect Energy from Downspout Water?”; Honorable mention — Titus Refner, Waterloo Elementary School, “It's for the Birds”; Jenna Coburn, West Noble Elementary School, “How Do Senses Affect your Balance?”; Nolan Baker Riverdale Elementary School Freeze! Honorable mention — Chasity Cornett West Noble Elementary School Killing Bacteria Honorable mention — Avery Ziembo James R Watson Elementary School Energy Thieves

Fifth grade: First place — Delaney Bock, Fremont Middle School, “Cracking Under Pressure”; Second place — Alivia Crozier, James R Watson Elementary School, “Reader Set Grow”; Third place — Caden Zuehsow, J E Ober Elementary School, “A 'Reel' Aluminum Air Battery”; Fourth place — Jedidiah Mortorff, Pleasant Lake Elementary School, “Do You C What I C?”; Fifth place — Karris Romer, Parkside Elementary School, “Feel the burn”; Honorable mention — Xander Bowman, Lima-Brighton Elementary, “MVP = Most Volatile Poop”; Carson Pomeroy, Hendry Park Elementary School, “Can Cereal Really Have Iron In It?”; Olivia Dirig, Fremont Middle School, “What Are You Drinking?”; Kate Engleberth, Country Meadow Elementary School, “Finding the Perfect Fix.”

Junior Animal Sciences: First place — Ava Budak, Angola Middle School, “Can You Keep Your Hooves Clean?”

Junior Behavioral and Social Sciences: First place — Christopher Schweitzer, DeKalb Middle School, “Can iSleep? Part 2”; Second place — Mataya Redinger, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Musically Memorized”; Third place — Olivia Woodcox, DeKalb Middle School, “The Fabulous Fibonacci Sequence”; Fourth place — Elizabeth Kruse, Lakewood Park Christian School, “Extra Extra Learn All About It”; Fifth place — Hope Welsh and Hope Bortner, Westview Elementary School, “Color Quickness”; Honorable mention — Sadie Potts, St. John Lutheran School, “Taste and smell”; Alyssa Kyle, Angola Middle School, “Body Fat or Strong Lungs”; Autumn Chilenski and Janessa Ritter, Fremont Middle School, "Low Fat, Low Taste"; Nicole Rodriguez and Lauren Couch, Angola Middle School, “Color Confusion”; Katie White, St. John Lutheran School, “How Do Sight and Smell Affect Taste."

Junior Biochemistry: First place — Katelynne Hartsough, DeKalb Middle School, “Diabetic Shock”; Second place — Luke Collins, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Sweet Success”; Third place — Matthias Hefty, DeKalb Middle School, “Linking Drinks to Diabetes”; Fourth place — Timmery Rutter, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Toothpaste Wars”; Fifth place — Christina Schrock and Lily Mishler, Westview Elementary School, “Glacial Cells.”

Junior Botany and Microbiology: First place — Cody Collins, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Growing Up 1-0-1”; Second place — Dylan Smith, Garrett Middle School, “Plants & Color”; Third place — Emily Roark, Wayne Center Elementary School, “Electric Plant.”

Junior Chemistry: First place — Rowan Tinker, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Zea Mays Fuel Craze”; Second place — Haven Tiberius, Hamilton Community Elementary School, “Viscocity Through Thick or Thin”; Third place — Mia DePriest, Hamilton Community Elementary School, “The Rise and Fall of Muffins”; Fourth place — Meghyn McMullen, Hamilton Community High School, “The Science of Smears”; Fifth place — Lauren Beitz, South Side Elementary School, “Penny Power.”

Junior Engineering: First place — Tyrah Stillman and Isabella Budak, Angola Middle School, “The Force of Football”; Second place — Kaitlyn Bergman, Garrett Middle School, “Power of the Arch”; Third place — Grant Lake, Saint Mary Elementary School, “Reconfigured Cub Cadet Rear-Mounted snow blower”; Fourth place — Gavin Kling, DeKalb Middle School, “Hydroelectricity: Renewable Energy”; Fifth place — Wyatt Birch, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Glass Breaks”; Honorable mention — Carolyn Sams and Carissa Seneczko, Kankakee Valley Middle School, “Can You Hear Me Now.”

Junior Environmental and Earth Sciences: First place — Aiden Koch, Angola Middle School, “Use of Tannic Acid as a Natural Fire Retardant”; Second place — Olivia Hesher, Saint Mary Elementary School, “How safe is your drinking water”; Third place — Jayci Kitchen, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “How's It Glowing?”; Fourth place — Caleb Bontrager and Adam Miller, Westview Elementary School, “What’s up with our water”; Fifth place — Gavin Weller, Garrett Middle School, “Camouflaged?”; Honorable mention — Hope Henderson, Lakeland Middle School, “rocks.”

Junior Math and Computer Science: First place — Lydia Sullivan, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Investigating Beauty”; Second place — Kelsey Bergman, Garrett Middle School, “iFry My WiFi.”

 

Junior Physics and Astronomy: First place — Andrew Molargik, Garrett Middle School, “Rainbow Radiation”; Second place — Braden Rogers and Wiley Minix, Westview Elementary School, “Ski Ya Later”; Third place — Clay Tucker, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Length VS. Weight”; Fourth place — Sydney Yoder, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “How Do Your Senses Affect Your Turns in Ballet?”; Fifth place — Kadence Conrad, Angola Middle School, “Effects of Water on Magnets”; Honorable mention — Gracie Parker, Central Noble High School, “Traction Action.”

Junior Division: First place — Rowan Tinker, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Zea Mays Fuel Craze”; Second place — Tyrah Stillman and Isabella Budak, Angola Middle School, “The Force of Football”; Third place — Christopher Schweitzer, DeKalb Middle School, “Can iSleep? Part 2.”

Senior Animal Sciences: First place — Alexandria Laker, DeKalb High School, “The Influence of Thawing Temperature on Bovine Semen Commercially Frozen in Straws.”

Senior Behavioral and Social Sciences: First place — Aspen Pflughoeft, Lakewood Park Christian School, “Do The Eyes Have It?”

Senior Biochemistry: First place — Abigail Yeager, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Engineering an Artificial Pancreas”; Second place — Penelope Swift, DeKalb High School, “The best and the worst:  Measuring macromolecules in fast food”; Third place — Wesley Potts, East Noble High School, “Effect of Capsaicin on the growth of E. coli.”

Senior Botany and Microbiology: First place — Gabe Hefty, DeKalb High School, “Microbial Fuel Cell:  Waste to Energy Innovation”; Kelsey Ternet, DeKalb High School, “Bye Bye Bacteria.”

Senior Engineering: First place — Skyler Plummer, DeKalb High School, “Money Talks: Distance Different Golf Ball Brands Travel”; Second place — Luke Shively, Lakewood Park Christian School, “Breaking Bridges.”

Senior Environmental and Earth Science: First place — Atticus Refner, DeKalb High School, “Composting Food and its Effects on the Chemistry of the Soil”; Second place — Sydney Hefty, DeKalb High School, “The Effects of Acetic Acid Concentrations as a Natural Herbicide.”

Special awards: Third grade — Cooper Eads, James R Watson Elementary School, “How Long Can your Boat Float?”; Fourth grade — Logan Hartsough, McKenney-Harrison Elementary School, “Should I Drink That?”; Fifth grade — Delaney Bock, Fremont Middle School, “Cracking Under Pressure.”

American Chemical Society, NE Indiana Section: Abigail Yeager, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Engineering an Artificial Pancreas”; Rowan Tinker, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Zea Mays Fuel Craze.”

American Chemical Society, Trine University Student Affiliate: Addison Pyck, James R Watson Elementary School, “Super Smooth.”

American Criminal Justice Association, TAO Chapter: Elementary Division — Claire Woodcox, James R Watson Elementary School, “Can Our Eyes Fool Our Taste Buds”; Junior/Senior Division — Aspen Pflughoeft, Lakewood Park Christian School, “Do The Eyes Have It?”

American Institute of Chemical Engineers: Junior Division — Rowan Tinker, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Zea Mays Fuel Craze”; Senior Division — Gabe Hefty, DeKalb High School, “Microbial Fuel Cell:  Waste to Energy Innovation.”

American Psychological Association: Mataya Redinger, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Musically Memorized.”

Arizona State University-Walton Sustainable Solutions Initiative: Sydney Hefty, DeKalb High School, “The Effects of Acetic Acid Concentrations as a Natural Herbicide”; Atticus Refner, DeKalb High School, “Composting Food and its Effects on the Chemistry of the Soil.”

Association for Women Geoscientists: Mikaela Kolar, Ryan Park Elementary School, “Does the temperature of a magnet affect its strength?”

Biophysical Society: Abigail Yeager, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Engineering an Artificial Pancreas.”

Broadcom Masters Middle School Competition: Tyrah Stillman and Isabella Budak, Angola Middle School, “The Force of Football”; Ava Budak, Angola Middle School, “Can You Keep Your Hooves Clean?”; Andrew Molargik, Garrett Middle School, “Rainbow Radiation”; Lydia Sullivan, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Investigating Beauty”; Rowan Tinker, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Zea Mays Fuel Craze”; Katelynne Hartsough, DeKalb Middle School, “Diabetic Shock”; Aiden Koch, Angola Middle School, “Use of Tannic Acid as a Natural Fire Retardant”; Christopher Schweitzer, DeKalb Middle School, “Can iSleep? Part 2”; Cody Collins, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Growing Up 1-0-1.”

Genius Olympiad: Alexandria Laker, DeKalb High School, “The Influence of Thawing Temperature on Bovine Semen Commercially Frozen in Straws”; Rowan Tinker, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Zea Mays Fuel Craze.”

Health Science Association: Jedidiah Mortorff, Pleasant Lake Elementary School, “Do You C What I C?”; Katelynne Hartsough, DeKalb Middle School, “Diabetic Shock.”

Indiana Soil and Water Conservation Districts, LaGrange, Steuben, and DeKalb Counties: First place — Atticus Refner, DeKalb High School, “Composting Food and its Effects on the Chemistry of the Soil”; Second place — Cody Collins, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Growing Up 1-0-1”; Third place — Jacob Foster, Fremont Elementary School, “Soil Erosion.”

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers: Senior Division — First place, Abigail Yeager, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Engineering an Artificial Pancreas”; Second place, Skyler Plummer, DeKalb High School, “Money Talks: Distance Different Golf Ball Brands Travel”; Junior Division — First place, Lydia Sullivan, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Investigating Beauty”; Second place, Isabella Budak and Tyrah Stillman, Angola Middle School, “The Force of Football.”

Isaac Knapp Dental Society: Senior Division — Kelsey Ternet, DeKalb High School, “Bye Bye Bacteria”; Timmery Rutter, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Toothpaste Wars.”

Mathematical Association of America: Lydia Sullivan, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Investigating Beauty”; Avery Ziembo, James R Watson Elementary School, “Energy Thieves.”

Mu Alpha Theta: Aspen Pflughoeft, Lakewood Park Christian School, “Do The Eyes Have It?”

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): Gabe Hefty, DeKalb High School, “Microbial Fuel Cell:  Waste to Energy Innovation.”

NOAA - National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration: Atticus Refner, DeKalb High School, “Composting Food and its Effects on the Chemistry of the Soil.”

Northeastern Center: Senior Division — First place, Aspen Pflughoeft, Lakewood Park Christian School, “Do The Eyes Have It?”; Junior Division — First place, Christopher Schweitzer, DeKalb Middle School “Can iSleep? Part 2”; Second place, Hope Welsh and Hope Bortner. Westview Elementary School, “Color Quickness”; Elementary Division — First place, Addison Moughler, Butler Elementary School, “Right vs Left”; Second place, Lilly Moser, St. John Lutheran School, “Rapid Recall”; Third place, Juliana Walsh, Fremont Elementary School, “Will training speed up learning?”

Northeast Indiana Solid Waste Management: Senior — Aspen Pflughoeft, Lakewood Park Christian School, “Do The Eyes Have It?”; Junior — Lydia Sullivan, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Investigating Beauty”; Elementary — Delaney Bock, Fremont Middle School, “Cracking Under Pressure.”

Purdue College of Agriculture: Senior Division — Alexandria Laker, DeKalb High School, “The Influence of Thawing Temperature on Bovine Semen Commercially Frozen in Straws”; Junior Division — Cody Collins, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Growing Up 1-0-1”; Elementary — Alivia Crozier, James R Watson Elementary School, “Reader Set Grow.”

Ricoh Sustainable Development Award: Gabe Hefty, DeKalb High School, “Microbial Fuel Cell:  Waste to Energy Innovation.”

Society of Women Engineers: Senior Division — Sydney Hefty, DeKalb High School, “The Effects of Acetic Acid Concentrations as a Natural Herbicide”; Junior Division — Alyssa Kyle, Angola Middle School, “Body Fat or Strong Lungs”; Elementary Division — Macy Newhard, Hendry Park Elementary School, “Which Ball Will Bounce the Highest?”

Stockholm Junior Water Prize: Sydney Hefty, DeKalb High School, “The Effects of Acetic Acid Concentrations as a Natural Herbicide.”

Tri Beta - Xi Beta Chapter: Senior — Abigail Yeager, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Engineering an Artificial Pancreas”; Junior — Katelynne Hartsough, DeKalb Middle School, “Diabetic Shock”; Elementary — Chloe Zuehsow, J E Ober Elementary School, “Age Gap in Protection Against Shingles.”

Trine University Chemistry Department: Rowan Tinker, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Zea Mays Fuel Craze.”

Trine University Future Forensic Scientists: Forensic Biology — Cameron Hasara and William Buskey, Kankakee Valley Middle School, “Blacklight Bacteria”; Forensic Chemistry — Aiden Koch, Angola Middle School, “Use of Tannic Acid as a Natural Fire Retardant.”

Trine University Math Club-Mathematical Association Student Chapter: Best Use of Mathematics — Luke Shively, Lakewood Park Christian School, “Breaking Bridges”; Most Original Use of Mathematics — Maya Kling, James R Watson Elementary School, “Oily Mess.”

United States Air Force: Senior Division — Abigail Yeager, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Engineering an Artificial Pancreas”; Wesley Potts, East Noble High School, “Effect of Capsaicin on the growth of E. coli”; Junior Division — Tyrah Stillman and Isabella Budak, Angola Middle School, “The Force of Football.”

United States Metric Association: Gracie Parker, Central Noble High School, “Traction Action.”

United States Naval Research: Senior — Luke Shively, Lakewood Park Christian School, “Breaking Bridges”; Skyler Plummer, DeKalb High School, “Money Talks: Distance Different Golf Ball Brands Travel”; Kelsey Ternet, DeKalb High School, “Bye Bye Bacteria”; Junior — Carissa Seneczko and Carolyn Sams, Kankakee Valley Middle School, “Can You Hear Me Now.”

Hoosier Science and Engineering Fair: Senior division — Penelope Swift, DeKalb High School, “The best and the worst:  Measuring macromolecules in fast food”; Wesley Potts, East Noble High School, “Effect of Capsaicin on the growth of E. coli”; Abigail Yeager, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Engineering an Artificial Pancreas”; Kelsey Ternet, DeKalb High School, “Bye Bye Bacteria”; Gabe Hefty, DeKalb High School, “Microbial Fuel Cell:  Waste to Energy Innovation”; Sydney Hefty, DeKalb High School, “The Effects of Acetic Acid Concentrations as a Natural Herbicide”; Atticus Refner, DeKalb High School,
“Composting Food and its Effects on the Chemistry of the Soil”; Skyler Plummer, DeKalb High School, “Money Talks: Distance Different Golf Ball Brands Travel”; Alexandria Laker, DeKalb High School, “The Influence of Thawing Temperature on Bovine Semen Commercially Frozen in Straws”; Aspen Pflughoeft, Lakewood Park Christian School, “Do The Eyes Have It?”; Grades four to eight — Rowan Tinker, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Zea Mays Fuel Craze”; Tyrah Stillman and Isabella Budak, Angola Middle School, “The Force of Football”; Christopher Schweitzer, DeKalb Middle School, “Can iSleep? Part 2”; Haven Tiberius, Hamilton Community Elementary School, “Viscocity Through Thick or Thin”; Cody Collins, Eastside Junior-Senior High School, “Growing Up 1-0-1”; Andrew Molargik, Garrett Middle School, “Rainbow Radiation”; Logan Hartsough, McKenney-Harrison Elementary School, “Should I Drink That?”; Lilly Moser, St. John Lutheran School, “Rapid Recall”; Delaney Bock, Fremont Middle School, “Cracking Under Pressure”; Alivia Crozier, James R Watson Elementary School, “Reader Set Grow.”