WILLITS, 4/4/19 — The following a press release issued by the Mendocino County Office of Education. If you would like to volunteer you can contact Kimberly Barden at (707) 467-5100 or kbarden@mcoe.us.
Mendocino County Science Fair Winners Prepare for State Competition
UKIAH, CA – On Saturday, March 30, the Mendocino County Office of Education (MCOE) hosted the 33rd annual Mendocino County Science Fair, where 212 students submitted 155 projects, representing 23 local schools. The top 10 submissions advance to the California state science fair, scheduled for April 29-30 at the California Science Center, Exposition Park in Los Angeles. Organizers there expect about 900 participants from 400 schools throughout the state to compete for more than $50,000 in awards.
Kimberly Barden, MCOE Student Events Manager thanked the team of dedicated educators, parents and community members who worked together to make the event possible. She said, “The Mendocino County Office of Education really appreciates the teachers, science fair coordinators and parents who support the curiosity and commitment of these students in the field of science. We also deeply appreciate the 54 judges and other volunteers who made this event go so smoothly.”
Mendocino County students in grades 3-12 submitted science fair projects in several ways: as part of class projects, as teams (with two or three members), or as individuals. They entered projects in a wide variety of categories, including behavioral/health/social sciences, biological sciences, earth sciences, ecology/environmental sciences, engineering/technology (Earth/Space), mathematics as it relates to physical sciences, and physical sciences.
The winners are listed below.
CALIFORNIA STATE SCIENCE FAIR
Ten projects and three alternate projects advanced to the California State Science Fair. The Mendocino County Science Fair state judges selected the following students in grades 6-12 with Class A and Class B Projects to compete at the state level (in no particular order).
California State Science Fair – Qualified Projects
| Grade Level | Student(s) | Project Title | School |
| 9-12 | Dalton Robinson | Parasite Susceptibility in Icelandic Sheep: A Comparison of Offspring of Iceland-born Rams VS American-born Rams | Mendocino High School |
| 9-12 | Yee-Kit Chan, Jaimie Yu | MSG and Cell Growth | Developing Virtue Secondary School (Girls Division) |
| 9-12 | Willow Daun-Widner | Lipids and Latex-How Common Lipids Affect the Elasticity of Medical Grade Latex | Willits Charter School |
| 6-8 | Hunter Paris | Parachute Predicament | Willits Charter School |
| 9-12 | Mariah Cox | The Effects of Wildfire Ash on Soil Nutrient Levels | Laytonville High School |
| 6-8 | Audrey Sherf | Tweeking Texts to Help Dyslexics | Willits Charter School |
| 6-8 | Jade L’Heureux | Infinity Rover | Eagle Peak Middle School |
| 6-8 | Owen Schuster, Andreas Allende | Making a change for people who can’t afford electricity | Eagle Peak Middle School |
| 6-8 | Michael Okawa | I’m a Big Fan | Baechtel Grove Middle School |
| 6-8 | Tyler Simerson | Use and Reuse, but is Your Straw Clean? | St. Mary of the Angels |
California State Science Fair – Alternate Projects
| Grade Level | Student(s) | Project Title | School |
| 6-8 | YiFan Chan | Impact of Mixing Engine Oil | Ukiah Independent Study Academy |
| 6-8 | Kylie Neuroth | Carbon Dioxide Gas | Laytonville Middle School |
| 6-8 | Jonah Meyers | What are Some Methods for making Buildings Safer in an Earthquake | St. Mary of the Angels |
LOGO CONTEST WINNERS
Grades 3-5
| Olivia Larson | Yokayo Elementary School |
ELEMENTARY DIVISION – CLASS A PROJECTS
Earth Science-Grades 3-4
| Gold | Nick Cramer | The Dam Sediment Problem | Willits Elementary Charter School |
Life Science-Grades 3-4
| Gold | Abigail Sherf | A “Maze” ing Plants | Willits Elementary Charter School |
| Silver | Phoenix Hernandez, Sofia Vaccaro | Growing Strong | Sherwood School |
| Bronze | Tyler Knight | Dancing Fish | Laytonville Elementary School |
Physical Science-Grades 3-4
| Gold | Skylyn Glassey | Electromagnets | Willits Elementary Charter School |
| Silver | Trinity Manion | Fishing Line Comparison | Laytonville Elementary School |
| Bronze | Eddie Bower | Testing the Physical Resistance of Pure Metal Alloys | Arena Union Elementary School |
Earth Science-Grade 5
| Gold | Adalaide Montagnino, Alicia Fuentes, Lila Wigton | Petroleum Problem | Manchester Union Elementary School |
| Silver | Briley Leonard & Kassle Dyche | How Water Effects Soil Erosion | Eagle Peak Middle School |
Life Science-Grade 5
| Gold | Kadie Balthrop | Childproof or Not? | Willits Elementary Charter School |
| Silver | Rios Munoz | Effects of Food Coloring | Eagle Peak Middle School |
Physical Science-Grade 5
| Gold | Rudras Knoles | Wrapped in Green | Eagle Peak Middle School |
| Silver | Gideon Hupp | Cooking with the Sun | Tree of Life Charter School |
| Bronze | Joaquin Faiella, Isaac Castro | Natural Filter | Manchester Union Elementary School |
JUNIOR DIVISIONS – CLASS A PROJECTS
Earth Science-Grades 6-8
| Gold | Estrella Fuentes, Giselle Mejia | Let’s Clean Up This Oil Spill | Manchester Union Elementary School |
| Silver | Enzo Vaccaro | It’s Not Rocket Science | Willits Charter School |
| Bronze | Nora Marin | This is Bananas! | Eagle Peak Middle School |
Life Science A -Grades 6-8
| Gold | Shelby Perez Bowen | Eww! Mold! | Baechtel Grove Middle School |
| Silver | Jacob Kubin, Maleah Walley | #Get Filtered | Eagle Peak Middle School |
| Bronze | Cameron Hubley, Steven Dunnicliff, Bode Gower | How Do Different Liquids Affect the Body’s Cells | St. Mary of the Angels |
Life Science B -Grades 6-8
| Gold | Audrey Sherf | Tweaking Texts to Help Dyslexics | Willits Charter School |
| Silver | Tyler Simerson | Use and Reuse, But is Your Straw Clean | St. Mary of the Angels |
| Bronze | Amy Liu, Han (Jane) Zhang, Katherine Wang | To Eat or Not To Eat? | Developing Virtue Secondary School (Girls Division) |
Physical Science -Grades 6-8
| Gold | Hunter Paris | Parachute Predicament | Willits Charter School |
| Silver | Daniel Castro, Damian Rodriguez | Electrolyte Challenge | Manchester Union Elementary School |
| Bronze | Michael Okawa | I’m a Big Fan | Baechtel Grove Middle School |
SENIOR DIVISIONS – CLASS A PROJECTS
Earth Science-Grades 9-12
| Gold | Mariah Cox | The Effects of Wildfire Ash on Soil Nutrient Levels | Laytonville High School |
| Silver | Haiqi (Sola) Long, Audrey Chan | Organic Superabsorbent Polymers | Developing Virtue Secondary School (Girls Division) |
Life Science A -Grades 9-12
| Gold | Dalton Robinson | Parasite Susceptibility in Icelandic Sheep: A Comparison of Offspring of Iceland-born Rams VS American-born Rams | Mendocino High School |
| Silver | Zoe Alvarado | Do Length, Density, or Width of Hair Affect the Texture of a Rabbit’s Pelt? | Willits Charter School |
| Bronze | Zoe Jordan | Finding a Correlation Between Age and Heart Rate in Oryclalagus cuniculus (Domestic Rabbit) | Willits Charter School |
Life Science B -Grades 9-12
| Gold | Yee-Kit Chan, Jaimie Yu | MSG and Cell Growth | Developing Virtue Secondary School (Girls Division) |
Physical Science -Grades 9-12
| Gold | Willow Daun-Widner | Lipids and Latex-How Common Lipids Affect the Elasticity of Medical Grade Latex | Willits Charter School |
JUNIOR DIVISION ENGINEERING – CLASS B PROJECTS
Grades 6-8
| Gold | Jade L’Heureux | Infinity Rover | Eagle Peak Middle School |
| Silver | Jonah Meyers | What are Some Methods for making Buildings Safer in an Earthquake | St. Mary of the Angels |
| Bronze | YiFan Chan | Impact Of Mixing Engine Oil | Ukiah Independent Study Academy |
CLASSROOM PROJECTS – CLASS C PROJECTS
Grades 3-5
| Gold | Student Representatives-Kamran Lopez, Calleigh Wear, and Adriana Alvarez | Germ Buster | Blosser Lane Elementary School |
| Silver | Room 5-Ms. McClelland’s Class | Fizz Fun | Blosser Lane Elementary School |
| Bronze | Wren Samana, Roe Weidaw, Nishae Valente, Sasha Rodriguez, Claire Wang | Crystals from liquid to solid | Instilling Goodness Girls School |
DISPLAYS/DEMONSTRATIONS – CLASS D PROJECTS
Grades 3-5
| Gold | Jen Harness | My Experiment on Invisible Ink | Willits Elementary Charter School |
| Silver | Vada Morgan | Electromagnetic Motor | Willits Elementary Charter School |
| Bronze | Jose Bernal, Ivan Bermudez | Electric Car | Arena Union Elementary |
Grades 6-12
| Gold | Soren Pinelli | The Light Show | Sherwood School |
| Silver | Joshua Franklin | Acorn Processing | Ukiah Independent Study Academy |
| Bronze | Alexandra Titus | Crystal Cave | Baechtel Grove Middle School |
SPECIAL AWARDS
Audrey Sherf from Willits Charter School received the Evelyn Smith Excellence in Science Award, an award established by MCOE in memory of Evelyn Smith who enthusiastically supported science education. Her efforts on behalf of the science fair benefited students, instructors and the community.
Dalton Robinson from Mendocino High School received the California Association of Professional Scientists (CAPS) Award. This award recognizes students’ scientific study and encourages them to continue developing their scientific interests. Students eligible for this award must be in grades 7-11 and meet certain criteria by CAPS.
Baechtel Creek Medical Clinic in Willits sponsored two Outstanding Junior Science Awards for a project done by an individual student in grades 3 or 4, and in grade 5. Rios Munoz from Eagle Peak Middle School and Audrey Sherf from Willits Charter School each received a Certificate of Achievement and a check in the amount of $50 from Dr. Elizabeth Olsen.
Adalaide Montagnino, Alicia Fuentes, and Lila Wigton from Manchester Union Elementary School received the Paul Joens-Poulton Avantgarde Award. This award honors Joens-Poulton’s efforts in spearheading the county science fair and his promotion of scientific education for students within the county. This award recognizes a project that would be characterized as advanced, unorthodox and/or experimental.
If you would like to volunteer in the future or would like more information, please contact Kimberly Barden at (707) 467-5100 or kbarden@mcoe.us.