Among young scientists, the Science Fair allows hundreds of students to present experimental findings.
Taking place Feb. 8 and consisting of 285 projects (and a grand total of 422 student participants), the Fair had two grand prize winners: seniors Aaron Aguhob and Supraja Chittari won grand prizes in physical sciences and biological sciences, respectively. Both Chitarri and Aguhob also won the grand prizes last year.
At the fair, each project was judged “for its complexity and its real world use and purpose,” said first place winner Mohamed Aarif, junior.
For Aguhob’s project, “The Effect of Fractal Geometry on Radio Frequency Shielding,” a continuation of his experiment last year, he found that using fractal antennae strengthened signals, greatly improving the antennae’s performances.
Chittari’s project, titled “The Effect of Turmeric on Planaria Memory,” is also a continuation of last year’s project. She analyzed how turmeric, an Indian spice, affected regenerated planaria, non-parasitic flatworms.
In addition to Aguhob and Chittari’s grand prizes, 21 projects won first place and 22 projects won second place. First place winners have the option of advancing to Regional Science Fair, which will be held at Robinson High School on March 15.
Although Aguhob was unsure of how well he would do and “didn’t expect anything major,” he was pleasantly surprised by his placing in the competition: “It felt great to win grand prize,” Aguhob said