Big Piney & Pinedale students place at 2021 Southwest Regional Science Fair
February 9, 2021
ROCK SPRINGS, WYOMING – Western Wyoming Community College hosted Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) students, grades 6-12, who participated in the Southwest Regional Science Fair, Thursday, February 4, 2021.
The Fair is an opportunity for students to apply their STEM knowledge, engage in scientific thought, and gain new ideas and knowledge from peers and educators. Local STEM teachers dedicate much of their time to prepare their students for this educational opportunity.
The Regional Science Fair is an affiliate of Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), which is the world’s largest international pre-college science competition. The categories, divisions, rules, and judging criteria of the Fair are in line with the Intel ISEF requirements.
This year, there were 25 participants, and 18 projects from the following schools: Big Piney Middle School, Jackson Hole Middle School, Pinedale Middle School, and Rawlins Middle School.
The results are as follows:
Overall Winners:
Cael Espencheid and Cole Walton from Big Piney Middle School. Their project was "How Much Does Water Quality Account for Grass Growth? Creek Water vs. Return Flow Water". They were also awarded a scholarship to Western Wyoming Community College.
Emily Donough from Rawlins Middle School. Her project was titled "Cultivating Mars". Donough was awarded a scholarship to Western Wyoming Community College.
Animal Sciences:
1st place: Fisher Mills and Reece Woolwine (Pinedale Middle School) - "OH DEER!"
2nd place: Emma York and Chelsea Wright (Big Piney Middle School) - "The Effect of Unhealthy Liquids on Brine Shrimp"
Behavioral and Social Sciences:
1st place: Kamiah Runyan (Big Piney Middle School) - "The Effect of the Full Moon Phases on Night Time Activity on Dogs, Cats, and Horses Behavior"
Biochemistry/Cellular & Molecular Biology/Computational Biology & Bioinformatics
1st place: Kaydence Guest, Addalee Cunningham, and Natalie Evans (Big Piney Middle School) - "The Genetic Effects on Fingerprints"
Biomedical & Health Sciences/Biomedical Engineering/Translational Medical Sciences:
1st place: Tryzmen Green (Big Piney Middle School) - "The Effect of UV Sterilization on Cloth Mask Bacteria"
2nd place: Decker Normington (Pinedale Middle School) - "Mask O Wonder"
3rd place: Kelby Staley (Big Piney Middle School) - "The Effect of Natural Substances on Escherichia Coli (E.Coli)"
Earth & Environmental Sciences/Environmental Engineering:
1st place: Shane Keelin (Jackson Hole Middle School) - "Can Humidity be Raised Artificially to Combat Wildfires?"
Engineering Mechanics/Materials Science/Energy:
Physical
1st place: William Hibbert (Big Piney Middle School) - "Engineering a Wind Splinter for Semi-Truck Cargo Trailers to Help Reduce Sail Effects of High Crosswinds"
2nd place: Catie Langolis and Magdelena Jones (Big Piney Middle School) - "What is the Purpose of Eggs in Cookies?"
Microbiology:
1st place: Sakiusa Meadow (Big Piney Middle School) - "The Effect of T4r Coliphangs on Colonies of Escherichia Coli (E.Coli)"
2nd place: Zeferino Zungia and Hays Espenscheid (Big Piney Middle School) - "The Effect of Marinades on Bacteria Growth on Steak"
Plant Sciences:
1st place tie:
Cael Espencheid and Cole Walton (Big Piney Middle School) -
"How Much Does Water Quality Account for Grass Growth? Creek Water vs. Return Flow Water"
Emily Donough (Rawlins Middle School) - "Cultivating Mars"
2nd place: Kaleb Miller (Big Piney Middle School) - "Curing Tmv with LED Lights on Pinto Beans"
3rd place: Jolynn Jones (Big Piney Middle School) - "How does pH Affect Plant Growth?"
"Participating in the Southwest Regional Science Fair provides the opportunity for students to engage with the process of science in ways they may not otherwise experience. It promotes not only scientific literacy and inquiry, but also creativity, responsibility, self-confidence, organization and communication, both written and verbal," stated Katrina Marcos, Assistant Professor of Biology, and Southwest Regional Science Fair committee member.
The Regional Science Fair Committee consists of the following dedicated Western educators and employees, Katrina Marcos, Randy Goff, Katey Ellis, Josh Holmes, Jennifer Allen, and Cathy Ebert.
TATA Chemicals will donate monetary prizes to Big Piney Middle School and Rawlins Middle School to be used for promoting the STEM program at their educational facility. This is the fifth year TATA has donated to the Fair.
For more information regarding the Science Fair at Western, please contact Cathy Ebert at cebert@westernwyoming.edu.
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