South River High School sophomore James Sappington and Severna Park High School senior William Snyder shared the grand award at the 50th annual Anne Arundel County Regional Science and Engineering Fair tonight, in the process earning the right to represent Anne Arundel County Public Schools at the International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) in Los Angeles in May.
James’ project, “Can Ants Help Save the Bees?,” explored whether ants could serve as model organisms for screening chemical effects on the complex social behaviors of honey bees.
William’s project, “Evaluating Autism Connectivity Models,” compared the activity in regions of the brain to better understand social cognition in autism.
Chesapeake Science Point senior David Kravets earned second place in the fair for his project, “Engineering a Novel Material.” The project improved the stability and efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells by using a novel organic dye composition. David will also represent AACPS at ISEF.
More than 300 projects in 17 categories presented by young science stars from across the county in grades 6 through 12 were entered in the fair. Students won awards and prizes worth thousands of dollars from organizations such as Educational Systems Federal Credit Union, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Armed Forces Communications Association, Anne Arundel Community College, Defense Spectrum Organization, Fisher Scientific Education Faculty, Harris Corporation, Intel, International Council on Systems Engineering, Rockwell Collins, the US Air Force and US Navy/US Marine Corps Office of Naval Research, and Pearson Education.
The Anne Arundel County Regional Science and Engineering Fair is dedicated to promoting science education, and recognizing and rewarding student achievement in science. In addition to the grand award winners, approximately 100 county middle and high school students earned first-place awards at the fair ranging from special awards from community organizations to category awards based on guidelines from Intel ISEF.