EPISD’s top student scientists took to the internet this year to show off their skills in the District Science Fair and compete for an opportunity to represent their school in the upcoming regional Sun Country Science Fair.
Instead of the traditional in-person event, and because of the pandemic, students were asked to submit a 5-minute video and other supporting materials to the judges for review.
The virtual entries were reviewed by two judges over the course of a week. Students earning the top two scores in each category for middle and high school move on to the Sun Country Science Fair and a chance to advance to the Texas Science and Engineering Fair.
Judges awarded the following first, second and third places in each category, listed below. Below also are the video entries of the students who earned sweepstakes awards.
BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES CATEGORY
Sweepstakes: Galilea Gonzalez, Charles Middle for “Jam It Up.”
- First place MS: Marium Zahra, Young Women’s Academy for “Artistic Confidence.”
- First place HS: Laynee Stokes, Franklin High for Does Personality Affect Memory?”
- Second place MS: Exstacee Hernandez, Charles Middle for “Are Your Eyes Playing Tricks on You?”; and Omid Alihemati, Richardson Middle for “Colorful Memory.”
- Second place HS: Aina Marzia, Young Women’s Academy for “Selfie Harm: Photo Editing the Ideal Internalizations in Female Adolescents.”
- Third place MS: Mykal Johnson, Charles Middle for “What Color Affects Your Memory the Most.”
- Third place HS: Briana Garcia, Bowie High for “Slime and Memory.”
BIOCHEMISTRY CATEGORY
- Sweepstakes: Janina Dillow, Charles Middle, for “How Drink Temperatures Affect COVID-19”; and Duke Griñé, Lincoln Middle, for “I’m In A Pickle.”
- First place HS: Isabella Chávez Miranda, Silva Health Magent, for “Feel It In Your Heart: The Effects of Caffeinated Drinks on the Heart of Daphnia”; and Andrea Magallanes, Silva Health Magnet, for “The Effects of pH Alteration on the Sucrase Enzyme.”
- Second place MS: Noah Miranda, Charles Middle, for “Mr. Clean Freak.”
- Third place HS: Janelle Garde, Transmountain Early College, for “Developmental Effects of MCT Oil on Drosophila Melanogaster.
BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES CATEGORY
- First place MS: Samantha Wise, Richardson Middle, for “Dry Skin: Moisturized Skin is Healthy Skin.”
- First place HS: Emily Do, Franklin High, for “Immaculate Iron- Iron Concentration in Cereal.”
- Second Place MS: Patrick Greene, Richardson Middle, for “Which Mask Is For Us?”; and Ruth Dove, Hornedo Middle, for “Do Masks Really Work?”
- Second place HS: Olivia Diwa, Franklin High, for “The Effect of Various Shampoos on Hair Tensile Strength.”
- Third place MS: Emery Diaz, Richardson Middle, for “Musical Beats”; Krish Shivaram, Hornedo Middle, for “Effect of 3% of Hydrogen Peroxide on Tooth”; Kayla Rodriguez, Charles Middle, for “Whether Surgical or cloth Masks are Better; Louise Paatmag, Richardson Middle, for “how will Your Heart Beat Based on Activities”; Carolina Maldonado, Richardson Middle, for “Skip a Beat”; Dorothy Stewart, Ricahrdson Middle, for How Old Is Your Heart?”; Sophia Villanueva, Richardson Middle, for “Can Video Games Become Exercise?”; and Joseph Lee, Richardson Middle, for “Which Heart Rate is Faster When Challenged Mentally or Physically?”
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY CATEGORY
- Third place MS: Jada Martin-Lewis, Richardson Middle, for “Solid to ‘Drip Drip’ Liquid.”
CHEMISTRY CATEGORY
- Sweepstakes: Allie Bazan, Charles Middle, for “Let it Glow.”
- First place MS: Destiny Licon, Young Women’s Academy, for “Can Temperature Help Solve a Crime?”
- Second place MS: Daniel Muñoz, Charles Middle, for “Mystifying Membrane”; Scott Kramer, Hornedo Middle, for “Graffiti Removal”; and Aubrey Gibbons, Hornedo Middle, for “Does Temperature Affect Bubbles?”
- Third place MS: Kristen Sibley, Charles Middle, for “What Kills More?”
EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES CATEGORY
- Second place MS: Joaquin Martinez, Lincoln Middle, for “Hydroponics or Standard Agriculture: Which Yields Larger Fields?”
- Third place MS: Lydia Dagen, Young Women’s Academy, for “Bugs: A Sign of Soil Health.”
EMBEDDED SYSTEMS CATEGORY
- Second place HS: Brandyn Lu, Franklin High, for “Utilizing Piezoelectric Components to Limit Energy Waste.”
ENERGY: SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS & DESIGN CATEGORY
- Third place MS: Abram Saldivar-Sanders, Charles Middle, for “Electroplating.”
ENGINEERING MECHANICS CATEGORY
- Third place MS: John Eichburg, Richardson Middle, for “Light Bulbs, Light Bulbs Everywhere How Hot and Bright Can They Be?”
MATERIALS SCIENCE CATEGORY
- Second place MS: Ruben Solis, Hornedo Middle, for “Water: Cement Evaluation.”
- Second place HS: Dylan Patino, Franklin High, for “Boat Buoyancy.”
- Third place MS: Adam Hartranft, MacArthur Intermediate, for “The Great Cookie.”
MICROBIOLOGY CATEGORY
- Second place MS: Adelynn Snow, Hornedo Middle, for “Do Generic Cleaners Work the Same As Name Brand Cleaners?”
PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY CATEGORY
- Second place MS: Srinith Chintalapalle, Hornedo Middle, for “Flux Those Magnets!”
- Third place MS: Andre Benitez, Hornedo Middle, for “Does Mass Matter If You Want Speed?”; and Gabriel Alvarado, Charles Middle, for “Optical Illusions.”
PLANT SCIENCES CATEGORY
- Sweepstakes: Andrew Griñé, Coronado High, for “The Effects of Various Disinfection Agents on the Germination of Phaseolus Vulgaris.”
- Third place HS: Jessica Flores, Bowie High, for “Does Coffee Help the Pinto Bean Germinate?”
ROBOTICS & INTELLIGENT MACHINES CATEGORY
