On Saturday, January 31st, 269 gifted and talented students from across the Roanoke Valley participated in Roanoke Valley Governor’s School for Science and Technology’s 29th annual Student Project Forum. The following students received first place awards in their categories:
Animal Sciences A
Isobel Baxter and Alexandra DeFelice, Patrick Henry High School
The Effect of Fracking Chemicals on Various Soil Organisms
Cameron Church, Franklin County High School
The Effect of Common Food Dyes on Nerve Signals in Periplaneta Roaches
Animal Sciences B
Howard Huang, Hidden Valley High School
Analysis of Social Behaviors in Mice with BDNF Knockout
Mason Wheeler, Patrick Henry High School
The Effect of 5-N-Ethyl-Glutamine on Mobility in Dsarm Mutant Drosophila melanogaster
Behavioral and Social Sciences
Casey Burton, Franklin County High School
The Effect of Demographics on the Participation of Individuals in Research Studies
Gillian Horn, Cave Spring High School
The Effect of Weight Control Competence on Obesity
Chemistry/Biochemistry/Cellular and Molecular Biology
Thomas Legg, Salem High School
The Effect of N-acetylcysteine on Iron Metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Computer Science/Mathematics
Kacey Price, Craig County High School
Prognostic and Diagnostic Measure for Circuit Disruption in Alzheimer’s Disease
Energy and Transportation A
Kelly Devens, Glenvar High School
Utilizing a Piezoelectric Crystal Tree to Harvest Electrical Energy from a Raindrop
Energy and Transportation B
Rebekah Wellons and Alicia Zheng, Cave Spring High School
Reducing Aerodynamic Drag in Freight Trains Using Tapered Tails
Energy and Transportation C
Yunyun Wang, Hidden Valley High School
Improving Bioethanol Production via Microwave Assisted Biological Pretreatment
Engineering: Electrical and Mechanical A
Trina Phung, William Fleming High School
AMCV: Accelerometer Controlled Mobile Vehicle
Engineering: Electrical and Mechanical B
Christopher Snodgrass, Cave Spring High School
The Use of Soil Moisture Sensors in an Automated Watering System
Engineering: Materials and Bioengineering A
Emily D’Arpa, Salem High School
Determination of the Rate of Biodegradation of Bioplastics
Engineering: Materials and Bioengineering B
Savannah Amos, Lord Botetourt High School
Drew Freeland, Hidden Valley High School
The Effect of Inner Diameter and Water Flow on the Efficiency of Hydraulic Fracturing
Environmental Management A
Kiara McMillan, Patrick Henry High School
Effects of Barium and Stontium Ions on Calcium Uptake by Closterium acerosum
Environmental Management B
Grant Colip, Cave Spring High School
The Effects of Compost Tea and Synthetic Fertilizer on Soil Community Biodiversity
Environmental Sciences A
Julia Lucktong, Hidden Valley High School
The Effects of Titanium Dioxide on the Growth of Chlorella pyrenoidosa
Environmental Sciences B
Kellen Dunnavant and Calleigh Lucas, Patrick Henry High School
Quantifying Antibiotic Resistance Gene Copy Number in Rainwater Using qPCR
Medicine and Health Sciences A
Hayley Boland and Isaac Frank, Lord Botetourt High School
The Effect of Zeaxanthin on Mouse Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells
Medicine and Health Sciences B
Ashley Lemon, Patrick Henry High School
Connor Scro, Salem High School
Using Antisense Inhibition of MicroRNA-301a as a Pancreatic Cancer Treatment
Annalee Rader, Lord Botetourt High School
Gwyneth Strope, Franklin County High School
The Effects of EPA and Rapamycin on Huntington’s Disease in Drosophila melanogaster
Microbiology A
Bronson Aznavorian, Staunton River High School
Comparing the Efficacy of Homeopathic Treatments in Inactivating E. coli O157:H7
Jason Fischell, Franklin County High School
Viral Protein Mutation and Capsid Formation
Microbiology B
Vishnu Karri, Hidden Valley High School
The Effect of Curcumin on Hydrogen Peroxide Induced Oxidatiove Stress in C. elegans
Physics
Warner McGhee, Patrick Henry High School
The Effect of a Magnetic Field on the Solubility of Ionic Compounds
Plant Sciences A
Cameron Kelly, Patrick Henry High School
The Effect of Different Sorghum Extracts on the Germination Rate of Weed Seedlings
Jai’Chaun Paige, William Fleming High School
The Effect of Juglone on the Germination of Cabbage Seeds
Plant Sciences B
Brianna Charlton, Craig County High School
A Comparison of Natural and Commercial Fertilizer on the Growth of Brassica rapa
Sara McBride, Northside High School
The Effect of Sunflower Hull Extract on the Germination Rate of Different Seeds
Robotic Engineering A
Carina Stocker, Northside High School
The Future of Maritime Engineering and Logistics: Automated Shipping Cranes
Robotic Engineering B
Callie Garst and Laura Gustad, Patrick Henry High School
Etch-A-Sketch Operating Robot
The complete list of award winners, major sponsors, and the schedule for the various science fairs that Governor’s School students may attend can be found on the school website, at www.rvgs.k12.va.us.
Very special thanks to:
* The diverse and accomplished panel of 65 judges who evaluated more than 200 science fair experiments for the 2015 Student Project Forum
* Silent Auction chair Kim Morrill for her extraordinary efforts in organizing the Silent Auction and Annual Appeal that raised more than $20,000 to support student research at the Governor’s School
* Over 175 parents, local businesses, and community supporters who generously donated items, services, and cash for the event
For more information visit the school’s website at www.rvgs.k12.va.us or contact the school’s director, Dr. John Kowalski, or the school’s guidance counselor, Kathy Sebolt, at 540.853.2116.