Reid Tenzer, Jack Sherman, from Roanoke City ; Logan Dunkenberger from Roanoke County and Carly Smith from Franklin County. (These two girls were named Grand Award winners and will advance to the International Fair in May.)
On Saturday, March 17, over 100 gifted and talented students from the school districts of Roanoke City and Roanoke County, plus the Roanoke Valley Governor’s School, competed in the 2018 Western Virginia Regional Science and Engineering Fair at Virginia Western Community College. The following students received first place awards in their categories at the regional fair:
Category First Place Award Winners
Ana Barrios, Patrick Henry High School, and Jai’Chaun Paige, William Fleming High School, Roanoke City
Plant Sciences category tie
“The Effect of Juglone on Expression of ARR5, a Gene Involved in Root Growth in Arabidopsis”
Emily Cathey, Patrick Henry High School, Roanoke City
Chemistry category tie
“The Use of Atomic Force Microscopy to Determine Sub-Microscopic Copper Corrosion”
Reece Derrick, Northside High School, Salem, and Richard Dorss, Franklin County High School, Franklin County
Engineering Mechanics category tie
“TI-3000 Robotic Arm”
Logan Dunkenberger, Glenvar High School, Roanoke County
One of two Grand Award winners of the regional fair
Microbiology category
“Inhibitory Activity of Phenolic Compounds Against Epstein-Barr Virus Proliferation in Burkitt’s Lymphoma Cells”
Mary Grace Giles, Patrick Henry High School, Roanoke City
Plant Sciences category tie
“The Effect of Carbon Nanotubes on the Growth of Various Plants”
Tiana Horace, William Fleming High School, Roanoke City
Animal Sciences category
“Analyzing the Hybrid Zone Between G. firmus and G. pennsylvanicus Using Three SNPs”
Claire Nichols, Hidden Valley High School, Roanoke County, and Carson Pugh, Salem High School, Salem
Engineering Mechanics category
“SolidWorks Designed Robotic Arm”
Kate Pufko, Patrick Henry High School, Roanoke City
Biomedical and Health Sciences category tie
“Quantifying the Neurological Effects of Ketosis Under MR Spectroscopy”
Richard Qiu, William Byrd High School, and Matthew Svec, Hidden Valley High School, Roanoke County
Cellular and Molecular Biology
“Diabetes-Mediated Dysregulation of the Blood-Brain Barrier: Concept, Mechanism, and Implications”
Ryan Rigatti, Lord Botetourt High School, Botetourt County
Materials Science and Physics category tie
“The Effect of Pueraria montana on Tensile Strength and Opacity of Bioplastics”
Kevin Sheng, Cave Spring High School, Roanoke County
Biomedical and Health Sciences category tie
“The Ran Inhibitor Importazole as an Effective Treatment for Deadly Brain Cancer Glioblastoma”
Jack Sherman, Patrick Henry High School, Roanoke City
One of two Alternate Grand Award winners of the regional fair
Earth and Environmental Sciences category
“Comparison of Automated Versus Human Watershed Delineations: Effects on Important Environmental Geographic Systems Metrics”
Carly Smith, Franklin County High School, Franklin County
One of two Grand Award winners of the regional fair
Chemistry category tie
“The Effect of Natural Chitosan on the Removal of Azo Dyes from Water”
Reid Tenzer, Patrick Henry High School, Roanoke City
One of two Alternate Grand Award winners of the regional fair
Energy, Environmental Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering category
“Dilatant Insert to Reduce Damage Inflicted by Peripheral Neuropathy”
All first place award winners advance to the state competition and will next compete at the Virginia Science and Engineering Fair on April 14 at the Berglund Special Events Center in Roanoke.
As the two Grand Award Winners of the regional fair, juniors Logan Dunkenberger and Carly Smith will automatically advance to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh in May. They will spend a week competing at the international fair, and all of their expenses will be paid by the regional fair. Congratulations, everyone!
