TOP STUDENTS ACROSS MINNESOTA RECOGNIZED AT STATE SCIENCE FAIR
328 students presented STEM research and competed for awards

[ST. PAUL, MN, April 5, 2021] -- Middle and high school students from 55 schools across Minnesota competed in the 84th annual Minnesota State Science & Engineering Fair (SSEF) from March 23-30. Qualifying students advanced from earlier regional fairs. The Minnesota Academy of Science (MAS) hosted the virtual event, which culminated in a live award ceremony emceed by KARE 11’s Guy Brown on March 30. Full award results were subsequently posted on mnmas.org.

“If there is one thing that this pandemic has taught us, it is how critically important science is,” said MAS Executive Director Lara Maupin. “When students participate in the Science Fair, they are gaining real-world experience in developing questions and researching solutions to important problems in their communities.”

This year, 40 companies and organizations, including Seagate, Ecolab, and Broadcom have awarded nearly $23,000 in cash prizes as well as other valuable awards, gifts, and opportunities. During the award ceremony, keynote speaker and 3M’s Chief Science Advocate Dr. Jayshree Seth stressed the important roles scientists play in addressing everyday problems, telling Science Fair competitors “the world needs more people like YOU!" Other highlights of the awards ceremony include the announcements of: 

The Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF) Award recognizes Minnesota’s top high school projects. Winning students will compete in the virtual ISEF, the world’s largest pre-college science competition, from May 3-6. The 2021 ISEF Finalists are:

• John Cardwell (Breck School), Testing the Waters: Engineering an Innovative Method of Water Health Analysis, Year II

• Peyton Crest (Minnetonka High School), Investigating the effect of the severity of activity based anorexia in Drosophila melanogaster on the gut microbiome

• Kyla Fung (Minnetonka High School), Pathway to a Sustainable Future: Economic and Technical Feasibility of a Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) Plant

• Jack Hlavka (St. Paul Academy and Summit School), Treatment of Simulated Acid Mine Drainage with Desulfovibrio Desulfuricans

• George Richards and William Sweeney (Breck School), A.L.M.E. Assistive Lifting Machine for Elders: Engineering a solution to fall-recovery-related injuries in seniors and caregivers

• Shreshth Shrivastava (Eden Prairie High School), WI-C.A.R.E: Wifi Computer-Assisted Remote Eldercare, Year II

The Seagate Excellence in Science Mentoring Award spotlights two outstanding science teachers who find creative ways to nurture students’ interest in scientific research and discovery. William Bauer (Cloquet Public Schools) and Lori Grabarkewitz (Robert J. Elkington Middle School, Grand Rapids) each received $1,000 and a Seagate portable hard drive. Their schools will also receive $1,000. 

The Seagate Rising Star Award recognizes two emerging student scientists whose projects not only exemplify excellence in their category but also demonstrate high degrees of difficulty, complexity, innovation, and effective communication. High school student Christine Song (Mayo High School) received a $2,000 award, trophy, and a Segate portable hard drive for her research project titled Cure of Breast Cancer - Year 4: First Discovery of New Target Therapy for Aggressive Hormonal Breast Cancer using Clinical Database and 3D Model. Middle school student Annika Bartucz (Kellogg Middle School), received a $1,500 award, trophy, and a Seagate portable hard drive for her work on Airfoil Efficiency.

Ecolab’s Water Vision Awards of $700 went to high school student John Cardwell (Breck School) for his project, Testing the Waters: Engineering an Innovative Method of Water Health Analysis, Year II, and middle school student Mercy March (Avail Academy) for her project, Purification With Desalination: Distillation vs. Reverse Osmosis.

Ecolab also gave $700 Food Safety Awards to high school student Madison Andrews (Minnetonka High School) for her project, Safe Food: Developing a New Detection Method for E. Coli using Ammonia for Adaptation to a Field Test and middle school student Quinn Williams (Kellogg Middle School) for his project, How do Pesticides Affect Plants? 

The Broadcom Foundation’s Broadcom Coding with Commitment Award, which includes a $250 gift certificate, went to Parker Sickmann (Cloquet Middle School), for his project Infrared Alert: Using a Passive Infrared Sensor to Detect Motion.

PLEASE VISIT MNMAS.ORG TO SEE THE FULL LIST OF AWARDS AS WELL AS VIDEOS FOR SELECT PRESENTATIONS.

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The Minnesota State Science & Engineering Fair is a program of the Minnesota Academy of Science sponsored by Seagate Technology, the Minnesota Department of Education, Ecolab, Broadcom Foundation, General Mills, and the Hardenbergh Foundation.

Emily Shepard, MAS Communications Specialist
Sara Gomez, SSEF Program Director
Lara Maupin, MAS Executive Director

Participating schools
Al-Amal School, Fridley
Avail Academy, Edina
Bemidji Middle School
Blaine High School
Blessed Trinity Catholic School, Richfield
Bluffview Montessori School, Winona
Breck School, Golden Valley
Burnsville High School
Century High School, Rochester
Chatfield High School
Cloquet High School
Cromwell-Wright Public School, Cromwell
Crookston High School
Dakota Meadows Middle School, North Mankato
Duluth East High School
Eagle Ridge Middle School, Savage
East Ridge High School, Woodbury
Eastview, Apple Valley
Eden Prairie High School
Franklin Middle School, Thief River Falls
Friedell Middle School, Rochester
Grand Rapids High School
Highland Park Middle School, St. Paul
John Adams Middle School, Rochester
John Marshall High School, Rochester
Kellogg Middle School, Rochester
Lake Crystal Welcome Memorial, Lake Crystal
Lighthouse Secondary, Spring Lake Park
Lincoln High School, Thief River Falls
Mahtomedi Middle School
Mayo High School, Rochester
Minnetonka High School
Minnetonka Middle School West
Mounds Park Academy, Maplewood
Mounds View High School, Arden Hills
Nativity of Our Lord Catholic School, St. Paul
New Life Academy, Woodbury
New Ulm Cathedral High School
Northeast Range School, Babbitt
Orono High School
Park Christian School, Moorhead
Perham High School, 
Prairie View School, Eden Prairie
Robbinsdale Armstrong High School, Plymouth
Robert J. Elkington Middle School, Grand Rapids
Sacred Heart School, East Grand Forks
Saint Helena Catholic School, Minneapolis
Shakopee High School
Shattuck St Mary's School, Fairbault
St. John Lutheran School, Thief River Falls
St. Paul Academy and Summit School, St. Paul
Stillwater Middle School
Transfiguration Catholic School, Oakdale
Wayzata High School
Woodbury High School