Fifty-five Frankfort students participated in the Lafayette Regional Science and Engineering Fair this past weekend. Over 600 participants came from a twelve-county area in grades 5-12 to take part in this highly-competitive event sponsored by Purdue’s Colleges of Agriculture, Science, and Engineering. Overall, 30 Frankfort students brought home a total of 55 individual awards for outstanding projects. Their results are summarized below:
Medalists:
Projects are divided into 15 categories based on subject matter (biochemistry, physics, earth science, microbiology, etc.) Gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded to the top three projects in each category.
Elementary Division (5th and 6th Grades)
GOLD: Jocelyn Cazares, Edith Regalado-Lopez.
SILVER: Jasmine Galvez, Elizabeth Kurth.
BRONZE: Klarissa Castaneda, Alexis Zavala-Martinez.
HONORABLE MENTION: Brailyn Cline, Evanie Herrera, Jack Hoyer, Allie Perkins, Phoebe Terry, Emma Wilder.
Junior Division (7th and 8th Grades)
GOLD: Morgan Adamson, Everett Dick, Lexus Foust, Taylor Knox, Kara Schwartz, Mary-Jeanne Smith.
SILVER: Trinity Gray, Emily Ramos, Emily Shepherd, Jayden Skinner, Erika Stephenson.
BRONZE: Jazzlyn Oppelt, Ella Riegle, Luke Schwartz.
HONORABLE MENTION: Anna Beardsley, Lizbeth Contreras.
Senior Division (9th-12th Grades)
GOLD: Karina Castaneda.
SILVER: Lucy Smith.
Additional Sponsor Awards:
Various academic and community organizations provide awards, including cash prizes, for excellence in certain areas of research that pertain to their interests or purposes. These are separate from the medalist judging described above.
Taylor Knox: College of Science Dean’s Award for Life Sciences, First Place cash prize for most outstanding research in the Junior Division in the biological sciences.
Karina Castaneda: Purdue’s Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society cash prize for best overall project with a scientific or engineering content in the Senior Division.
Karina Castaneda: College of Science Interdisciplinary Research trophy for most outstanding research covering multiple disciplines in the Senior Division.
Karina Castaneda: American Psychological Association medal for most outstanding research in psychological science.
Lucy Smith: Conard Inspiration Award cash prize for exemplary passion, enthusiasm, and expertise during presentation in the Senior Division.
Lucy Smith: College of Science Dean’s Award for Life Sciences, Runner-Up cash prize for most outstanding research in the Senior Division in the biological sciences.
Lucy Smith: College of Science Women in Science medal for most outstanding research by a female participant in the Senior Division.
Morgan Adamson: College of Science Dean’s Award for Life Sciences, Runner-Up cash prize for most outstanding research in the Junior Division in the biological sciences.
Morgan Adamson: College of Science Women in Science medal for most outstanding research by a female participant in the Junior Division.
Carly Roberts: Department of Biological Sciences Award, First Place cash prize for creative insight into engineering in the Elementary Division.
Carly Roberts: College of Science Women in Science medal for most outstanding research by a female participant in the Elementary Division.
Logan Hundley: College of Engineering and College of Science jointly-awarded trophy for most outstanding research applying both engineering and science in the Junior Division.
Anna Beardsley: College of Science Special Recognition medal for innovative research in the Junior Division.
Kara Schwartz: United States Navy Excellence in Science and Engineering medal for outstanding research in the Junior Division.
Douglas Wood: United States Navy Excellence in Science and Engineering medal for outstanding research in the Elementary Division.
Jack Hoyer: College of Science Young Scientist of Promise medal for outstanding research and presentation in the Elementary Division.
Matt Fortner: College of Science Young Scientist of Promise medal for outstanding research and presentation in the Elementary Division.
Overall Recognition:
Eighth grader Taylor Knox was named Honorable Mention for Best Overall Project in the Junior Division (certificate and medal). This distinction earns Taylor the opportunity to represent this region of the state as an entrant into the state-wide Hoosier Science and Engineering Fair in Indianapolis on March 24, 2018. She is one of only six Junior Division participants in the contest at Purdue who were selected for entry into the state science fair. In addition, Karina Castaneda was selected as an alternate to the high school division of the state-wide competition. Frankfort had now placed 18 entrants into the Hoosier Science and Engineering Fair since 2011.
Several Frankfort students were also named Broadcom Masters for excellence in research in the Junior Division and have been invited to submit their work into the National Broadcom Masters Challenge sponsored by the Society for Science and the Public. They are Morgan Adamson, Everett Dick, Lexus Foust, Taylor Knox, Kara Schwartz, and Mary-Jeanne Smith.
Additionally, Frankfort’s Junior Division students were recognized as the group with the most outstanding performance under a teacher. This is the 14th year in a row that the FMS Junior Division students have outperformed all other teachers’ groups entered in the contest.