Fifty-three 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, 34 Frankfort students brought home a total of 69 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: Viridiana Cervantes, Matt Fortner, Sadie Lashbrook, Kelby Santos
SILVER: Klarissa Castaneda, Michelle Martinez-Alanis
BRONZE: Alaina Dudley, Dominick Hoskins, Lizzie Kurth, Daizy Valdez, Emma Wilder
HONORABLE MENTION: Brailyn Cline, Phoebe Terry, Carlos Valdes
Junior Division (7th and 8th Grades)
GOLD: Lexy Foust, Mason O’Brien, Libby Pierce, Carly Roberts, Kara Schwartz, Erika Stephenson
SILVER: Jasmine Galvez, Emily Shepherd, Jayden Skinner, LeeAnn Ticen
BRONZE: Edith Regalado-Lopez, Payne Terry
HONORABLE MENTION: Cameron Queen
Senior Division (9th-12th Grades)
GOLD: Karina Castaneda, Taylor Knox
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.
Lexy Foust: Department of Biological Sciences Award, First Place cash prize for most outstanding project with a biology focus in the Junior Division.
Lexy Foust: College of Science Dean’s Award for Life Sciences, Second Place cash prize for most outstanding research in the Junior Division in the biological sciences.
Lexy Foust: Purdue’s Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society cash prize as runner-up for best overall project with a scientific or engineering content in the Junior Division.
Lexy Foust: United States Navy Excellence in Science and Engineering medal for outstanding research in the Elementary Division.
Kara Schwartz: College of Science Dean’s Award for Physical Sciences, honorable mention medal for most outstanding research in the Junior Division in the physical sciences.
Kara Schwartz: United States Navy Excellence in Science and Engineering medal for outstanding research in the Junior Division.
Libby Pierce: Purdue Cancer Center cash award for excellence in research relevant to cancer in the Junior Division.
Karina Castaneda: American Psychological Association medal for most outstanding research in psychological science.
Karina Castaneda: United States Air Force prize package for most outstanding overall project in the Senior Division.
Akira Davidson: Department of Biological Sciences Award, Second Place cash prize for most outstanding project with a biology focus in the Junior Division.
Akira Davidson: Conard Inspiration Award cash prize for exemplary passion and enthusiasm during presentation in the Junior Division.
Jasmine Galvez: Department of Biochemistry cash prize for most outstanding use of biochemical techniques in the Junior Division.
Erika Stephenson: College of Science Women in Science medal for most outstanding research by a female participant in the Junior Division.
Payne Terry: Purdue Chapter of the American Chemical Society cash prize for the most outstanding project in biochemistry in the Junior Division.
Payne Terry: College of Science Special Recognition medal for innovative research in the Junior Division.
Sadie Lashbrook: Purdue’s Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society cash prize as runner-up for best overall project with a scientific or engineering content in the Elementary Division.
Matt Fortner: Purdue Chapter of the American Chemical Society cash prize for the most outstanding project in biochemistry in the Elementary Division.
Anna Beardsley: College of Science Dean’s Award for Life Sciences, honorable mention medal for most outstanding research in the Junior Division in the biological sciences.
Carly Roberts: United States Navy Excellence in Science and Engineering medal for outstanding research in the Junior Division.
Holden Arreaga: College of Agriculture medal for the most outstanding project related to natural resources in the Junior Division.
Michelle Martinez-Alanis: College of Science Young Scientist of Promise medal for outstanding research and presentation in the Elementary Division.
Taylor Knox: Association for Women Geoscientists certificate for most outstanding research in geosciences by a female Participant.
Taylor Knox: The Water Environment Federation certificate for most outstanding research related to water quality.
Lizbeth Contreras/SyAnne Lashbrook: The Water Environment Federation certificate for most outstanding research related to water quality.
Lizbeth Contreras/SyAnne Lashbrook: United States Air Force prize package for most outstanding overall project in the Senior Division.
Overall Recognition:
Eighth grader Kara Schwartz and seventh grader Libby Pierce were named the two Top Projects for Best Overall Project in the Junior Division (trophy and cash prize for each).
Sixth grader Klarissa Castaneda was named Runner Up for Best Overall Project in the Elementary Division (trophy and cash prize).
Eighth grader Lexy Foust was named Honorable Mention for Best Overall Project in the Junior Division (certificate and medal).
Tenth grader Karina Castaneda was named Honorable Mention for Best Overall Project in the Senior Division (certificate and medal).
This distinction earns Kara, Libby, Klarissa, Lexy, and Karina 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 30, 2019. There are only ten total participants in grades 5-8 from the contest at Purdue who were selected for entry into the state science fair, and four of those ten come from Frankfort. Karina is also one of only ten high school entrants from the Purdue contest who were advanced to the state science fair. In addition, eighth grader Erika Stephenson was selected as an alternate to the junior division of the state-wide competition. Frankfort had now placed 23 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 Klarissa Castaneda, Matt Fortner, Lexy Foust, Sadie Lashbrook, Mason O’Brien, Libby Pierce, Carly Roberts, Kara Schwartz, Jayden Skinner, and Erika Stephenson.
Additionally, Frankfort’s Elementary and Junior Division students were recognized as the group with the most outstanding performance under a teacher. This is the fifteenth year in a row that the FMS students have outperformed all other teachers’ groups entered in the contest.