Greater Syracuse Scholastic Science Fair Competition

Greater Syracuse Scholastic Science Fair Competition –March 2012

Now in its 33rd year, each spring The MOST hosts the annual Greater Syracuse Scholastic Science Fair, inviting participants in grades 5-12 from public, private and homeschooled venues located in Onondaga, Madison, Oswego, Cayuga, and Cortland counties. This year, budding scientists from over 40 schools gathered on March 25th at the OnCenter in downtown Syracuse to compete for scholarships, recognition and opportunities for their projects to be selected for presentation at upcoming regional, national and international conferences.

Twenty-two science students from grades 7-12 competed at GSSSF, having initially won awards at SASCS’ internal Science Fair competition. For the first time, seventeen students from SASCS’ elementary school, which also held an internal science fair competition to select top competitors, participated in GSSSF, going head-to-head against 85 other 5th and 6th grade projects.

Science teachers Ms. Perry, Mr. Duman, Ms. Greenia, Mrs. Duffy, Mrs. Sirin and Mr. Cakar are very proud of the hard work each of their students invested in their projects, and the results they garnered. Elementary students took home six awards—three Honors Medals and three High Honors Medals. In the high school, students won four Honors Medals, three High Honors Medals, five Highest Honors Medals, fourteen Special Awards and over $70,000 in college scholarships. Based on their performance at GSSSF, two students have been automatically entered into the Genius Olympiad competition in July, and two others will be representing the Central New York region at the Regional competition in Albany.

Grade 5:
• Dionn Harris – Green Plants: Honors Medal

Grade 6:
• Caitlyn Bradshaw – Save Those Spoiling Strawberries: High Honors Medal
• Jamila Eatman – Spray vs. Wipe: High Honors Medal
• Yovanis Gaskins – Lava Lamp: Honors Medal
• Ashliqua Menifee – DNA Chemical Solutions: Honors Medal
• Dakota Neathery – Electrified Produce: High Honors Medal

Grade 9:
• Kimberly Diaz – Glow Sticks:
o Honors Medal

Grade 10:
• Bilgenur & Alperen Sirin – Microwave Assisted Synthesis of Fragrant Esters:
     o Highest Honors Medal
• Sharera Baker – Are Citrus Fruits Strong Enough to Power a Light Bulb?:
     o Honors Medal
• Mark Gonzalski – Effect of Surface Temperature on Finger Prints:
     o High Honors Medal;
     o 4th place US Army Award
     o US Metric Association Award
• Tionna Knight – Rainbow Feelings:
     o Honors Medal

Grade 11:
• Courtney Chavis & Samantha Turnquest – The Effect of Bioremediation of Soil with Fishbone on the Amount of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons:
     o High Honors Medal;
     o Le Moyne College Scholarship Award - $20,000;
     o 1st place American Chemical Society; SUNY Oswego Genius Olympiad Award;
     o 1st place US Air Force Award;
     o Regional Ricoh Sustainable Development Award; Society for In Vitro Biology;
     o Yale Science and Engineering Association Inc.
• Mathew Shampine – Methane Diffusion into Water During Hydraulic Fracturing:
     o Highest Honors Medal;
     o Syracuse University Scholarship - $20,000;
     o Honorable Mention American Chemical Society;
     o 2nd place US Air Force Award
• Jasmin Eatman – Green Genius: The Relationship Between Education Level and Environment:
     o Highest Honors Medal;
     o Onondaga Community College Scholarship (3 credit hours);
     o 1st Place U.S. Army Award
• Mackenzie Nicholson – Intro to GMO:

o Syracuse University Scholarship - $20,000

Grade 12:
• Tamika Arnold – Changing Fears:
     o Honors Medal;
     o Cornell Women’s Club of Syracuse Book Awards;
     o American Psychological Association Award
• Nadir McCray & Josh Turnquest – Heart Recovery Time: What Types of People have the Best Heart?:
     o High Honors Medal;
     o Syracuse University Summer College Scholarship (Tuition for SU Summer College, Engineering ECS 125)
• Gabriella Medina & TajiaRae Thurston – High Voltage Lifter Research:
     o Honors Medal;
     o SUNY Cortland Science Leadership Scholarship $10,000;
     o IEEE Awards in Electrical and Computer Engineering ($50)
• Kathryn Warner – Activities on the Salmon River New York:
     o Highest Honors Medal;
     o Lockheed Martin Award