County Science Fair Rewards ACLC and Nea Students

Young scientists from the Nea and Alameda Community Learning Centers (Nea and ACLC) were rewarded for their hard work at the Alameda County Science and Engineering Fair (ACSEF www.acsef.org) held March 20-22, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, CA.

Out of 35 projects entered, 19 placed – with five 1st Place winners, one 2nd Place winner, six placing 3rd, two placing 4th, and five receiving honorable mentions. Seven projects gained additional recognition with ten prestigious Special Awards.

“Science is very focal at our schools,” said Patti Wilczek, Executive Director of Community Learning Center Schools (CLC Schools). “We have a well-established tradition of promoting S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering, math) subjects within our schools and seeing our learners participate in county, state, and international science fairs.”

In the high school division, ACLC ninth-grader Erika Badalyan’s project, “Stress Relief from Laughter? It’s No Joke” earned a 1st Place in Behavioral Sciences, and special awards from the US Department of Health and the American Psychological Society, along with the California State Science Fair Qualified Award. This means Badalyan will compete in the 64th annual state Science Fair, California’s most elite science competition for grades 6-12.

ACLC eleventh-grader Sophia Moore’s project, “An Early Warning System Using Self-Potential to Measure Levees” earned a 1st Place Engineering Award, and the Intel Talent Award, which includes a chance to compete in Intel’s International Science and Engineering Fair, the world’s largest high school science competition, with students from over 70 participating countries.

In the middle-school division, Nea eighth-graders, Holly Teeters and Vivi McKee, won a 1st Place in middle school Environmental Science for “Filtering Particulates,” and a Broadcom Masters award. The Broadcom Masters award is given to the top 10% of first place winners with an invitation to participate in their “Math, Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering for Rising Stars” competition.

ACLC seventh-graders, Harrison Coorey and Sara Zhu, received a 1st Place award in middle school Behavioral Sciences for “The Dependence of Reaction Time on Different Stimuli,” and a Broadcom Masters award.

ACLC seventh-grader Noah Foster’s project, “Swing Time: Anisochronic Pendulums” won a 1st Place in middle school Physics, and a Broadcom Masters award.

The ACSEF provides a forum for stimulating student interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and gaining critical thinking, problem-solving and leadership skills. Students in grades 6-12 from home school, charter, public, private and parochial schools within Alameda County are eligible to participate in the fair, with nearly 700 students and over 75 schools taking part in this year’s event.

ACLC (6-12) and Nea (K-12) are tuition-free public charter schools in Alameda, managed by CLC Schools. (www.clcschools.org). Both schools are progressive and project-based educational communities based on a democratic model that empowers learners, with each school maintaining a distinct culture, curriculum and focus.