Talcott Mountain Academy Students Receive Awards at 2016 CT Science & Engineering Fair

March 21, 2016 (Avon, CT) — On Saturday, March 19th, three students from Talcott Mountain Academy (TMA) received Special Awards at the Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair (CSEF). The following awards were presented to Aresh Pourkavoos (Grade 7), Zan Huang (Grade 8), and Yusuf Zaidi (Grade 8) at a ceremony at Quinnipiac University on Saturday:

· ARESH POURKAVOOS, Grade 7
PROJECT: Do Algorithms Dream of Electric Trees
AWARDS: 1st Place Middle School—People’s United Bank Mathematics Award with ATOMIC
1st Place Middle School—Xerox Computer Science Award
Maplesoft Award for Applied Mathematics & Modeling

· ZAN HUANG, Grade 8
PROJECT: Using Artificial Neural Networks to Diagnose Prostate Cancer Malignancy
AWARDS: 2nd Place Middle School—People’s United Bank Mathematics Award with ATOMIC
2nd Place Middle School—Xerox Computer Science Award

· YUSUF ZAIDI, Grade 8
PROJECT: Utilizing Microbes & Chlorella Vulgaris Algae to Construct an Eco-Friendly
Microbial Fuel Cell
AWARDS: Finalist, Biotechnology 8th Grade—Alexion Biotechnology Award
Connecticut Invention Convention “Next Step Inventors”

The Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair is a yearly, statewide science and engineering fair open to all 7th athrough 12th grade students residing, or enrolled, in Connecticut schools and several New York towns. More than 15,000 students competed for the 500 spaces at this year’s state fair.

Talcott Mountain Academy is an independent school for intellectually excited students K-8. Founded in 1983 as a division of the Talcott Mountain Science Center and located in Avon, Conn., the Academy is a unique on-site learning laboratory that nurtures children’s innate abilities from an early age. A fully integrated curriculum provides a robust and meaningful education that fosters both the intellectual and creative abilities of gifted and talented children. www.talcottacademy.org