Greenwich High Science Students Excel at CT Science, Engineering Fair

Greenwich High School (GHS) students swept the 2015 Connecticut Science and Engineering Fair awards. One Central Middle School (CMS) student also finished strong as a Finalist in the annual science fair.

The Science Fair was held last week at Quinnipiac University in Hamden and culminated with the awards ceremony on Saturday, March 14. The CT Science and Engineering Fair reviews approximately 560 projects from 160 schools across the state, grades 7 through 12.

This year, 17 GHS students entered the science fair and 13 were selected as finalists, and asked to defend their work on Thursday, March 12. These 13 students were vying for prizes that included five all-expense paid trips to Intel’s International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF), for the top five students in the fair. GHS students earned over $15,000 in prizes, including an unprecedented sweep of each of the five ISEF awards at this year’s state science fair.

According to the school district, Greenwich High School has had a least one ISEF student for each of the past nine years, with more than 20 GHS students receiving the ISEF award during that time. The 2015 ISEF awardees are Margaret Cirino, Olivia Hallisey, Ethan Novek, Reid Radulovacki and William Yin.

And four GHS students — Sophie Bardos, Margaret Cirino, Ethan Novek, and Nick Szabo — were selected to participate in the International Sustainable World Energy Engineering Environment Project Olympiad (I-SWEEEP) in early May in Houston, TX.

Ethan Novek earned a second place award in the 2015 CT Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. He was awarded $1,500, and the opportunity to compete in the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium in late April in Hunt Valley, MD.

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Greenwich Public Schools’ single middle school finalist in the 2015 CT Science and Engineering Fair is Bennett Hawley, an eighth-grader from Central Middle School. Bennett won fifth place in the Physical Sciences Middle School category and an additional eight awards. Bennett is a member of the Central Middle School Science Research Club, which was initiated and mentored by GHS students Margaret Cirino, Emma Goodman, Spencer Matonis, and Max Minichetti. The high school students mentor and guide the middle school students through the science research process.

Here’s a breakdown on each student’s projects and the awards won:

Bryce Anderson: Effective Optimization of Biogas Production through Alpha-Amylase Utilization

• Pfizer Life Sciences Awards: 4th Place- Life Sciences Senior High- Plaque
• Energize CT/eesmarts Future Sustainability Awards: 2nd Place High School - $500 Cash and Plaque, Trip to Compete at GENIUS Olympiad, Oswego, NY

• Air and Waste Management Association, Connecticut Chapter: $100 Senior, Environmental Research, waste recycling related.

Sophie Bardos: Novel Creation of a versatile, low-cost water purification system via a graphene oxide-TiO2composite membrane with incorporated electrified nanostructures

• Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair Physical Sciences Awards Finalist - Physical Sciences Senior High - CSF Medallion & Acrylic Award

• Environmental Sciences Awards with CACIWC: 1st Place HS- $500, Plaque, CACIWC gifts , Trip to Compete ISWEEEP, Houston

• University of New Haven High School Awards in Engineering & Science --- $100 For High School Project in Environmental Science

• Fox Pest Control Award for Environmental Management --- $150 Cash for Excellence in Environmental Management

• Unilever Trumbull R&D --- Shadow Day at Unilever Trumbull R&D Centre.

Margaret Cirino: Synthesis of an Electromagnetically-Controlled Corn-Starch/PVA Biopolymer Microstructure for Extended and Targeted Drug Delivery

• Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair Physical Sciences Awards: 2nd Place- Physical Sciences Senior High Individual - $300 & Plaque, trip to compete at Intel ISEF

• United Technologies Corporation Awards: $500 in UTC Common Stock, Plaque, Backpack, Book, and Annual Report

• Alexion Biotechnology Awards: 3rd Place- Biotechnology Senior High- $300 & plaque
• Selected to compete in ISWEEEP, in Houston, TX
• U.S. Metric Association: Certificate & $50 gift card to Amazon given by CSEF
• Office of Naval Research: U.S. Navy / U.S. Marine Corps High School- Certificate, $75 gift certificate.

Sophia Ertel: Novel Ultrasonic-Induced Antibiotic Deterioration of Borrelia Biofilms for the Treatment of Chronic Lyme Disease

• Alexion Biotechnology Awards: 4th Place- Biotechnology Senior High- $200 & plaque
• Connecticut Science Supervisors Association $125 for a high school project
• The Connecticut Technology Council Young Woman Innovation Award --- $150 Cash Award for Technological Innovation.

Olivia Hallisey: Temperature-Independent, Portable, and Rapid Field Detection of Ebola via a Silk- Derived Lateral-Flow

• Pfizer Life Sciences Awards: 1st Place- Life Sciences Senior High- $500 & Plaque, Trip to compete at Intel ISEF

• UTC Aerospace Systems Awards for Excellence in Engineering: $1,000 cash and plaque for excellence in engineering

• H. Joseph Gerber Medal of Excellence, an award of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering in partnership with CCAT --- Life Sci. Senior 1st HS- $1,000, Solid Silver Medal of Excellence, invite to CASE annual meeting.

• Alexion Biotechnology Awards: 1st Place- Biotechnology Senior High- Trip to compete at Intel ISEF, $1000 & plaque,

• Connecticut Invention Convention “Next Step Inventors” --- $50 gift certificate & invitation to present at CT InventionConvention as “CIC Next Step Inventors.”

Paul Hansel: A Novel Antibody-Functionalized Graphene Transistor Lab-On-A-Chip for Selective Detection of Malaria

• Pfizer Life Sciences Awards Finalist - Life Science Senior High - CSF Medallion & Acrylic Award

• UTC Aerospace Systems Awards for Excellence in Engineering: $1,000 cash and plaque for excellence in engineering

• Alexion Biotechnology Awards: 5th Place- Biotechnology Senior High- $100 & plaque
• Milton Fisher Science Fair Award for Innovation and Creativity For Excellence in Creativity and Innovation by a High School student, $100 cash.

Vijay Kadiyala: Targeted Release of Moringa oleifera Cationic Proteins from Starch-g-poly (sodium acrylate-co-HEMA) Hydrogels for the Remediation of Aqueous Polychlorinated Biphenyls

• Alexion Biotechnology Awards Finalist - Biotechnology Senior High - CSF Medallion & Acrylic Award Souvenir

• l ASU Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives Certificate-Nomination to Compete in 2016 Sustainability Solutions Festival and $50 Gift Card

Andrew Lim: Enhancement of antibiotic effects on various species of bacterium via infusion of silver nanoparticles

• Society for In Vitro Biology --- Certificate and $50 gift card to Amazon given by CSEF
• University of Connecticut - Physics Department: UCONN Early College Experience Program: Life Sciences - Co-Op $100 Gift Certificate.

Max Marcussen: The effect of application of a solenoid on the magnetic properties of gadolinium at varying temperatures and current levels.

• University of Connecticut - Physics Department : UCONN Physics Department - Co-Op $100 Gift Certificate.

Maxmillian Minichetti: An Optically Self-Healing Metallo-Supramolecular Polymer Encapsulated UV- NIR Organic Solar Cell for Transparent Energy-Harvesting and Electronic Skin Applications

• Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair Physical Sciences Awards: 5th Place- Physical Sciences Senior High Individual - Plaque

• Office of Naval Research- U.S. Navy / U.S. Marine Corps High School- Certificate, $75.00 gift certificate

• American Society of Safety Engineers, CT Valley Chapter $150 grade 9-12 project
• Connecticut Invention Convention “Next Step Inventors” $50 gift certificate & invitation to present at CT Invention Convention as “CIC Next Step Inventors”.

Ethan Novek: Low Grade Waste Heat Recovery and Carbon Sequestration using an Innovative Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) and Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO) System

• Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair Physical Sciences Awards --- 1st Place - Physical Sciences Senior High Individual - $500 & Plaque, trip to compete at Intel ISEF

• Energize CT/eesmarts Future Sustainability Awards --- 1st Place High School - $800 Cash, Plaque, and Trip to Compete I-SWEEEP, Houston

• UTC Aerospace Systems Awards for Excellence in Engineering --- $1,000 cash and plaque for excellence in engineering

• United Technologies Corporation Awards --- $500 in UTC Common Stock, Plaque, Backpack, Book, and Annual Report

• H. Joseph Gerber Medal of Excellence, an award of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering in partnership with CCAT --- Physical Sciences 1st HS $1,000, Solid Silver Medal of Excellence, invite to CASE Annual Mtg

• Office of Naval Research- U.S. Navy / U.S. Marine Corps --- High School- Certificate, $75.00 gift certificate

• MIT Club of Hartford K-12 Initiative --- For excellence in science & technology of energy related research, high school, $100 cash award.

Reid Radulovacki: Chocolate’s Theobromine, and not Caffeine, significantly reduces sleep in Drosophila

• Pfizer Life Sciences Awards: 2nd Place- Life Sciences Senior High- $300 & Plaque, Trip to compete at Intel ISEF

• Alexion Biotechnology Awards --- Finalist - Biotechnology Senior High - CSF Medallion & Acrylic Award Souvenir.

Mark Stich: Investigation of a Bacteriorhodopsin-Pt/TiO2 Hybrid System for Enhanced Nanophotocatalytic Production of Hydrogen

• Environmental Sciences Awards with CACIWC --- HS Finalist - CACIWC gifts, CSF Medallion, Acrylic award

• Yale Science & Engineering Association, Inc. Certificate,$50 gift card to Amazon given by CSEF

Nicholas Szabo: Application of Manganese-Based Ionic Liquid for Optimized Performance of Non- aqueous / Aqueous Redox Flow Batteries

• Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair Physical Sciences Awards: 3rd Place- Physical Sciences Senior High Individual - $200 & Plaque

• Barnes Aerospace Applied Technology Awards --- 2nd Place High School - $300 and Plaque Medallion

• UTC Aerospace Systems Awards for Excellence in Engineering $1,000 cash and plaque for excellence in engineering

• Selected to compete in ISWEEEP, in Houston, TX
• Office of Naval Research- U.S. Navy / U.S. Marine Corps --- High School- Certificate, $75 gift certificate.

William Yin: Hybridized Manganese Dioxide & Gold-Iron Oxide Nanoparticle Inhibition of Tumor Growth via Radiosensitization and Tumor Microenvironment Control

• Pfizer Life Sciences Awards: 3rd Place- Life Sciences Senior High- $200 & Plaque
• Alexion Biotechnology Awards Finalist - Biotechnology Senior High - CSF Medallion & Acrylic Award Souvenir

• Otero Family Award --- The Otero Family Award; $200 cash.

Contributed Photos: #1: Greenwich High School Finalists at 2015 CT Science & Engineering Fair, from left: Margaret Cirino, Sophie Bardos, Reid Radulovacki, Mark Stich, Vijay Kadiyala, Ethan Novek, Olivia Hallisey, Sophia Ertel, Max Minichetti, William (Bryce) Anderson, Paul Hansel, William Yin (missing from picture Nick Szabo). #2: Bennett Hawley, Central Middle School, 8th Grade at 2015 CT Science & Engineering Fair.