Stamford Student Wins 1st Place In State Science Contest

From SPS: Stamford Public Schools (SPS) announced that Scofield Magnet Middle School Seventh Grader Aryan Pandalai took first place at the 71st Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair in the Lockheed Martin Physical Science Seventh Grade category. Pandalai, a student of Scofield Technology Teacher Louise McMinn, earned the award for his project, Water Quality of the Rippowam River. He was among students from across Connecticut who competed last month at Quinnipiac University, where students earned a total of some 320 prizes and scholarships worth $225,000.

The Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair is a yearly, statewide science and engineering fair open to all students in grades 7-12 residing, or enrolled, in Connecticut and Fishers Island schools. The primary objective of the fair is to attract young people to careers in mathematics, science, and engineering while developing critical thinking and public speaking skills. According to the organization, through their participation in the fair, students are encouraged to pursue independent work using proper research methods.
Due to his success, Pandalai has been invited to compete at the 2019 Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering for Rising Stars) competition this summer. The top 300 projects will be selected in September, with 30 finalists earning an ell-expense paid trip to the national finals in Washington, D.C. to showcase their projects, compete in teams, and visit sites that celebrate innovation through STEM.