Local Delaware Valley Science Fair Winners Earn Awards at Intel International Science and Engineering Fair

Society for Science and the Public, in partnership with the Intel Foundation, announced Special Awards of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2015. Student winners are ninth through twelfth graders who earned the right to compete at the Intel ISEF 2015 by winning a top prize at a local, regional, state, or national fair.

Grand Award – Third Place - Botany

Rachel Weinstein, grade 11, Biotechnology High School

Project: The Effects of Varying Methods of Gibberellic Acid Exposure on the Growth and Development of Wild Type and PKL1-1 Mutant Arabidopsis thaliana

Rachel developed a novel method of applying a plant hormone called gibberellic acid to Arabidopsis thaliana plants in order to maximize their growth. Then, she used her method to reverse a gene mutation in the plants.

Rachel is a high-school junior and her project won her scholarships to both Drexel University and University of the Sciences.

Grand Award- Fourth Place - Environmental Science

Bruno Kessler Foundation (FBK Award)

Ananya Joshi, grade 12, High Technology High School

Project: “Developing a Solar Powered Agitator for Mosquito Control in Stagnant Water”

Applying green technology to a world problem, Ananya tells us, “This year, I worked on addressing population control for mosquitoes especially in developing countries. Every year, over 1 million people die from mosquito-borne diseases worldwide. Most of these cases are in poor countries in tropical areas and the current treatments are not effective enough. Using the principle that mosquitoes require stagnant water to breed and thrive, I created and tested three solar-powered, efficient, safe, sustainable, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective water agitators that disturb the water surface. The agitators are highly effective in controlling mosquitoes with devices costing less than $3.

“I’ve been inspired by problems in the real world and seek to address humanitarian problems through engineering. I believe that simple engineering solutions can solve global issues. I’m hoping to move forward with my project and implement these agitators internationally. Not all research needs a laboratory- I did my project in my backyard!”

After high-school graduation, Ananya will apply her skills and innovative ideas as a student at Princeton University.

Grand Award - Fourth Place - Behavioral Science

Sarah Vicol, grade 10, High Technology High School

Project: “The Effect of Bilingualism on the Multitasking Ability of Adolescents,” comparing multitasking performance of monolingual adolescents to that of bilingual teens.

Sarah’s results demonstrate the value of experimental research projects even when the student’s hypothesis is shown to be incorrect. Contrary to her expectations, she found that monolingual adolescents were faster than their bilingual counterparts at her multitasking tests.

Each finalist at the 67th Delaware Valley Science Fairs is one of 14 students who won the opportunity to compete in Intel ISEF in Pittsburgh in May.

About the Delaware Valley Science Fairs

Since 1949, the Delaware Valley Science Fairs have stimulated interest in science, engineering and technology among middle and high school students in the tri-state region. DVSF’s philosophy is that students learn science by doing science. Its mission is to bring together parents, teachers and industry leaders to motivate and nurture young people’s curiosity in science and problem solving as we build lifelong learners.

For more information, visit www.DVSF.org or call Henry Disston, Executive Director, at: 215-895-5840.