Junior Project Abstracts

Abstracts are sorted alphabetically by category. Jump to the start of a particular category by clicking a category link below.

Behavioral & Social Sciences
Biology, Microbiology, & Genetics
Chemistry & Biochemistry
Civil & Energy Engineering
Computer Science & Applied Computational Methods
Environmental Sciences & Engineering
Electrical & Computer Engineering
Biomedical Engineering & Health Technologies
Mechanical & Materials Engineering
Medicine & Health Sciences
Physics, Astronomy & Math
Plant Sciences

Does Music Affect The Learning Of A Dyslexic Child?

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

I chose this project due to my little sister having dyslexia. I see her struggle everyday to make good grades. I wanted to see if there was something that could help her learn better. I chose four different genres of music and let her listen to them while she read a passage out loud to me.

Bubble…Bubble…Pop!

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

The project I will be presenting is an experiment on gum. I wanted to test out which brand of gum can blow the biggest bubble with specific chewing times, grams per brand, and other factors. It is a fun, silly project that may help you next time you chose to blow some big bubbles!

Before The Crash: When A Blink Changes Everything

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

The project is about fixing the problem of drowsy driving, which causes many car accidents around the world. When drivers are tired, they react more slowly, pay less attention, and are more likely to lose control of their car. This can lead to serious injuries, loss of life, and harm to families and communities. To help prevent this, we want to create a software system that can tell when a driver is getting sleepy. The system will watch for signs like closed eyes or head movement and send an alert to warn the driver. This warning can help the driver take a break or pull over safely, making roads safer for everyone.

Age Old Question: Brain Vs Brawn

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

This project is testing explicit memory on a sequence remembering game. Subjects play two rounds. One round as baseline score. In between first and second round do one of the three designated independent variables. Second round is then scored and compared to the first. This was to see if subjects score increased relative to first.

Does Mood Affect Test Scores?

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

Mood can be a pain, bringing you down, confusing you, and affecting your test scores. In my experiment I tested if mood really does affect test scores. I did this by writing a short, simple quiz that still makes you think, getting participants to help me in my experiment, and then doing the experiment itself. The purpose of this experiment was to see if I can help people get better test scores .

I wrote a short quiz with questions that were simple, yet somewhat challenging questions for middle school students like me. I asked 18 people if they were able to help me out and they could. I then separated them into 2 different groups, odd and even. The people in the even group stood out in the hallway while the people in the odd group stayed in the classroom and listened to a 1 minute upbeat song. When the song was over I let the people form the hall come in and they all took the test for approximately 10 minutes.

My results were that the people who listened to the upbeat song for 1 minute got better test scores than the people who sat in the hall in silence.

This project shows that when you are in a better mood you are more likely to get a better test score. My hypothesis was correct. This can help teachers get their students in a better mood before a big test.

The Correlation Between Studying Time And Grade Performance

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

If students study longer, would their grades be better than those who don't study as long? I created an online survey asking students how much time they spend studying, what are their grades, and do they feel more prepared for tests if they study longer. After receiving twenty responses, I compared their answers showing how study time correlates to grades. The answer may surprise you. I found that longer study time doesn't always reflect better grades.

The Impact Of Social Media On Teen’s Mental Health

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

Based on the results of my experiment and research conducted in the process, social media seems to have a strong impact on teens’ behavior and mental health. Teens in this generation seem to have an increased amount of stress, anxiety, fear of missing out, or an extreme lack of confidence, and while there are a lot of variables that can link to teenagers feeling these things that aren’t just social media, the data from my experiment and countless others done over the years show that social media is a big factor as to why teens could be feeling those ways. Teens who engage in social media regularly seem to struggle more than those who don’t engage in it at all. The teen brain isn’t ready for the complexities social media brings into their life. I wanted to see if there was a positive change with teens when they took a break from social media, as well as comparing teens’ overall stress, happiness, anxiety, sleep, and screen time usage when they were using and not using social media.

Thinking To The Beat

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

This study investigated whether the tempo of background music influences the speed at which individuals complete cognitive problem-solving tasks. The hypothesis proposed that a faster musical tempo would correlate with a reduction in the time required to solve standardized logic puzzles.
To ensure the findings were applicable across developmental stages, participants were categorized into three distinct age groups: Children (8–12), teens (13-18), and Adults (40-60). Each participant was tasked with completing a series of comparable puzzles under two primary.the tempos where slow -tempo music (\approx 60 BPM) and fast-tempo music (\approx 140 BPM).
The results where that The data collected consistently supported the hypothesis across all demographics. Every age group demonstrated their fastest average completion times while listening to high-tempo music. While accuracy levels remained stable, the increased rhythmic stimulus appeared to "prime" the brain for a faster working pace, effectively reducing the time spent on each problem.
The conclusion was that, This research suggests that auditory environments can be strategically manipulated to enhance productivity. Regardless of age, "faster tempo" music seems to provide a cognitive gears-shift, helping the mind navigate challenges more efficiently. This has practical implications for classroom settings, workplace environments, and personal study habits.

Color Preference In Horses

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

My project tested if horses have an active color preference. I used three different color buckets that have the same amount of treats in them. I had two horses start from the same spot and recorded each horse’s first choice. I had each horse do 7 trials for a total of 14 trials. In the end the horses liked the blue bucket over the pink or green bucket. This could suggest that horses do have an active color preference, which could impact our understanding of horses behavior and could help in training horses and in horses feeding routines.

Catching More Z's: How Do Different Pre Bedtime Routines Impact The Quality Of Different Sleep Stages For Adults?

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

In the U.S. 50-70 million people suffer from sleep deprivation. Our experiment was designed to create better sleep in our community by changing routines before bed. To begin, we asked 20 adult participants to do a five-day trial, all trying to fall asleep at 10 pm, wearing Apple Watches to track their sleep cycles. The only difference in each of their trials is the routine they have before falling asleep. Each group had five participants. Groups did thirty-minutes of meditation, reading, or doomscrolling before going to bed. Our control group had no routine and tried to fall asleep at 10.
As you can see from our graphs, the reading group had the most overall sleep minutes, core sleep, and deep sleep. Meditation provided the most minutes of REM sleep. Doomscrolling provided the least minutes of core sleep and deep sleep. The control group provided the least amount of core sleep and total sleep. In conclusion, adding a routine before sleep is beneficial to get more sleep. However, the type of routine matters. Reading seems to help people get more and better sleep, and meditating may help improve REM sleep. Doomscrolling seems like a less effective routine as it is known to increase the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, which may be why the doomscrolling group did not get as much quality sleep as the other groups.

Pucker Up

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

How Does the Placement of Sour Candy Effect how Sour the Candy Tastes?
I cannot stand sour candy. I have always been searching for a way to avoid the pain and puckered faces when I eat anything sour. This project gave me the opportunity to figure that out.The tongue map is what most people think of when asked what parts of the tongue taste different flavors the best, but it has been recently been proved that the map is false. My experiment could help people with this misinformation and make them better informed.
I used 6 participants over the age of 18 to do my experiment. I gave each of them multiple pieces of sour candy and told them to put the candy on different parts of their tongue for 10 seconds each. Then they would rate the sourness levels on a scale of one to ten.

Does The Color Of A Food Or Drink Effect How People Perceive Its Taste?

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

For my science fair I tested to see if the color of a food or drink affects how people perceive its taste. My hypothesis is that the color of a food or drink does affect how people perceive its taste. I tested this by putting food dye in clear soda and having people drink it. An important part of my project was that the testers didn’t know what flavor the soda actually was.I tested my project twice .in the first test I put red food dye in lemon lime soda and had taste testers drink it. Before and after the taste testers drank the soda I asked what flavor they thought it was. Tester one in test one was fooled by the color. Testers two and three were also fooled by the color. In test two testers one and two were not fooled by the color but tester three who was a child was. All of the tasters were family members and the soda and food dye were the same throughout the experiment. In conclusion my experiment proved my hypothesis was correct.

Minty Minds

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

People are always looking for ways to do better on tests. For some, it's studying more, but others want a quicker method. We thought of mints! But do mints actually work? As part of our experiment, we tested Jolly Ranchers alongside mints to compare their effectiveness and determine whether mints outperform Jolly Ranchers when taking a test. We decided to give the mints and Jolly Ranchers to students in our class when we took our weekly quiz. The purpose of this project is see if mints or Jolly Ranchers affect your test scores. We did this experiment because we wanted to know if people who are struggling with test and school, could be helped by mint or Jolly Ranchers. Because if it works, it could become a solution for many students' problems in school. The effects of the candies were noted in our data. It stated that both affected the test scores in both positive and negative ways. The means that neither candy did better or worse that the other when taking the quizzes.

How Different Ages Detect Scammers

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

Our project “how different ages are affected by scammers” was focused on figuring out which age groups were targeted vs who actually gets scammed because when researching we found that scammers have stolen over 10.6 billion dollars in recent years .For our hypothesis we said “If we interview people on scammer activity, then the younger age group 13-20 will be more susceptible to scams, because statistically they spend more time online .We had the idea to go to the mall and interview people on the scammer activities in their daily life, we interviewed over 30 people to make our data and fund great results. We proved our hypothesis correct because our data found that the younger people were 71.4% more likely to fall for a scam than older people, but older people were targeted more by scams.

Flexibility With Age And Gender

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

The problem was that many people, both elderly and young, struggle with decreases in flexibility. We wanted to test whether your gender and age affect improvement in flexibility. When we were contacting the participants, we encountered several issues with elderly adults, which is why we don’t have as many elderly individuals. We had 18 young children and 10 elderly adults, who we had follow a stretching regimen for a week to see how much each individual improved. We found that typically, when you are older, it is harder to improve flexibility, more so if you're a male. The difference between the younger children wasn’t as different, no matter the gender; the results were only a 0.2-inch difference in improvement. Well, on the contrary, the elderly adults had a significant difference, 0.9 inches, between the two genders. If you stretch more when you are younger, you are much more likely to be flexible throughout your life. If you follow a stretching routine that focuses on your flexibility issues, you are much more likely to have improved flexibility. In our conclusion, we found that when you're younger, you're much more likely to have better flexibility your gender isn’t as important as when you age. After going through puberty typically, boys get stronger, while girls get more flexible.

The Sound Of Focus

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

My project is about the question, "Does Music Affect a Persons Attention Span?". My hypothesis for this project was, if a person listens to music while they have a task at hand then they will have a better attention span than a person who is not listening to music while they have a task at hand. My independent variables are, with music and without music. My dependent variable is the attention span of the person. My controlled variables are, the temperature of the room, the lighting of the room, the sound in the room, and to use the same playlist. My procedure is to gather a group of people in a room and give them a test you created, then play the playlist you created, then collect the test, bring them back the next day, hand out the same test while they are in the same room, don't play the music and have them finish the test, and then go home and compare the test. From this test my results were that more people focused better with music than without music.

Snooze Tunes

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

A look at which genre of music will induce the deepest and longest sleep patterns.

The Effect Of Exercise On Memory And Reaction Time In Adolescents

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

This study examines whether short-term moderate exercise can improve attention and memory performance in adolescents. Using a within-subject crossover design, participants will complete both an exercise condition and a resting condition on separate days. Attention will be measured using reaction time tests and memory using digit span tasks. It is hypothesized that adolescents will demonstrate faster reaction times and higher digit span scores following short-term exercise compared to rest. These expected findings may support the idea that brief physical activity breaks can enhance cognitive performance in school settings.

The Power Of Exercise

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

It is hard to do homework and tests when your brain is in twists or when you feel wiggly. That is why exercise is important. We chose to do exercise before testing, because we want to improve student’s learning. Our problem statement was to ask ourselves, Will exercise improve 4th grade test scores? We went to three 4th grade classrooms, after we got permission from both the students and parents we gave them a set amount of exercise. After they completed the exercise they were then given 10 minutes to do a 20 word count wordsearch. When we collected our results we noticed that the group that was given zero minutes of exercise had a drop in their scores. Then we saw that the group with 2.30 minutes of exercise had the highest test scores. We met our objectives by proving that exercise does improve your test scores.

Our hypothesis was correct because based on our data, Group 2 with the most amount of exercise had the most words found by 18% more than the control group with an average of 16 words compared to 13.6 words in the control group. There is only a noticeable difference in the average words found with 2.30 mins of exercise versus the control group with 0 minutes of exercise. There is no noticeable difference between the control group and the first groups with 1.15 mins of exercise.

Does Clothing Affect Or Impact The Behaviors Of Others

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

Does clothing affect or impact the behavior of others? The purpose of my project was to test
whether a person's appearance, specifically their clothing, would influence their behavior
towards me. The reason for what motivated me to do this project was the social interactions with
other people and the topic of the project was very unique and I wanted to find out the answer. I
tested this by going to the mall and asking people for the time in my three outfits (casual, formal,
unusual) I recorded on my phone so I could review it later. I would later on watch the recording
and write down data of what I needed, for example I would look for, if their responses or body
language changed towards me, and look for if they tried to avoid me. When I looked at the
recording I found out that the formal and casual outfits had normal response, the unusual outfit
had the worst results, people avoided me more and came up with more excuses, I didn't get to
finish my unusual outfit because some teenage girls that I asked told mall security that they
were threatened by me so I was asked to leave. In conclusion, my findings supported my
hypothesis that clothing does significantly affect others behaviors and perception of you.

Do Dogs Have A Dominant Paw?

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

This project investigates whether dogs have paw dominance, similar to handedness in humans. The study is motivated by potential practical applications, such as informing dog product manufacturers. Previous research has suggested that many dogs show a paw preference, some are ambidextrous, and earlier testing methods have indicated that a majority of dogs may be right-pawed.
To validate these findings, Damin Noh and her friend Aria Casteel visited a local dog park, Parleys Historic Nature Park, and conducted observations. With owners’ permission, they offered dogs various treats (apple, carrot, and celery) and toys (tennis balls, dog-bone toys, and squeaky balls). Each dog was called, and they repeatedly recorded which paw initiated movement when reaching for a treat or toy. Responses were categorized as right paw, left paw, both paws (ambidextrous), or hopping.
Data were collected from 39 dogs. Of these, 54.5% (18 dogs) demonstrated right-paw dominance, 33.3% (11 dogs) showed left-paw dominance, 9% (3 dogs) were ambidextrous, and 18.2% (6 dogs) initiated movement by hopping. The results indicate a higher proportion of right-paw dominance, approximately 20% greater than left-paw dominance.
The findings, therefore, support the conclusion that dogs do exhibit paw dominance, with slightly more right-pawed than left-pawed individuals, and a smaller proportion that are ambidextrous or rely on hopping. Future research could include a larger sample size, analysis of specific breeds, a wider variety of treats and toys, and even the introduction of other animals, such as cats, to examine whether paw preference changes under different conditions.

Autism Bias

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

I wanted to see how peoples bias (or opinion) on Autism compared to the scientific definition. I was able to have 98 responders and get a wide variety of answers. I asked them what they thought the basic definition was, what were characteristics of autism, treatments, cures, and a ranking system.

Can You Change The Compromise Effect Of Decision Making?

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

The purpose of my project was to study how others can influence our decisions and how we make them. I was curious if a person or business could influence purchases and manipulate how we think. After research on this topic I formed my hypothesis, “If I have a scenario in which I present my participants with small, medium and large size options for an object and tell them a certain size is the most popular choice, then due to the effect of social pressure the before mentioned object will become the most chosen option.” To test my hypothesis, I gathered images of small, medium, and large phones and TVs. I then had participants choose one size object from each set, with the participant giving a reason for doing so. Before they gave me their answer, I promoted a certain size for each object. With each participant, I alternated between promoting the TV and the phone so that each participant was in a control and an experimental group. The TV experimental group showed a 20% increase in participants choosing the promoted medium size compared to the control group, while the participants in the experimental phone group chose the large size 10% less often than those in the control group, despite it being promoted. In conclusion, results from the experiment neither proved nor disproved my hypothesis as they were inconclusive due to there not being a clear increase between the promoted sizes in the control and experimental groups for both the phone and TV scenarios.

Instasham Should I Be Allowed To Get Social Media

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

I took data on myself to see how I was affected by having different amounts of time on Instagram. Because most social media is proven to negatively impact a lot of people, I wanted to see what it was for me.

Sour Patch Kids

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

I chose this project because I really liked Sour Patch, and one of my teachers gave me the idea of doing it. It was a really fun time, and I learned a lot about how to form a science/testing. It was really fun to create a poster and prepare for Human Testing Day. I was really surprised when I was bagging the sour patch because I saw quadruple the amount of cherry flavor than orange, when orange was one of the most liked in my test. I was also very surprised when many people said lemon was their favorite.

I thought blue raspberry was the best flavor, but many people disagreed. Many people got the questions incorrect, but I got them all correct and thought it was very easy. I banged 62 bags of five flavors each. Something that was really crazy is that lime was the most incorrect answer out of all five, which I thought was very surprising. Three people got all five flavors correct.

The participants tested were in 1st,2nd,3rd, and in 5th grade. We fed the shower patch in a specific order based on what we had in the book. We used about 40 participants, and most said orange was their favorite flavor. It took about three and a half hours to test everyone. Thank you for reading my project.

Meditaion Matters

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

For our STEM Fair project, we compared test scores between two classes with meditation as an independent variable. We hypothesized that if we compare test scores between a 6th grade class that meditates and one that doesn’t, then the class that meditates for 5 minutes before testing will have 10% higher scores than the class that didn’t because meditation improves focus and decreases stress. Both of the classes were sixth graders, test, and time limit. The test scores of the students depended on whether or not the students were in a class that meditated or one that didn't. First we gave and collected permission slips. Next, we had the one class meditate and had them meditate. Then we had the first class take their test prior to their meditation and the other class take their test too. Lastly, we collected the tests, and we made a graph and data table displaying our findings. Based on our results, our hypothesis was incorrect but we believe that it could have been different if we would have made some improvements and fixed our possible sources of error. One improvement we would have made is that we would have had more groups of people to test with. A possible source of error in our experiment was, we were inconsistent with the usage of our stopwatch, and some of the students cheated.Through our research we learned that middle school students have many stressors in their lives, and they may experience nervousness because of this.

Bot Tling Up Emotions: How Ai Chatbots Interpret & Respond To Emotionally Challenging Scenarios

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

As AI chatbots become more commonly used in everyday life, many people, especially teens, turn to them for help with emotional challenges. This project investigates how different AI chatbots respond to user-posed emotionally challenging scenarios and whether their responses vary based on the communication style of the prompt. Sets of scenarios representing different emotional categories (such as sadness, anger, anxiety, and stress) were written by AI, to ensure safety and originality. Each scenario was then presented to ChatGPT, Anthropic Claude, and Google Gemini, using multiple writing styles, including neutral, formal, and casual. The chatbot’s responses were analyzed using a scoring rubric that measured factors including empathy, clarity, problem-solving, and helpfulness. The results show that while AI chatbots often give clear and structured responses, they frequently lack empathy. Their effectiveness can also vary depending on the writing style of the input prompt. This project highlights both the potential and limitations of AI chatbots in emotionally sensitive situations and emphasizes the importance of evaluating AI systems before relying on them for emotional support. The results help us understand how AI interacts with human emotions and suggest areas for future improvement in AI design and safety.

Light Pollution

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

We tested how different light levels affect sleep. Our two test subjects, one male and the other female, slept with four different levels of brightness on an adjustable light. When they awoke the next day, the test subjects recorded how well they slept, and how many times they awoke in the night. All the data was recorded and stored on a digital form that our test subjects filled out after sleeping. After studying the data we collected, we determined that our hypothesis was correct, as higher levels of light reduce sleep quality significantly. One challenge we faced with testing is that other small factors could have affected our results, such as noise or light pollution from other sources. Also, our test subjects could have accidentally given the wrong number for how many times they woke up, which would also change our data slightly. Overall, we were able to research and experiment with light pollution's effects successfully. We gathered the data that we needed to determine the accuracy of our hypothesis. On average, our test subjects only awoke once, if at all, during sleep with no light. On the other hand, sleeping with the brightest light level caused our sleepers to wake up 3 to 4 times a night. This information is useful because it could help others sleep better at night than what they have experienced in the past.

Miracle? Berries

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

This project evaluates the effectiveness of a miracle berry versus a placebo in altering the perception of sourness when eaten before eating a sour candy.

A Matter Of Taste

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

For my project this year I wanted to see if ingredients affect taste. Originally, I knew I wanted to do something with baking but didn't know what until I came up with the idea of having people taste three different types of cookies with different types of flours. I did research on how taste works and how different tastes interact with you. I also did research on many flours like whole wheat, almond, corn, coconut, 00 flour etc. I also did extensive research on baking ingredient alternatives.

For my experiment, I made three different types of cookies: flourless, coconut and all-purpose flour. After baking them, each cookie was cut. When each test subject came, they were asked if they had any food allergies. If they didn’t, they were instructed to take a bite or eat the entire cookie sample, if they liked it. They were informed that one cookie was made with coconut flour, one was flourless and one with all-purpose flour. The subjects were asked to try to identify the cookies with that information. Their answers were collected along with their demographics for analysis.

The data analysis revealed that 62% of subjects could tell the difference between each cookie, which supported my hypothesis. My secondary hypothesis of girls being able to tell the difference in ingredients better than boys was not supported since the data revealed that 62% of girls and 61% of boys could tell the difference between ingredients.

Now You See Me...

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

My science project is about optical illusions. I have always had curiosity towards optical illusions since I was young. In October, I got to visit an optical illusion museum in San Diego. I had such an amazing experience that I decided to see if gender and age were affecting factors to the perception of optical illusions. My hypothesis was that gender and age wouldn’t matter.

I first did a lot of research. During the research, I asked different people what made them curious about optical illusions, which helped me a lot in learning more about the subject. For my experiment, I prepared 4 different optical illusions and questions to ask the test subjects. The subjects were school students, staff, and some family members. I gathered data and analyzed it. During this process, I realized the question asked for one of the illusions was leading and I decided those answers. However, the experiment turned out to be successful overall.

In conclusion, my hypothesis was partially supported. Gender was not a significant factor of perception of optical illusions. However, the Spinning Dancer illusion seemed to be affected by gender more than other illusions. Still, the way the subjects perceived the optical illusions seemed to be affected by age.

How Does Exposure To Blue Light Affect Memory And Reaction Time?

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

Blue light is a type of light emitted from electronic devices such as phones, tablets, and TVs. Many people are exposed to blue light at night, especially before going to sleep, which may affect how the brain functions the next day. This project studied how exposure to blue light before sleep affects reaction time and memory. The research question was: How does exposure to blue light one hour before sleep affect reaction and memory time the next morning? To test this, two 10-year-old subjects were used. One subject was exposed to blue light for one hour before going to sleep, while the other subject was not exposed to blue light during that time. The next morning, both subjects were given the same tests. Reaction time was measured using the Human Benchmark reaction time test, and the results were averaged. Memory was tested by showing the subjects 12 cards for five seconds each and then asking questions about specific card positions. The results showed that the subject exposed to blue light had a faster reaction time but remembered fewer cards correctly. This suggests that blue light exposure before sleep may increase alertness but negatively affect memory performance. These results are important because many people use electronic devices at night, and limiting blue light exposure before sleep may help improve memory.

Was It Always Like That ?

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

Me experiment is based on generations, memory and digital influences. I chose to do this experiment because I think that the human brain is very powerful and I wanted to test what influences the human brain, to believe what is does . I know I wanted to test memory, but I also Wanted to add something like digital influence into it to make it relevant to current times .

How Does The Stroop Affect Works?

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

For my project I wanted to gain a better understanding of the human mind by testing the Stroop effect. The Stroop effect tests your brain more specifically the prefrontal cortex. This test is when there is a word instead of reading the word they have to say the color the word is written in. Some of the cards will have the same color as the word but others have different colors than the word. So I would have to test the kids whose parents have signed a permission slip and measure their response time with a stopwatch for each trial. For the first half, I tested the matching cards then the non-matching cards then wrote the results. The results of this experiment was that everyone that I tested read the matching cards faster than the non-matching cards. In conclusion, people read the matching one faster and the non-matching ones slower because they are used to reading the word that they don't really focus on the color, so they will say the matching ones faster that the non-matching ones.

Can I Influence The Compromise Effect Of Decision Making?

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

The purpose of this project is to see if I can influence how people buy goods by using a marketing tactic called the compromise effect. The compromise effect is an effect in the brain that usually happens when there are three options and the brain makes a compromise between the small and large options. My hypothesis is “If research shows that “size based pricing” influences customers, and I test the customers with different scenarios involving size based pricing, then at least 70% will pick the middle option”. I did this project by giving people a google form of the test or just testing them in person. The test involved common store bought items such as toothpaste, water bottles, and eggs. My project shows that only approximately 50% picked the middle option. Results could have been changed due to setting, items, or influence. In conclusion, my results disprove my hypothesis.

Are Your Daily Habits Affecting Your Sleep And How Stressed You Are?

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

My project was understanding how your daily habits can be affecting your sleep and stress levels. My hypothesis was that the daily habits would have a great impact on your stress levels and how rested you felt. To test this I have 9 volunteers track their sleep for two weeks. Throughout these two weeks I asked that they not drink caffeine, take any naps, use a blue light screen 30 minutes before bed, exercise 30 minutes before bed, or eat anything 30 minutes before bed. During week one they were asked to follow all of these. During week two I had the participants fill out a form to pick a daily habit (such as drinking caffeine) that they would do throughout the second week. After these two weeks I found that my results were inconclusive, this could have been due to hormonal imbalance. As teens grow and change, their hormones change day-to-day and sometimes even hourly. This change can cause a delay in the release of melatonin, causing you to fall asleep later. In conclusion, my results were inconclusive, due to variables I could not control.

Do The Factors That Cause Stress Change In Between Genders?

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

I tested to see if there was a difference in what caused stress in male and female teenagers. My hypothesis was that if the emotional response to stress in teenagers is affected by gender, and stress is quantified by using a 14 question survey using a 1-10 point rating scale, then females will test higher than males by at least 2 points. I took volunteers from the age group of 12-18 and gave them a quiz with questions about how much a certain situation stresses them out on a scale of 1-10. I had 10 females and 10 males, and the results showed that there wasn't a significant enough difference to be considered. I noticed that 5 out of the 14 questions I asked showed a significant difference, with 4 out of those 5 having females rating a higher stress level. The total difference in male and female averages was .29 percent.

Shell We Compare? A Study Of Egg Growth.

BIOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY, & GENETICS

I incubated some eggs to see their growth rate. I wanted to measure if the bigger breeds of chicken grow faster then the smaller breeds. As they grew the eggs weight fluctuated, mainly losing weight. Although the bigger breeds lost more weight the overall lost was about the same percentage of weight lost. So bigger breeds and smaller breeds grow at the same rate.

Parakeet Preferences

BIOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY, & GENETICS

My project is about testing my parakeets' color preferences. First, I tested whether they would prefer neutral or vibrant colors by placing two toys in their cage-- one vibrant colored and the other neutral colored. They interacted with the vibrant toy more. Then, I tested if they had a preference to specific colors by setting up a bird feeder with different colors in the rainbow. I let the birds eat the food and observed their activity for a week. I repeated the test with the cups in different order and found that the birds preferred the hot pink container across both trials.

Brick By Brick: The Influence Of Substrate Composition On The Structural Integrity Of Mycelium Bricks

BIOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY, & GENETICS

We need alternative building materials that are environmentally friendly and cost-effective. Mycelium bricks, made from fungal networks and organic waste, are emerging as innovative, biodegradable materials in construction. While not as strong as concrete, mycelium bricks are lightweight and environmentally sustainable, showing great promise for future green building practices. Fungi (including mushrooms) are some of the most diverse groups of organisms on Earth (~5.1 million species). Our goal was to determine which strain of mushroom and substrate makes the strongest mycelium bricks. Our main hypothesis was that the strain of mushroom will affect the strength of the mycelium bricks.

We first tested 5 strains of edible mushrooms spores to inoculate a grain-based substrate that is commonly used to grow mushrooms. After 4 weeks of growth, we determined how much weight they could hold before they broke. Our data showed that Golden Oyster mycelium bricks were significantly stronger than the others. They were able to hold an average of 22.2 pounds. Because there was a big difference between the different bricks, we hypothesized that when using the same strain of mushroom, the type of substrate alters the strength of the brick. We then tested 6 different substrates using Golden Oyster mycelium bricks. Our second experiment showed that a mixture of gain and soil made the strongest bricks. It held an average of 42.5 pounds. In conclusion, we learned that the Golden Oyster mycelium makes the strongest bricks in combination with a grain and soil substrate.

Putting A Little Heart Into Your Music

BIOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY, & GENETICS

The goal of this project was to see if the beats per minute (BPM) of music could affect a person's heart rate. Music can change how people feel or how energetic they are, so I wanted to find out if the speed of music could also change how fast someone's heart beats. I tested this by observing three different people: a 50 year old female, a 10 year old female, and a 14 year old male.

Before playing any music, I measured each person's heart rate during a quiet control period. Then, each subject listened to instrumental songs with different BPMs. I chose songs without lyrics so that words or emotions would not affect the results. After each song, I measured their heart rate again and compared it to the control measurement.

In most cases, the results showed that changes in music BPM did affect heart rate. Faster songs usually caused heart rate to increase, while slower songs caused little change or a slight decrease. Overall, this showed that the speed and BPM of music can change heart rate, even though it affects everyone a little differently.

Fabulous Flexible Films

BIOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY, & GENETICS

Traditional plastics are made from fossil fuels and can stay on Earth for hundreds of years without degrading. This experiment investigates how to produce a more sustainable material (bioplastic) using natural starch from plants such as corn, potatoes, and tapioca, which can degrade in a much shorter time. To create the bioplastic, plant based starch is mixed with water and vinegar to break down the branches in the starch molecules, and glycerin to act as a lubricant so the material remains flexible instead of brittle. By comparing different starches, the study determines which variety produces the strongest and clearest plastic. Results show that different starches create plastics with unique properties because their internal molecular structures vary. The hypothesis states that if potato starch is used, the bioplastic will be the strongest because potato starch has larger granules and more "amylose, " which helps it form a tough, solid gel. It is also predicted that tapioca starch will produce the clearest plastic since it becomes more translucent when cooked. Future research could involve a decomposition test in various soil types to observe how quickly these bioplastics disappear in nature. Additionally, testing the inclusion of natural fibers, such as shredded paper or banana peels, could determine if they can increase durability. Finally, investigating the water resistance of these materials would help determine if they are suitable for products like cups or shopping bags, or if they lose their structure when exposed to moisture.

How Does P H Affect The Growth Of Bacteria?

BIOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY, & GENETICS

I studied whether pH levels affect the growth of E. coli. I thought bacteria would grow best at a pH of 7 because E. coli is a neutrophile. I suspected too much acid or base would inhibit the bacteria’s growth. My reason for thinking this was because my research showed that the cell membrane of the bacteria can be affected by acid and base. This led me to believe that growth would be impaired when the cell membrane was damaged.

I measured the growth of E. coli at different pHs. I incubated E. coli plated with pH solutions of 4,6,7,8, 10. I noted too much growth in this trial so I repeated the experiment using different pHs and less bacteria. The growth was more reasonable with this method, but I did not detect a change between pHs so I made another modification. I incubated the E. coli in test tubes with pH solutions of 1,4,7,10, 13 overnight then plated the bacteria for incubation.

The results showed that E. coli grew best at a pH of 7. There was no growth at pH of 1. There was growth at pHs 4,10, 13, but growth was decreased and with modifications. Although there was growth at 10 and 13, the colonies were fewer and larger in size. I suspect this is because the base affected the ability of the E. coli to divide. Overall my experiment showed that pH affects the growth of E. coli.

The Glow Show

BIOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY, & GENETICS

Countless things can become a GMO, a genetically modified organism. With a process called genetic engineering, several foods such as apples, potatoes, and corn are commonly modified by scientists to improve their performance. Plus, many medicines like human insulin are also produced by genetically modified bacteria or plants. In this experiment, the objective was to test the transformation efficiencies on the luminescence and growth of genetically modified E-coli with the green fluorescent gene (from jellyfishes), so they glow under UV light. It was hypothesized that if the heat shock time was thirty seconds, then the genetically modified E-coli will have the most glowing colonies. Once making the competent E-coli cells, the experimenter incubated them in 42°C water at the different heat shock times. After two days, the experimenter used a blue light and UV sheet to document the number of glowing colonies present on the agar plates. The results showed that the sixty seconds heat shock time had the most colonies. However, this did not support the experimenter’s prediction of thirty seconds. For sixty seconds, the bacteria’s cell membrane became more permeable than expected which allowed it to accept more of the recombinant DNA. Further research includes testing more heat shock times, different temperatures, and seeing their effects with different types of bacteria. Some improvements would be letting the bacteria grow for longer under the heat lamp to get a more accurate result and having all the plates receive the same amount of heat, for some received more than others.

How Do Sugar Substitutes Affect Yeast Reproduction

BIOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY, & GENETICS

In this science fair project, I investigated how different types of sugar affect yeast activity by measuring the amount of bubbling and carbon dioxide gas produced during fermentation. Yeast is a living microorganism that uses sugar as a source of energy. During fermentation, yeast breaks down sugar and releases carbon dioxide gas, which causes bubbles and foam to form. I tested three substances: white (granulated) sugar, brown sugar, and Splenda, an artificial sweetener, to determine how each one affected yeast activity.

To conduct the experiment, I added equal amounts of warm water and active dry yeast into three clear cups. One teaspoon of white sugar was added to the first cup, brown sugar to the second cup, and Splenda to the third cup. Each mixture was gently stirred and observed for 10 minutes. Yeast activity was measured by counting the number of bubbles produced and observing the amount of foam formed. All variables, including the amount of yeast, water, sugar, and observation time, were kept the same to ensure a fair test.

The results showed that yeast mixed with white sugar produced the most bubbles, with approximately 50 bubbles and a high amount of foam. Brown sugar produced moderate activity with about 25 bubbles. The mixture with Splenda produced very little activity, with approximately 2 bubbles. These results support my hypothesis that yeast requires real sugar for fermentation and cannot efficiently use artificial sweeteners.

Blood: What Can We Learn From It

BIOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY, & GENETICS

The purpose of this project is to show how detectives figure out what happened at a crime scene from some of the smallest pieces of evidence, blood splatter. My hypothesis states that “If you drop fake blood from different heights, then the fake blood splatter droplet size will change.” My hypothesis was proven correct but was also proven wrong. The second highest height was highest on my graph which means it had the biggest drop diameter and the most splatter. Things I would have done differently are, when I was dropping the fake blood I would move my hand in different motions such as slashing, to get different results. When I dropped I just dropped straight down from different heights. This project could absolutely be used in real world forensic studies. Blood splatter analysis is important because it has helped solve countless crimes around the world!

Osmosis Water Battle

BIOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY, & GENETICS

My project describes what and how Osmosis works. Through Osmosis I talk about the biological sequencing is going through the steps of how it can affect organisms, I use this experiment to tell others how Osmosis can make an impact on their lives, whether that is through their dependent water intake (examples including weather effects and hygienic water transmusion). Osmosis is a process which can move within any organism and provide water to them which can help hydrate them throughout the day. You see Osmosis within humans, plants, animals, and even hybrid organisms such as connected vegetable or fruit. 60% of our body is made of Osmosis, but about 35% needs to be controlled by you, meaning the leftover 25% is controlled through Osmosis. This procedure can benefit through giving the body glucose to run the entire day which can either be stored within the mitochondria to be used later or can straightup be used at once. Through the transmusion of Osmosis your glucose levels are controlled through DNA, this DNA uses four types of bases or sugar phosphates to control the energy required to move around every day. The four types of bases include Actinide, Thymine, Guanine, and Cytosine. Actinide is paired with Thymine, and Guanine is paired with Cytosine. These DNA strands can provide water storage within your cells. The main cells which hold the water are in your Red Blood Cells. So Osmosis can affect how you take and use energy.

Temperature Effects On The Ph Levels Of Grape Anthoocyanins

BIOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY, & GENETICS

Abstract
My question was: What effect does temperature have on
the pH levels of homegrown, uncultured, grape
anthocyanins? My plan for this project was to harvest
grapes and blend them, then combine vinegar with them
to extract anthocyanins, strain it, then separate the liquid
into different containers that were to go in different
temperatures. My hypothesis for this experiment was: If
heat causes the pH levels in anthocyanins to decrease, and
I put extracted anthocyanins in 3 different temperatures
(cold, room temp, and heat) to test how the pH levels
change over the course of 6 days, then the anthocyanin
extract in the heat will decrease the quickest and have the
lowest pH by the end of the 6 days. After performing this
experiment, my hypothesis was supported and some brief
data shown was that the mean pH from the last day in heat
was 2.376 and the one in the cold had a mean pH of 2.438.
In conclusion, the anthocyanins in the heat had the lowest
pH by the end of the week.

Bleach Damage

BIOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY, & GENETICS

The problem was that there is 1.3 billion women who dye their hair yearly which causes significant damage to their hair. First off, when the bleach is applied to the roots, the hair and the scalp can become very damaged and irritated, so we had an idea to test out different ways to bleach hair naturally without damaging the hair. We had a total of 5 ways to lighten hair. The procedures include chamomile tea with lemon, lemon juice with coconut oil, apple cider vinegar with honey, baking soda, and shampoo, and the last one, sea salt spray. In our hypothesis, we said that baking soda with shampoo will work the best since it is used for whitening teeth. After we tested out the different ways to lighten hair naturally, our hypothesis was partially correct since we thought only one would work well with lightening the hair. Which was baking soda; in the end, baking soda with shampoo and lemon juice with coconut oil worked equally by lightening the hair by five shades. So we learned that you can lighten your hair without damaging your hair or your money on products to take care of your hair after all the damage.

Chill Out, Apple!

BIOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY, & GENETICS

My science fair project is about enzyme activity in an apple. I investigated how temperature affects enzyme activity in apples. I tested apples in a room or moderate temperature, and at a cool temperature, to see how quickly they turned brown, and how fast I got a reaction from the enzyme activity. I cut my apples into equal slices, kept them at a certain temperature, and observed the reaction over time. I recorded the changes carefully and compared which temperature caused the enzyme to work faster. I repeated this 3 times to make sure that my results were accurate. This experiment helped me understand how enzymes behave under different conditions and how temperature can change the speed of the reactions. Overall, I learned how enzyme activity works, and how it can benefit society!

Effect Of Exercise On Cognitive Ability

BIOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY, & GENETICS

PHYSICAL EXERCISE IS LINKED TO IMPROVED COGNITIVE FUNCTION THROUGH NEUROPLASTICITY, INCREASED NEURAL GROWTH, AND ENHANCED ATTENTION. AEROBIC EXERCISE, SUCH AS RUNNING, HAS BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. EXERCISE ALSO SUPPORTS BRAIN HEALTH AND CAN SLOW COGNITIVE DECLINE IN NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES LIKE PARKINSON’S DISEASE, THOUGH EFFECTS VARY BY CONDITION AND LEVEL. IN THIS STUDY, COGNITIVE TEST SCORES CONSISTENTLY INCREASED FOLLOWING EXERCISE, SUPPORTING THE HYPOTHESIS THAT PHYSICAL EXERCISE BEFORE TESTING COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. MOST REVIEWED STUDIES AGREED WITH THIS HYPOTHESIS, WHILE OTHERS REPORTED SIMILAR EFFECTS OR NO COGNITIVE BENEFIT IN ADVANCED DEMENTIA.

How Does Water Temperature Affect Guppies Behavior

BIOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY, & GENETICS

This Science Project tests the behaviors and interactions of the Poecilia reticulata of the Guppy on water temperature. Will the Guppies "chill or thrill" find out in this Science Project.
My hypothesis is that if the water temperature of the tank increases, and the guppies are kept under the same conditions, then the guppies will become more active and swim around more because warmer water increases their energy levels. The procedure of the Science Experiment is to first change the water temperature by 2 degrees each week, use a thermometer to measure the water temperature, and examine the Guppies for at least 7 days or a week. Then write down on a scale of 0 to 5 on aggression, isolation, and activity, and repeat.
The results of this Science Experiment was that Guppies had low activity at colder temperatures. Once the water temperature got moderate the Guppies Isolation spiked.
When the water temperature got hotter, aggression had spiked too. Since the Guppies that participated in the experiment were all male and since Guppies are a tropical fish they are used to warm water temperatures. conclude that Guppies are more used to water temperatures between moderate and high temperatures.

Is The Five Second Rule True

BIOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY, & GENETICS

My project is about try different foods that touch the ground and that does not touch the ground and see if is saved to eat or not after. I have heard apply the 5 second rule but not sure if is true or not.

What's So Different About Our Drinking Water

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

Why does the water downstairs in my house taste different than the water upstairs in my house. I examined the physical and chemical properties of the water in three different locations, at first draw and after the pipes had rinsed down to try and determine the answer. Then I conducted a blindfold test with myself and my brother to see if we could determine the waters source location based only on taste with no visual help. The results were interesting.

How Does The Type Of Liquid Used Affect The Success Of Forming Boba Popping Spheres

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

My project is testing the shape, and size of popping boba to see what drink forms the best. I used apple juice, orange juice, grape juice, pineapple juice, green tea, black coffee, sprite, and Pepsi. my hypothesis was that apple juice would work the best because it is a thin and clear liquid. I thought that coffee and tea wouldn't work well because I was most familiar with them served warm. I thought soda wouldn't work well because I thought the carbonation would build pressure inside the shell and pop it. I used a sensitive food scale to measure the weight of five of each different drink's pearls. I used a digital vernier caliper to measure the diameter average of three pearls. and I looked at the pearls to see which ones had the most spherical shape. I proved hypothesis wrong completely, with sprite forming the best and orange juice being the biggest and heaviest.

Cloudy With A Chance Of Spf

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

For my science fair project, I researched how types of sunscreen affect the chlorine and pH levels in a pool. I cover what happens when chlorine and pH in a pool are exposed to sunscreen, what materials to use and how to prevent chlorine levels from getting to high or too low with sunscreen. My hypothesis is that different types of sunscreen will change pH and chlorine level in a pool and that Coppertone will be the best to use for a pool because it is a mineral based sunscreen and has no chemicals in it that react with chlorine.

Gimme Some Sugar

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

The question was "How does the amount of sugar per cup of water affect how much of the solution (sugar water) a diaper absorbs". The hypothesis is that if evidence shows that adding a chemical compound like sugar or salt are added to water making the solution more dense, and different amounts of sugar are added to the water, poured on the diapers and left to sit, and then drip to see how much sugar-water is left; then the diapers will absorb more of the water with less sugar in it. Materials used included Huggies diapers, sugar, measuring cups, water, a standard metal spoon, and an electronic weight scale. The procedures are that 1/2 tsp, 1 tsp, 1 1/2 tsp or 2 tsp of sugar will be put into 2 cups of warm water and mixed until no specks of sugar are visible. Then the 2 cups of the solution are poured onto each diaper. The diaper is placed over a bowl to see how much water drips off of each diaper. The bowl is then weighed on the scale to see how much liquid has leaked off. Each measurement of solution is repeated 5 times. The hypothesis that the more sugar in the solution, the less water absorbed was supported.

Catalyzed Oxidation

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

Natural water contains antioxidants which neutralize reactive species by donating electrons which causes them to degrade over time. Redox, also known as oxidation-reduction, is a type of chemical reaction that involves the transfer of electrons between substances where one substance loses electrons while another substance gains them at the same time. When metals react with antioxidants in water, a redox reaction happens and antioxidants donate electrons that turn normal oxygen into a reactive oxygen species which makes antioxidants, like vitamin C, deteriorate rapidly. The objective of this experiment was to discover the effect of different metal salts on the oxidation rate of antioxidants using vitamin C as an example. The real world application of this experiment is that understanding these effects helps evaluate water quality and the potential impacts of metal contamination on ecosystems, human health, and manufacturing and packaging. It is predicted that if iron is added to the solution, then the vitamin C will oxidize fastest. To test this hypothesis, 1mM of three metal salt solutions—iron sulfate, copper sulfate heptahydrate, and zinc sulfate pentahydrate—and a control group of water were added to a vitamin C solution and titration was used to test the amount of vitamin C remaining after 6 specific timepoints. Results were that the copper solution oxidized fastest, iron second fastest, water third, and the zinc solution oxidized slowest. Some improvements for this experiment would be using smaller measurements with the drops of iodine, and using all pure metals salts to get more accurate results.

Bubbling With Energy

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

Electrolysis is the process in which electrons in liquids are altered by electrical waves and the liquid is reverted into composing gases through chemical decomposition. Extracting hydrogen is a difficult task, but it is a major tool in the industrial world. To compensate, coal and fossils are used, causing waste and malfunctions. If the rate of conversion during electrolysis increased with different electrolyte concentrations, more hydrogen could be produced through electrolysis and lead to avoidance of harmful products and waste. I experimented the rate of electrolysis with three solutions with water as the solvent and lemon juice, baking soda, and potassium carbonate as the solutes with electrolytes ranging from low to high (1 ½ teaspoons each) and a control group of tap water (lowest electrolytes). It was hypothesized if the electrolyte concentrations grew, the rate of conversion would grow proportionally. This was because the electricity, in theory, would have more electrolytes to react with and create decomposition. After filling a beaker to the brim with the solution it was placed in a container to catch fallen liquid. Two pencils covered in test tubes would be connected to a 9-volt battery and provide electrical flow. The electrolysis would occur, and the gases would be caught by the test tubes and push water out. After ten minutes, I recorded the amount of liquid in grams. The results show that the solutions with higher electrolyte concentration ended up having the most liquid fallen out, indicating more electrolysis, the hypothesis was supported.

Chipped Or Champion: Does Nail Polish Price Predict Durability

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

I chose three polishes under five dollars, three polishes, five to ten dollars, and three polishes 10-15 dollars. To keep the experiment fair I painted all nine polishes on my ten figures. I would check them every 12 hours and marked when they chipped. I also averaged the high and low price polishes and got 120 for low price and 140 for high price in hours. So my conclusion is that the price or brand of nail polish does not determine durability instead the ingredients are more important. My researched showed that plasticizers are a key ingredient in nail polish. Plasticizers help dried nail polish stay flexible, resist cracking or chipping, and improve adhesion and shine. If your main goal for nail polish is durability then you are better off going with the more cheaper polish. But if you are worried about plasticizers on your figures than the high price ones don't have it but then be aware it will chip a lot sooner.

Why Do Apples Brown? What Substances Slow The Browning?

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

I have always wondered why apples brown if l leave them out for too long. So I tested apple browning and tried to see if I could stop or slow the browning with different liquids.

How Do Different Types Of Sugar Affect The Fermentation Of A Kombucha Scoby

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

We used different types of sugar (white sugar, molasses, and raw honey) when fermenting kombucha to determine which type of sugar allowed the most fermentation. We determined this by measuring the brix percent, specific gravity, and pH before any fermentation, after primary fermentation (before secondary fermentation), and then finally took measurements again after secondary fermentation. We then used this data to determine which sugar caused the healthiest fermentation.

Power Of P H

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

My Project is about how the ph level of liquid affects copper corrosion, I will test it by putting pennies in liquids with different acidity levels and compare how they corrode differently.

Fruit Vs Lemons

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

For our project, we tested how lemon juice affects the browning of fruit over an extended period of time. We tested five different fruits and three types of lemon juice and documented the effect that each type of lemon juice had on the fruits. We also were looking to see if one type of lemon juice did better than others at keeping the fruit from browning.

The Effect Of Hydrogen Peroxide On The Speed And Volume Of The Elephant Toothpaste Reaction

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

In this project, we learned about the effect of the amount of hydrogen peroxide used for the elephant toothpaste reaction. Elephant toothpaste is a chemical reaction that creates a lot of foam when hydrogen peroxide reacts with soap and yeast. The yeast in the reaction acts as a catalyst.

We used different amounts of hydrogen peroxide in our experiments. Everything else remained constant in our experiment, including how much yeast we used. We measured the speed of the reaction and how much foam was produced. From our experiment, we found that using higher amounts of hydrogen peroxide would make our reaction faster. Our project helped us learn about reactant concentrations and how catalysts function.

Reactivation Of Aluminas For The Removal Of T Butylcatechol From Isoprene

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

Alumina is used to remove the t-butylcatechol (TBC) from isoprene, but after the alumina is saturated with TBC, it is no longer useful and is disposed of as hazardous waste, which is expensive. If alumina could be reactivated it would save money by reducing the cost of hazardous waste disposal and reducing the cost of purchasing new alumina. It was hypothesized that if TBC-saturated alumina was exposed to high heat in the presence of air the TBC on the alumina would burn off, leaving alumina that can be used again.
Both AxSorb 920 and F200 alumina were saturated with TBC. Four samples of each were then reactivated by heating at 300, 400, 500, or 600 °C. These samples were then exposed to isoprene stabilized with TBC. The TBC-holding capacity of the eight different reactivated aluminas were then calculated using the gravimetric method.
It was found that reactivation of AxSorb 920 alumina reactivated at temperature of 400 °C had TBC-absorbing capacity 95% as good as new AxSorb 920 alumina. It was found that reactivation of F200 alumina reactivated at temperatures of 400 and 500 °C had TBC-absorbing capacity nearly the same as new F200 alumina.

Crystral Growing

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

The purpose of this project was to understand how different temperatures affect crystal formation. My hypothesis was that if the solution is kept at a colder temperature, then crystals will form faster than in warmer temperatures. I formed this hypothesis because previous research shows that lower temperatures reduce solubility and cause crystals to form more quickly. To test this, I boiled water and added borax to make a solution. Then, I poured equal amounts of the solution into three jars, placing one in an ice bath, one in the fridge, and leaving one on a countertop. I monitored them for five hours to see how fast the crystals grew and how well they formed. I ran three trials to be sure my results were correct. The results proved that my hypothesis was correct, as the crystals formed fastest in the coldest temperature, forming in under three hours in every trial. Learning that crystals grow better in colder climates was very interesting, and I would like to perform more experiments like this. Making crystals is fun and interesting, and I can use this in the real world by making crystals and selling them, or by making crystal-growing kits to sell. Teaching people about crystal growth is another way I could use this knowledge.

Glucose Concentration In Different Food Categories

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

The purpose of this project was to determine which food category produced the highest measured glucose concentration in order to better predict what kinds of foods might cause a sudden rise in one’s blood glucose. To do this, four food categories were tested: hard candies, starchy foods, fruits, and vegetables. Three foods from each category were blended with a fixed amount of water and left to sit for 24 hours. After 24 hours, glucose test strips were used to test the glucose concentration of each food solution. Three readings were taken for each food sample, and each result was recorded, averaged, and measured in mg/Dl. One limitation encountered was that the glucose test strips were designed to detect free glucose in biological fluids rather than total glucose in foods. Because the glucose in starchy foods remained chemically bound in starch molecules, the measured glucose values for this category were unreliable and likely inaccurate. In conclusion, the hard candies had the highest measured glucose concentration and the starchy foods had the lowest measured values, due to limitations of the testing method, proving that the hard candies would have the highest probability of causing a ‘spike’ in one’s blood glucose when considering free glucose availability. This project matters because many people, such as diabetics or individuals monitoring their diets, are concerned about how different foods affect blood sugar levels, and this investigation highlighted the importance of understanding how glucose affects the body rather than assuming all foods behave the same way.

Heat Sensitivity In Natural Food Coloring

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

My science fair project consisted of observing and testing different red food dyes when baked into cookies. I decided to do this experiment because I wanted to find a natural dye that I could use in my more abstract baking projects. This idea came to me when I was cutting into a pomegranate and its juice stained my cutting board. I wondered what would happen if I mixed pomegranate juice and other red food dyes into sugar cookie dough. I also decided to test raspberry and beetroot because they are red as well. The red color in pomegranates and raspberries contains anthocyanins, while the red color in beetroot contains betanin. Anthocyanins are sensitive to heat and pH changes and degrade at high temperatures, while betanin does not. I hypothesized that when exposed to heat, betanin-based colors would retain their red color, while anthocyanins would degrade. For my experiment, I extracted the juice from these fruits and added them to a standard sugar cookie dough. After making the cookie dough, I divided it into three separate bowls and added one teaspoon of beetroot, pomegranate, and raspberry juice to each bowl. After baking, I noticed that instead of the expected red color, the pomegranate and raspberry cookies turned bluish-green. Only the beetroot cookies remained red. This result supports my hypothesis because only beetroot contained the betanin-based red pigment. This research demonstrates the potential for using fruits as natural food coloring in baking and the food industry.

The Effect Of P H On Vitamin C In Orange Juice

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

This experiment explores the effect of different pH levels on vitamin C in orange juice over time. Vitamin C is sensitive to water, heat, light and air. These things cause it to break down and I wanted to see how different pH levels could affect this breakdown. I tested this by adjusting the acidity levels of 3 samples of orange juice. I made one more acidic, one less acidic and kept one the same. I put these samples under a bright light and left the lids open so the light and oxygen would break down the vitamin C. To test the vitamin C levels, I used ascorbic acid test strips at each time interval (0, 4, 8, 24, and 32 hours). The results showed that the more acidic sample preserved more vitamin C over 32 hours than the normal and less acidic samples. This is because when in a less acidic environment, vitamin C breaks down quicker because its chemical structure becomes less stable. This process is called oxidation and lower pH levels can help to slow it down.

Catalase Vs. Hydrogen Peroxide

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

Your body actively produces hydrogen peroxide using peroxisomes, but hydrogen peroxide will poison you. Your body produces catalase to break down hydrogen peroxide. It may seem that you can’t control the amount of catalase, but you can consume more. The goal was to determine the effect of enzyme concentration on the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. The hypothesis was that the higher the enzyme concentration, the more hydrogen peroxide would be decomposed because a higher concentration would increase catalase activity, decomposing more hydrogen peroxide. This was tested by blending water with potatoes and then mixing it with varying amounts of water. Then, soak paper towel squares in the mixture and then in hydrogen peroxide. The results from this experiment showed that the two teaspoons had the largest drop in mass, but this was an outlier, likely due to spilling, soaking the square longer, or more catalase or evaporation. A redo of those trials showed the one teaspoon change was larger. The pH decreased the most with three teaspoons of water because it produces more water relative to oxygen. It could, though, just be a difference from the pH meter. This supports the hypothesis that a higher enzyme concentration will lead to greater decomposition of hydrogen peroxide because each paper towel contains more catalase and other enzymes. Errors, though, like spilling or water accumulating on the scale, could have affected the results.

Do Different Drinks Affect The Shape Of Popping Boba Balls

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

My project of, how do different drinks affect the shape of popping boba balls started out with first finding 5 sources so I could get an idea of what would happen. Then I defined my variables and made my hypothesis. Next I had to plan the procedure and plan how I'm going to do my project. Then I did my project by using six different drinks, 3 normal sodas and 3 zero sugar sodas and using a sodium alginate solution measured out to two grams for each mixture, then letting it rest overnight so the bubbles could settle. Then after they were all settled I took every solution and sucked it up in a syringe and dropped in the balls into a calcium chloride solution from four inches above it and let it sit for a minute so that the spherification could fully work. I then took it out and looked at every ball to determine the shape, texture, and popping ability of each group. Next I wrote down the results of each group and numbered the texture, shape, and popping ability so I could put it into a graph. I then found what my independent variable did to the boba balls. Finally I wrote down my conclusion and used what my data showed me for my conclusion. I found that different drinks do affect the shape of boba balls because of the amount of calcium in the drinks.

Chemical Free Texture Powder

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

We made this project because we wanted teenagers not to ruin their hair by putting texture powder that have hidden chemicals in it, we made texture powder with the ingredients you can find in your kitchen and can be made in under 5 minutes.

Chemiluminescence‘S Essence

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

Chemiluminescence is the emission of light from a chemical reaction. This experiment and invention was to investigate whether traditional battery powered flashlights could be replaced with the light generated from a chemiluminescence reaction.

Lithium Ion Battery Performance And Cold Temperature

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY

This project tests the effect of cold temperatures on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, hypothesizing performance decreases at lower temperatures. Two examples of each of three battery types were tested: 1.5-volt AA, 3.7-volt 18650, and standard 9-volt. The 18650 batteries were chosen because they are used in my dad's Tesla. Following background research, batteries were measured with and without a load to observe changes. Light bulbs created a load, and a multimeter measured the voltage. The 9-volt batteries overheated and shut off under load, so their testing was discontinued. The process began by measuring room temperature, then the voltage of all batteries was measured without a load. Next, lights were connected, and measurements were taken with the load, then again after five minutes. After another five minutes, the voltage was measured again, the load was removed, and a final measurement was taken. The batteries were recharged and placed in the refrigerator overnight. The tests were repeated in the morning, followed by a freezer test, and the process repeated. The results supported the hypothesis. When the 18650 batteries were in the freezer, the load required more energy than at room temperature. The voltage decrease was greater when the batteries were cold. AA batteries showed less change due to their lower voltage. Future experiments could include longer cold temperature exposure and testing in heat.

Fuel For Thought

CIVIL & ENERGY ENGINEERING

My project is about what woods create the least amount of ash when burned. I did this because I wanted to burn things, but also because emptying an ash tray is boring and if I know what wood burns the best I don't have to do it as often.

Go With The Flow

CIVIL & ENERGY ENGINEERING

I wanted to know if the angle the wind hits a wall or structure makes any difference. I tested the wind (using a blow dryer) on a box and a couple of small walls I built. I did it straight on and then at a 45 degree angle. I also tested the angle on glitter and a door steamer so I could see what happened with different wind angles.

Nature’s Charger: A Wind Powered Device Charger.

CIVIL & ENERGY ENGINEERING

The goal of the Nature’s Charger: A Wind-Powered Device Charger project was to find out if a small handheld wind turbine could make enough electricity to charge a small electronic device. In emergencies or places without power, charging phones and other devices can be difficult. Since solar energy needs sunlight, this project tested wind as another renewable energy option.

The project needed to produce electricity at low, medium, and high wind speeds and use that energy to charge a small device. A major limitation was keeping the total cost of materials under $30.

To solve this problem, a small wind-powered generator was built using a 12-volt DC motor, turbine blades, wires, and a USB charging module. A fan was used to create different wind speeds. A multimeter measured voltage output, and tests were done to see if the turbine could light an LED and charge a power bank. Both flat and curved blades were tested three times.

The results showed that curved blades produced more voltage, and higher wind speeds created more electrical output. This project shows that wind energy can be a low-cost and practical way to charge devices when electricity or solar power is not available.

Solar Energy: Powering A Sustainable Future

CIVIL & ENERGY ENGINEERING

As of the first half of 2025, roughly 8.8% of electricity produced worldwide is generated by solar panels. Solar energy has seen significant growth in the past years but many solar panels remain stationary so they will not absorb sunlight efficiently. One way to optimize the efficiency of solar panels is to automate them to track and follow the sun's path. The objective of this project was to explore which hourly angular increment of the solar panel's position allows solar panels to produce the highest power. It is predicted if the position of the solar panel is incremented by 16 degrees every hour starting at 30 degrees from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., then it will generate the highest average power compared to the other angular increments. Three solar panel systems and a control group were built using 3D printed bases and arm, micro:bits, bread boards, and solar panels. The micro:bits automated the rotation of the solar panels while recording the average power production from the control group and the solar panel systems that rotated 12, 16, and 20 degrees every hour.
The data showed that the hypothesis was supported; the groups of trials incremented by 16 degrees had an average production of 0.44508 watts; double of the average power production of the group incremented by 20 degrees which was 0.21005 watts. The group of trials incremented by 12 degrees produced an average of 0.11246 watts. The group of trials with no increment had an average production of 0.11176 watts.

Does The Size Of The Blade Affect The Energy Produced By A Homemade Wind Turbine?

CIVIL & ENERGY ENGINEERING

My experiment explores if the size of a wind turbine blade affects the amount of electrical energy produced. My hypotheses were that the bigger blade would catch the most wind and generate the most electrical energy at the high wind speed, and at low wind speed it would generate less energy because its weight would decrease its spinning velocity.
I bought and built a wind turbine with five different blades. Three measured if size made a difference and two measured if different shapes with the same area (25cm3) made a difference, in the amount of electrical energy produced. A box fan was my source of kinetic wind energy. My measured data showed that I was wrong in saying that the biggest blade would generate the most energy. My observational data showed that the biggest blade did generate the most energy, but not all of it (6.4 volts) was electrical energy.
I discovered that the conversion of kinetic wind energy to electrical energy is more complex than I thought. There were more variables that I didn't account for in my hypotheses, like different forms of kinetic energy, movement of the turbine, noise, and thermal energy that I didn't measure. The experimental observation showed the lowest wind speed and the smallest blade were the most effective in converting kinetic wind energy to electrical energy in volts. My conclusion is that there are many different variables and forms of kinetic energy that impact the efficiency of converting wind energy to electrical energy.

From Space Landers To Earthquake Proof Bridges: Tensegrity As Nature's Shock Absorber

CIVIL & ENERGY ENGINEERING

The purpose of this project was to design and build a tensegrity base-isolated bridge that acts as a shock absorber and demonstrates the principles from multiple fields including civil and mechanical engineering, robotics, and biology, while addressing real-world challenges in sustainable infrastructure and architecture. This project was inspired by the wide range of applications of tensegrity structures and their potential to improve structural resilience.

This project used different tensile structures to demonstrate how different configurations affect performance. One important component of this project was building multiple tensegrity base structures. The variety of designs allowed for comparison of structural weaknesses and iterative rebuilding using different schematics.

The results showed that the tensegrity base with the greatest number of angles and a stronger central cable, aligned with the center of gravity, performed the best in both shock absorption and weight load distribution tests. The initial preliminary design did not perform well because it was too weak in both the tension and compression elements. However, through iterative testing and redesign, the structures became stronger and more successful.

Tensegrity structures have applications in infrastructure, crash-protective equipment, resilient robotics, and medical devices, demonstrating their potential for improving structural efficiency and durability.

Evaporative Cooling: A Sustainable Solution For Ai Data Centers

CIVIL & ENERGY ENGINEERING

Artificial inteligence (AI) datacenters consume enormous amounts of energy, generating enormous amounts of heat as a by-product, of which cooling systems account for 40-50% of total power usage. This project investigates whether evaporative cooling oversus traditional air conditioning (AC) can serve as a more sustainable and efficient alternative to traditional AC cooling for AI datacenters. I built a model simulating AI infrastructure where I tested three different methods of cooling: 1) evaporative cooling using fans + a wet wick, 2) traditional air conditioning simulated by an ice pack + fans, and 3) a fan-only control. Temperature and humidity changes at the exhaust were recorded under dry room conditions.
The average results of my data showed that evaporative cooling achieved superior temperature reductions compared to traditional methods. The control setup showed ineffective cooling with a decrease in humidity due to heating without the addition of moisture. When factoring in that these evaporative systems require much less energy to run and recycle most of the water used through collection and reuse, including the use of undrinkable (non-potable) water, they minimize the costs associated with cooling, while also minimizing demands on fresh water supplies.
In conclusion, evaporative cooling offers a more sustainable and energy-efficent alternative for AI datacenters, especially in low-to-mid humidity climates. This makes evaporative cooling a very attractive alternative to traditional AC cooling with regards to energy intensive AI datacenters.

The Great Thaw Evaluating Thermal Conductivity And Albedo In Residential Roofing Materials

CIVIL & ENERGY ENGINEERING

This experiment investigates how different residential roofing materials—copper, asphalt
shingle, and wood—affect the rate of ice melt when exposed to simulated solar radiation. The
research question focuses on whether the thermal properties of these materials influence how
quickly heat is transferred to an ice layer placed on their surfaces. The hypothesis predicts that
copper will produce the fastest melt rate because of its extremely high thermal conductivity
(approximately 401 W/(m·K)), compared to asphalt (0.7–1.2 W/(m·K)) and wood (0.12–0.15
W/(m·K)). Although copper may reflect more light than asphalt, its superior ability to conduct
heat is expected to result in greater energy transfer to the ice.
The independent variable is the type of roofing material, while the dependent variable is the
mass of water melted over a fixed time period. Controlled variables include the roof angle (30
degrees), lamp distance and wattage, initial ice mass and shape, and ambient room
temperature to ensure a fair test.
Each material is mounted on a sloped frame and exposed to an infrared heat lamp placed 24
inches above the surface. A pre-weighed ice block is placed on the material, and meltwater is
collected for 15 minutes. The melted mass is measured, and at least three trials per material are
conducted for reliability.
Data will be analyzed by comparing average melt rates with each material’s thermal conductivity
to determine how heat transfer properties influence ice melt performance

Wire Warp

CIVIL & ENERGY ENGINEERING

The objective of Wire Warp is: What is the effect of the number of thermocouples linked in a thermopile on the ohmage produced? This project was inspired by a previous experiment that had done research into thermocouples. This experiment has many possible real world applications. Thermopiles could be used to power bigger things than thermocouples but only if the output can outweigh the resistance produced. The goal was to find if thermopiles, which are supposed to produce more energy than thermocouples, actually do this. The four testing groups were three thermocouples in sequence, eight thermocouples, ten thermocouples, and no wires, as a control. It was hypothesized that the eight thermocouple thermopile would have the fewest ohms because it would have more magnification because of the thermocouples than the three
thermocouple thermopile did, but it would have less resistance because of wire length than the ten thermocouple thermopile would have. To test the hypothesis one pan of sand 2.5 cm thick was heated to 37.8° C by an induction hot plate and water was kept in a pot at 17° C. A stand held the thermocouples in place for one minute as the ohmage was tested, ten trials per group. The hypothesis was not supported; the three thermocouple thermopile had the least ohms with the ten thermocouple thermopile having the most ohms. The control group had no reading. This project could be improved by having one thermocouple as the control group. Further research could include testing different types of thermocouples.

Passive Solar Homes: A House That Knows How To Chill (And Heat)

CIVIL & ENERGY ENGINEERING

This project is about passive solar homes. A passive solar house is meant to use the earths tilt to stay cool in summer and warm in winter. In winter, the sun is lower in the sky and in summer the sun is higher due to the earths tilted axis. The house has an overhang to block the sun when it is high in summer. In winter, the sun is low enough to enter the large window under the overhang. We simulated the sun by using a lamp and we built a model of the passive solar house by recycling a solar oven with a window from another project and added a overhang to it. we measured the light and temperature in the model every minute for ten minutes for each sun position. The passive solar house was able to stay warmer in winter and cooler in summer.

Hybrid Car Of The Future: Solar & Battery

CIVIL & ENERGY ENGINEERING

This project involved the design, assembly, and testing of a 1:10 scale remote-controlled DIY(RC) car powered by a hybrid energy system that combines solar and battery power. It features a DC motor controlled by an Electronic Speed Controller (ESC), with an RC receiver and a high-capacity 12v 5.2Ah Li-ion battery. The key integration of a 12V 10 watt solar panel and charge controller, enabling a renewable energy source, to extend operational time and reduce battery reliance. The system operates through two interconnected loops: the solar charging loop and the RC drive loop. The solar panel can supply up to approximately 0.83A, capable of recharging the battery in about six hours under optimal sunlight. During use, the car consumes roughly 5Ah per hour, making solar input vital for longer runs. The ESC monitors the battery voltage, cutting off power below 11.1V to protect the battery. The charge controller manages energy flow from the solar panel to the battery and provides real-time data, including battery voltage, solar voltage, temperature, and current, accessible via an app. Additional testing was conducted to examine how the time of day affected the solar panel’s voltage and amperage. The results showed that integrating solar charging extended operational time and reduced reliance on battery-only power. This project demonstrated the potential of sustainable small-scale vehicles by combining renewable energy with intelligent system management. Future phases will include adding steering and tests under various weather conditions, exploring the full potential of solar energy in hybrid-car systems.

Flow Rates Effect On Hydropower

CIVIL & ENERGY ENGINEERING

This experiment investigates how water flow impacts the amount of electricity produced by a water turbine. The guiding question is: “How does the flow rate affect the energy generated by a water turbine?” The purpose was to explore environmentally friendly electricity generation and evaluate whether hydropower is an effective solution. The hypothesis states: “If flow rate of a body of water increases, so does the efficiency of a hydraulic turbine, and an experiment is done in which the different flow rates are tested through a hydraulic turbine, the highest flow rate will produce the most amount of volts.” To conduct this experiment, the following materials are required: a 5-gallon bucket, a 3D-printed propeller, a generator, water, a garden hose, a stopwatch, four 25-foot rolls of copper wire, a multimeter, a wooden pole, tape, eighteen one-inch circular magnets, two wooden rectangles with drilled holes, a hot glue gun with glue sticks, a wooden board, a styrofoam cylinder, a drill, a hangar, pliers, and a drywall saw. Construct the generator and propeller. Measure the flow rate by pouring water into the bucket and adjusting the hose faucet. Direct water onto the turbine at each flow rate and record the volts generated. The results showed that the highest flow rate produced the most electricity, supporting the hypothesis.

Recognizing Hand Gestures With Media Pipe

COMPUTER SCIENCE & APPLIED COMPUTATIONAL METHODS

Many accessibility tools that rely on gesture recognition are not designed for consistent everyday use and often struggle under changing conditions. Our project explores whether a gesture recognition program can reliably detect common hand gestures using computer vision.

Using MediaPipe, Google Colab, OpenCV, and Python, we developed a gesture recognition prototype to detect three hand gestures: the OK sign, peace sign, and thumbs-up. The program identifies hand landmarks and measures distances between specific points to classify gestures. Rather than focusing on live video, this project tests still images to allow controlled experimentation and repeatable trials.

The independent variable in this study is background type (plain versus cluttered), and the dependent variable is gesture detection accuracy. For each gesture, ten trials were conducted under each background condition. The design goal was to achieve at least 8/10 correct detections in plain backgrounds and at least 7/10 in cluttered backgrounds.

Results show that the system consistently met or exceeded the accuracy goal. Under plain background conditions, detection rates were typically 10 out of 10. Under cluttered backgrounds, accuracy ranged from 8 to 9 out of 10, with missed detections often linked to background edges or altered finger distances.

These results support the practicality of reliable gesture recognition under controlled conditions. Future uses can include touch-free interaction in environments where hygiene or accessibility is critical, such as hospitals, public kiosks, or grocery stores, as well as systems that allow people to signal for help or control devices without physical contact.

Unlocking The Dots

COMPUTER SCIENCE & APPLIED COMPUTATIONAL METHODS

Braille literacy is essential for individuals who are blind or visually impaired, yet learning and interpreting Braille can be challenging for beginners. This engineering project uses Artificial Intelligence and computational thinking to accurately recognize Braille letter patterns to improve accessibility and support accessible learning tools. This project focuses on Grade 1 English Braille, where each letter is represented by a unique combination of six dots arranged in a 2×3 grid.

A supervised machine learning approach was used to train an image classification model using Teachable Machine. A dataset of 520 Braille images was collected and organized into 26 classes representing letters A–Z. The model was trained through three experimental trials, increasing the number of training images per letter from 20 to 35 and then to 50 images. Performance was evaluated using new images not included in the training data to ensure the model learned general patterns rather than memorizing examples.

Results showed that model accuracy improved significantly as training data increased, reaching approximately 91% accuracy in the final trial. Analysis revealed that letters with visually similar dot patterns were more difficult for the model to distinguish, highlighting the importance of data diversity and image quality in machine learning performance.

The findings demonstrate that AI can effectively recognize Braille letters and has potential applications in educational and assistive technologies. Future improvements include expanding recognition to Braille words and increasing dataset diversity to improve performance under real-world conditions, ultimately supporting more accessible and independent learning experiences.

A Better Algorithm For Multiplication Practice

COMPUTER SCIENCE & APPLIED COMPUTATIONAL METHODS

While thinking of computer science projects I would be interested in doing, I thought about some of the complaints that students had been making earlier about math practice softwares they used in class. So, I decided to make one that was better than the current ones. I started coding it, fixing errors and improving until I had an algorithm I felt would be able to compete against the current softwares. I tested it against the main one, IXL. I tested by creating 4 sets of instructions that would mimic what a real student would answer while learning multiplication. Each was based off a different type of student. I tested each set of instructions with my software and IXL and replicated the tests 3 times each. The results of testing show my project produced a better well-adapted question to time ratio on all, however it also took longer overall to complete. The better good question:time ratio is definitely good. Taking more time can be good, as it can mean it is being more thourogh, but it could be bad, as it could also mean it is wasting too much time. Many tests showed it being more thourogh, but some definitely did show some rushing.

Smarter Searches, Greener Planet: Efficient Algorithms Save Time And Energy

COMPUTER SCIENCE & APPLIED COMPUTATIONAL METHODS

“What if a few smarter lines of code could save hours of time — and help save the planet?”

This project shows how choosing the right computer algorithm can make searches faster — and help the planet. I compared a basic “scan-every-item” method (linear search) with four common “sort-then-search” strategies. These strategies first organize data using Bubble, Insertion, Merge, or Quick sort, then find items using binary search, a fast “split-in-half” approach.

Using lists of 10,000 items and many repeated searches, the sort‑then‑search methods ran much faster — especially Merge and Quick sort — while even the simplest sort beat the slow one‑by‑one scan. It’s like organizing a messy toolbox before looking for a wrench: once things are in order, finding what you need takes seconds instead of minutes.

Why does speed matter for sustainability? In large‑scale systems such as data centers, search algorithms run millions of times per second. Faster algorithms mean less processing time and lower electricity use. That translates to reduced greenhouse gas emissions from the energy needed to power and cool servers.

My hands‑on experiment models efficiency gains that industry can achieve by making smarter coding choices. The results suggest that algorithm selection is not just a technical detail — it’s a sustainability decision.

Next steps include directly measuring power consumption, testing larger datasets or different types of information (like text), and finding the best method for each situation. This work is practical proof that better algorithms make technology both faster and more eco‑friendly — a win for innovation and the environment.

Low Cost Monitoring Of Noxious Gases Near Landfills Using Ai: Health Implications For People Living And Working Nearby

COMPUTER SCIENCE & APPLIED COMPUTATIONAL METHODS

Landfill workers and people living or working near landfills, dumpsites, incinerators, and waste transfer stations often have no real-time warning about harmful gases and smoke. Landfill decomposition releases greenhouse gases like methane and other harmful gases, and open burning adds fine particles. This problem is common in developing countries, where monitors are costly, not portable, and internet access can be unreliable. I built, calibrated, and tested a low-cost (under $100) portable monitor based on a Raspberry Pi 5 with a multi-gas sensor, a particulate matter sensor, and an environmental sensor, plus GPS for location.

The device measures nine inputs that include estimated gas levels (PPM), PM2.5 (µg/m³), temperature, and humidity. It uses edge computing, meaning data processing and prediction run on the device rather than in the cloud. First, the system records a clean-air baseline (R0) and converts raw gas-sensor resistance (Rs) into estimated concentrations using a calibrated power-law equation. Next, an on-device Python-based Random Forest classifier combines all inputs into one risk label: Green (<20% deviation from baseline), Yellow (20% to 50%), Orange (50% to 80%), or Red (>80%). The device logs each reading with time and GPS, and a dashboard displays the risk label and sensor values. The logged data can support mapping of higher-risk zones and can inform safe buffer-zone decisions to protect public health and local ecosystems.

Predicting Thyroid Cancer Recurrence With Machine Learning

COMPUTER SCIENCE & APPLIED COMPUTATIONAL METHODS

Thyroid cancer recurrence can significantly impact patient outcomes, making early prediction important for treatment planning and long-term monitoring. In this study, I developed a machine learning model to predict the probability of thyroid cancer recurrence using clinical, demographic, and pathological features. I initially did this in Google Collab then switched to PyCharm. I then created a GitHub Repository so I can access the code faster. A dataset of patient records was preprocessed, balanced using SMOTE to fix class imbalance, and used to train an XGBoost classifier. The model outputs are both a recurrence probability and a predicted class (Yes/No). This project demonstrates how machine learning can support early risk identification and provide tools for doctors to make more informed decisions. Future work includes gathering more real-world data and refining the model for clinical reliability.

Neural Network Driven Drug Repurposing: Predicting New Uses For Existing Drugs

COMPUTER SCIENCE & APPLIED COMPUTATIONAL METHODS

Developing new drugs costs $2.6 billion and takes 10-15 years, making treatment development for rare diseases economically unfeasible. This leaves 95% of rare diseases without FDA-approved therapies, affecting 30 million Americans. Drug repurposing, identifying new therapeutic uses for existing medications, offers a revolutionary solution by leveraging drugs with established safety profiles.
I developed an AI platform that analyzes 196,889 validated drug-disease associations to predict novel treatment opportunities. My neural network achieved 84.7% accuracy (AUC-ROC), comparable to FDA-approved diagnostic tests. The system employs comprehensive safety filters, contraindication detection, and cross-domain novelty scoring to identify truly unexplored therapeutic combinations while preventing dangerous drug interactions.
The platform generated 25 high-confidence predictions (average 81.6% confidence) for 12 rare diseases currently lacking treatments. Notable discoveries include anti-inflammatory Curcumin for Prader-Willi Syndrome (91.7% confidence), anticonvulsant Valproic acid for ALS (85.0%), and beta-blocker Propranolol for Huntington's Disease (85.4%). These cross-domain predictions—cardiovascular drugs for neurological diseases, diabetes medications for genetic disorders—represent genuinely novel opportunities missed by traditional research approaches.
My web-based platform (https://drug-repurposer.vercel.app) provides researchers real-time access to AI predictions, enabling immediate clinical investigation. By reducing drug discovery timelines from years to months and costs from billions to millions, this technology democratizes rare disease research. The system's 68% high-value research lead rate demonstrates AI's transformative potential in accelerating therapeutic discovery for underserved patient populations.

The Future Of Preventing Food Waste: "Save My Food"

COMPUTER SCIENCE & APPLIED COMPUTATIONAL METHODS

The Future of Preventing Food Waste: “Save My Food” was a software engineering project aimed at helping limit food waste. The purpose of this project was to create a fully functioning smartphone application to track food in the refrigerator by logging expiration dates and giving recipe suggestions to use the food. This project demonstrated a simulation of an app that could help reduce unnecessary food waste, reduce landfill waste, and keep the world more environmentally sustainable. This app was coded using a programming language called Swift and was developed with support from Google Antigravity and Cursor. These AI assistants were used as learning tools to understand the Swift language in order to build the app. The app was initially built on Swift Playgrounds to test functionality, and the code was then transferred to Xcode for final testing and completion. After the app was built, it was tested by logging expiration dates into the app and comparing food waste outcomes. The app was tested by others to collect user feedback and data. The data showed that more than half of the food was saved when using the app. For example, without using the app, a total of 10 food items were thrown away, but while using the app, only 4 food items were discarded. One limitation was that expiration dates had to be entered manually, which reduced user convenience. Overall, this project demonstrated that a smartphone application can help reduce household food waste.

Smart Weather Station

COMPUTER SCIENCE & APPLIED COMPUTATIONAL METHODS

The purpose of this project was to develop an affordable, cloud-connected air quality monitoring system for individuals and communities that cannot afford high-end commercial sensors. The system uses an ESP32-based device placed in a selected environment to continuously measure air quality parameters and securely transmit the data to AWS IoT Core for storage, analysis, and remote access. In addition to cloud connectivity, an AI model was integrated to analyze collected data in real time, identify patterns, and provide meaningful feedback on air quality, helping users understand pollution levels rather than just viewing raw sensor values. Real-time monitoring is available through cloud-based dashboards, allowing users to access data from anywhere. The results showed variations in pollution levels influenced by environmental and external factors, demonstrating the system’s ability to capture realistic changes in air quality. Integration with AWS IoT Core enables reliable data transmission, scalable access, and data sharing with multiple users. Overall, the project demonstrates that a low-cost ESP32-based air quality monitoring system, enhanced with AI-driven analysis and cloud infrastructure, can deliver reliable measurements, intelligent feedback, and accessible environmental insights, providing a practical alternative to expensive air quality monitoring solutions.

Ai Vs The Human Eye

COMPUTER SCIENCE & APPLIED COMPUTATIONAL METHODS

The purpose of my project was to see how fast AI was progressing in the past six years. I wanted to test how many people could spot the AI image from 2029, 2021, 2023, and 2025, as well as showing them a few tips and tricks on how to spot and identify AI. My hypothesis was, if AI has progressed this much in just the past few years, then it must be progressing very quickly, and based on my data, my hypothesis was correct. Based on the data I collected, I could clearly see that 2025 was the hardest year for people to spot the AI, while 2023 was the easiest, leading me to believe it was because of the animal I used for the AI image, which I am currently looking more into. Overall, my hypothesis for my experiment was right, and I am very exited to share more details and information about my project at Science Fair!

Clear Winner Finding The Best Water Filter

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

Clean water is important for people, animals, and the environment. Many places around the world do not have access to safe drinking water, so water filters are used to remove dirt and other pollutants. The purpose of this project is to find out which single filter material removes the most visible dirt from water.

In this experiment, I will be using several common filter materials, such as sand, gravel, cotton, cloth, activated charcoal and rocks to be tested one at a time. Each material will be placed in the same type of container, and the same amount of dirty water will be poured through each filter material. The filtered water will be collected and compared for clarity. The amount of visible dirt removed will be measured by observing how clear the water looks and recording the results.

By comparing the effectiveness of each material, this project will determine which single filter material works best at removing visible dirt. The results can help show how simple filtration methods can improve water quality and may help people design better water filters in real-life situations.

This project relates to Environmental Sciences & Engineering because it focuses on improving water quality through testing and comparing filtration materials.

Protecting Native Fish From Invasive Species With Automated Sorting

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

Invasive goldfish can harm native fish by competing for food, taking up space, and damaging water quality. Removing invasive goldfish is difficult because many methods can also harm native fish. The purpose of this project was to test whether an automated, color-based sorting system could remove invasive goldfish while keeping native fish safe.

An automated sorting device was designed using 3D-printed parts, a color sensor, a servo motor, and an Arduino. The system was programmed to detect the orange color of goldfish. When a goldfish swam past the sensor, a gate opened and diverted it into a separate channel. Fish that were not orange were allowed to swim straight through. The system was tested using 15 goldfish and 6 native stand-in fish. Each fish went through the device three times, and the results were recorded.

The results supported the hypothesis. The system correctly sorted 14 out of 15 goldfish, giving an accuracy of 93.3%. All of the native stand-in fish were allowed to pass through, resulting in 100% accuracy. One goldfish was not sorted correctly, likely because it had darker patches that confused the sensor.

This project shows that an automated color-based sorting system can successfully remove invasive goldfish while protecting native fish. With improvements, this system could be used to help protect native fish populations in lakes and rivers.

Making It Clear

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

The purpose of our project is to create a water filter using cost-efficient materials. Our independent variables are tissue, polyester, and coffee filter, and our dependent variable is the cleanliness of water. Our goal for this experiment was to identify an independent variable that worked best at filtering dirty water. Three tests were performed to reduce any sort of error and ensure reliability of our data. Furthermore, our data showed that polyester filtered the murky water well, while tissue was able to absorb small spills and clean the water thoroughly. However, the tissue was more time consuming which made the process a little bit more difficult. On the other hand, the coffee filter had the best results. It absorbed the majority of the dirt and contaminants because it had micro holes that let only water seep through, blocking the visible sediments and foreign substances from passing through the first step. Overall, our results proved that coffee filters were the best at filtering the dirty water, and it saved us a lot of time.

Building A Smart Trash Sorter: Is Ai The Solution To Pollution

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

I built a smart trash sorter to better understand how I can increase recycling efforts at local mountain biking events, and I also wanted to better understand the challenges and benefits of using AI in the recycling industry on a large scale.

Smokey Pokey

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

Air quality is a huge health concern, and air filter companies all claim their products are the “best” without showing much proof. This project aims to find out which common filter—Home Air Filters, Activated Charcoal, or HEPA—actually removes smoke particles the best. Using a custom-built testing apparatus made of two plastic boxes and a PVC pipe, we burned wood chips and glycerin to create smoke and forced it through each filter. Based on our research that smoke particles are about 0.5 microns and HEPA filters can catch things as small as 0.3 microns, we hypothesized that the HEPA filter would be the winner. Our testing measured the "opacity" of the smoke that got through, which is a measure of how thick or see-through the air remained. The results proved our hypothesis correct: the HEPA filter was the most effective with only 3 1/3% average opacity, while activated charcoal had 21 2/3%, and the home filter performed the worst at 68 1/3%. This data shows that while some materials like charcoal can help, HEPA technology is the only one that can almost totally stop smoke. This research is important because it shows that a filter’s micron rating really matters when you are trying to keep your air clean and safe.

Projet Permafrost

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

Due to global warming, the permafrost in the arctic is melting at an accelerating rate. Colossus, a biotech engineering company, has announced plans to bring back the wooly mammoth to reduce the amounts of vegetation in the arctic, in order to supposedly lower the melting rates of permafrost. Colossus claims that vegetation traps heat next to the soil, thus melting the permafrost. We disagree with the Colossus proposal because we think that the vegetation will shade the permafrost from the sun, and keep the soil surface at a steady temperature. To test this, we set out digital thermometers in modeled permafrost under multiple vegetation covers and recorded temperature three times each day for 7 days. We found that the effect of vegetation on soil temperature was highly weather dependent. On cloudy days, the vegetation insulated the ground, trapping the heat even when the temperature was cooler than in the soil. On sunny days, the vegetation shaded the permafrost, and it didn’t heat up as much in the day. This means that detailed understandings of daily arctic weather conditions are crucial in the decision to bring wooly mammoths back into the arctic; if the weather is predominantly sunny in the summer, vegetation could play an important role in shading the permafrost, or with the absence of sun, vegetation could insulate the soil and accelerate the melting of the permafrost.

The Water Filtration System

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

My project explains how the water filtration system works to show how we can purify water easily with many ways to do it but this project uses a tower with very simple ingredients including pebbles, sand, activated charcoal, filter paper and showing the results on each one of them and explaining each function and showing the effects of what each one does by telling the water’s taste, looks and more

Does Salinity Affect Evaporation?

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

For our project, we replicated two-cup measurements of water from the Great Salt Lake (South arm), Utah Lake, and the ocean three times for a total of 3 cups of each body of water. We then put the 9 samples under a heat lamp and recorded the data every day precisely at 3:10 pm for 5 days.

Filtering Out Pm 2.5

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

The purpose of my experiment was to find out what filters removed the most particulate matter 2.5 from the air. To prepare for my experiment I took wooden dowls and cut and glued them into a rectangle with Velcro around it and Velcro on the same spots of the fabric so that I could easily attach and reattach the fabrics. To test each fabric I would let the reader adapt its data for two minutes then I would cover it with the given fabric for two minutes then subtract how much PM 2.5 was removed from the air, then I would test the rest of the fabrics for that trail, and finally complete three trails to find the mean of each fabric that I tested. The amount of PM 2.5 stayed roughly the same though out each experiment. My data shows that the tool had the smallest effect on the PM 2.5 and sometimes there was more PM 2.5 than the test began with, same as the fabric. On the other hand, the felt always filtered out some of the PM 2.5 in the air. My data shows that useing felt is the most effective way of filtering out PM 2.5 always removing it from the air. Removing about 0.4333... of PM 2.5 well, the fabric only removes about 0.2333... and the tool only removes 0.0666... PM 2.5 out of the air.

Eating Your Water Bottle

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

Plastic affects the environment in many dangerous ways, and one of the biggest is single-use plastic water bottles. For example, the average adult uses 315 plastic water bottles each year. Every year, ten million tons of plastic end up in the ocean, and one hundred percent of mussels contain plastics. In fact, the average person will consume forty pounds of plastic in their lifetime. How can we solve this problem? To answer this question, my science fair project explores the question, “If you make three edible alternatives to plastic, which one would survive the longest with hot or cold water in it?”

Utah Water Health

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

We originally came up with this idea from one of our parents’ qualifications on the subject being a Utah Master Naturalist that allowed us to experiment in the field, and the gravity of how important water quality just is in Utah. We tested the hypothesis that the quality of a certain water source is dependent on the surrounding inhabited area, and the different effects taken by it. We ran multiple tests on areas of water that varied in their environment around them including PH, hardness, phosphate, and dissolved oxygen from samples. Our hypothesis was supported by the high phosphate and hardness levels of our sites closer to human civilization/structures (including a water treatment plant).

What Common Household Practices Give Off The Pompey Pm 2.5 Air Pollution

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

For my project I tested what common household practices gave off the most PM 2.5. I did this by getting an air pollution monitor, then I would set it up near whatever I was testing at the moment, then I would let it go for 16 minutes, and then would turn it off or blow out the candles. My hypothesis was that the smoker grill would give off the most PM 2.5 air pollution. After finishing my project I realised that my hypothesis was proven incorrect. I figured that the cigarette gave off the most PM 2.5 air pollution. I took the average and the max from each practice I tested and the cigarette was the highest. I decided to do this because we always have bad air and cant go outside so i was wondering what makes it so bad.

Do Reef Safe Sunscreens Affect Coral Protecting Algae Less Than Chemical Sunscreens?

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

I did this project to see if reef safe sunscreens are better for coral reefs than chemical sunscreens. My hypothesis is that the reef safe sunscreens will be better for zooxanthellae than chemical sunscreen. This is because oxybenzone, octinoxate, avobenzone, and homosalate in chemical sunscreens are harmful to the algae and cause infections. They get inside of the zooxanthellae and they burst. The bursted algae spreads the infection through the ocean killing more and more algae. This is why I think reef safe sunscreens are better for algae.

I exposed zooxanthellae to different concentrations of sunscreens. The sunscreens I used were Aveeno, CeraVe, Banana Boat, Hawaiian Tropic, and Sun Bum. I created a seawater replica and used it to make three different dilutions of each sunscreen. I added the zooxanthellae to the sunscreen dilutions as well as to a control plate which contained the sea water replica only. I placed the plates under an LED light lamp for four days and then studied them under the microscope to see which had the most alive and dead.

The results showed that the control had the lowest percent dead. The Aveeno and CeraVe which are reef safe had the next lowest percent dead. The three chemical ones had a significantly higher percent dead. Since the zooxanthellae and the coral have a symbiotic relationship, when the zooxanthellae dies the coral dies. Therefore, these results supported my hypothesis that reef safe sunscreens are better for the coral than the chemical sunscreen.

A Salty Solution

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

My question was, how does the salinity of water affect the hatch rate of brine shrimp. I wanted to find out the answer to this question because I learned how vital brine shrimp are to ecosystems. Approximately 10 million birds migrate to the Great Salt Lake every year, and feast off of brine shrimp. My hypothesis was if brine shrimp survive the best in the wild in the 12-15% salinity waters of the South Arm of the Great Salt Lake, and I test bring shrimp hatch rate in 5 different water samples (0%, 3.5%, 10%, Great Salt Lake State Park, and Spiral Jetty), then I think the water sample from the Great Salt Lake (GSL) State Park will have the highest hatch rate. I carried my experiment out by taking samples from GSL State Park and Spiral Jetty and creating lab samples of 0%, 3.5%, and 10% water, and I divided each sample into 5 separate cups each and put 8oz of water in each. Then I poured eggs into each and roughly estimated the amount of eggs in each. Then I waited until the brine shrimp hatched and counted how many eggs had hatched. In the end, only brine shrimp hatched in the 3.5% and 10% salinity. The 3.5% sample had a 23% hatch rate while the 10% had a 0.3% hatch rate. From this information, I can conclude that for a lab setting experiment, brine shrimp hatch the best in 3.5% salinity water.

From Alginate To Awesome

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

My project examined which water-based liquids could produce a durable biofabric. The purpose of this project was to determine how different water-based liquids affected the durability of biofabric. The liquids used to make the biofabrics were black tea, Sprite, orange juice, Powerade, and water. I was able to make them into biofabrics using sodium alginate and calcium chloride. Durability was tested by measuring the force required to break each biofabric.
I observed that the more sugary drinks were less durable than the ones with less sugar, and orange juice did not make a successful biofabric. The two most successful biofabrics were made with solutions that contained zero sugar. The biofabric made with black tea broke at an average force of 54.97 N. The biofabric made with water broke at an average force of 68.63 N. The next most successful biofabric was made with Powerade, breaking at an average force of 53.52 N. Sprite broke at an average force of 33.93 N.
I hypothesized that the durability would vary because the liquid affects the fabric’s structural strength. The hypothesis was supported by the data collected. Biofabrics are biodegradable and can be used to create fashion accessories and other textile applications. The use of biofabrics in the real world could decrease textile waste from synthetic materials in landfills, contributing to environmental sustainability.

What Is In Our Water?

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

For our science fair project, we researched different materials and chemicals that can be found in drinking water and how they can affect people’s health. We focused on substances like lead, copper, chlorine, and carbonate. During our research, we learned that there is no safe amount of lead in drinking water because even very small amounts can be harmful. We also learned that drinking water should have no more than 1.3 parts per million (ppm) of copper and up to 4 ppm of chlorine to be considered safe. Carbonate does not have an official unsafe level, but it is still important because it affects how water behaves and reacts with other substances.

Testing A More Environmentally Friendly Fire Retardant

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

My project is about helping the environment by making a more environmentally friendly fire retardant. Inspiration for this project came from Jane Goodall's recent passing and learning about her Roots and Shoots program which challenges young people to take action about environmental issues. Ammonium phosphate, the main chemical ingredient contained in fire retardants that are commonly used today, can be harmful if it gets into the water supply or is injected by animals. I wanted to find a substance that is safe for animals and plants but can still prevent fire just as effectively or better than ammonium phosphate-based fire retardants. I did this by first researching natural substances that have a high phosphate content, the active chemical in fire retardant. I found that DNA and phytic acid were two good contenders against ammonium phosphate. To test the chemicals I used dry grass and pine needles witch can be found in a forest.

Designing And Building A Fully Electric Radio Controlled Miniature Plane

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

The purpose of this project was to invent a solution that reduces reliance on fossil fuels for air travel and deliveries. The project was completed in three main components: structural design, electrical systems, and full system integration. Structure took the longest because of the designing process of the 3D-printed parts and the control horns, while the wiring and assembly processes required less time.
Two types of data were collected: flight time and the ratio of successful to unsuccessful flight attempts out of ten trials. The project had varying success, achieving four successful landings out of eight trials. Testing ended after the eighth trial due to a crash caused by human error.
Flight times ranged from six to forty-eight seconds.
The main design goal was to achieve controlled flight in the x, y, and z dimensions and to remain airborne for at least three minutes. The plane accomplished the first goal but did not meet the second, as the longest recorded flight time was forty-eight seconds.
One limitation of this project was the weight and capacity of the battery, which restricted sustained flight time. In the future, this design could be applied to non-passenger aircraft, where battery weight limitations are more manageable. Although the project successfully demonstrated controlled electric flight, further refinement would be required to achieve long-term operational viability.

Dark Earth, Warm Roads

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

For my experiment, I was curious about which color roads would heat up the least under the sun. I believed that a lighter color would be better than a darker color road, because light/heat reflects off of light colors, while it absorbs into darker colors. To test my theory, I experimented. I took three different colored tiles (white, black, and green) and put them in a row, then I hung a heated lamp above all three and measured the tiles with a heat measurer laser one at a time. I would start at zero, then measure them every minute for the first 10 minutes, then move up to every 10 minutes, then every hour. I did this until the temperatures did not change significantly (which was about 6 hours). My results suggest that my hypothesis was right and that lighter colors are cooler than dark colors by 20 degrees. The green tile showed almost the same temperature as the white tile but a few degrees higher. If I furthered my project, I would go into more detail about the heat of the surface in other places around the world. And I want to close by saying, that this might not seem very important now, but when the ground is so hot that we can’t go outside, then everyone will wish that we did something differently.

Operation Clean Seas

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

Oil spills harm humans and wildlife through suffocation, poisoning, and toxicity, making effective cleanup critical to protecting marine ecosystems. This experiment aimed to identify the most efficient oil-spill cleanup material. In 2010, the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, the largest accidental marine oil spill, released vast amounts of oil that took months to clean using skimmer ships, controlled burns, and chemical dispersants. Skimmers collect excess water, struggle with debris, damage sensitive areas, and lose efficiency with weathered oil and rough seas. Controlled burns produce thick soot-filled smoke, release pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and PAHs, harm respiratory health, and contribute to global warming. Chemical dispersants damage deep-sea ecosystems by forcing oil into the water column. Natural materials are cheaper, biodegradable, non-toxic, abundant, and highly adsorptive. Among peat moss, sawdust, coconut husk, and kitty litter, coconut husk was hypothesized to be the most effective adsorbent. The experiment used crude oil, water, and organic materials, allowing adsorption before evaporating collected water to measure oil uptake. After four trials, coconut husk absorbed the most oil efficiently. Therefore, coir proved to be the most effective cleaner to adsorb an oil spill.

Rocks Vs. The Elements Of Weathering

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

My project is about how weathering affects rocks and which would be better for engineering. My hypothesis is if igneous rocks, such as granite, are more dense than metamorphic and sedimentary rocks than they will be better for engineering. They will show less damage during weather simulations. I tested seven rocks: black lava rock, red lava rock, slate, limestone, granite, basalt, and sandstone. I used the same rock sample for all four tests to simulate natural weathering. Each rock was tested on water submerge (chemical weathering), freeze-thaw (physical weathering), acid (chemical weathering), and soil (biological weathering). I found out that black lava rock and limestone would not be the best for building because they lost the most mass. Basalt was the strongest because it had no changes. Igneous rocks did better overall and lost less mass.

The Effects Of Light On The Foraging Ability Of The Western Harvester Ant, Pogonomyrmex Occidentalis

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

This project examined how different levels of light affected the foraging ability of the western harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis. This experiment involved three variables: white light (used as the control), red light, and darkness. I hypothesized that the ants under white light would forage the most efficiently, whereas the ants under both red light and darkness would forage less effectively because of their need to perceive visual light cues. To test this, I prepared three separate arenas under the different lighting conditions. Groups of ants were released into each arena and given one hour and thirty minutes to forage. The dependent variables were the amount of food collected, the number of visits to the food source, and the time it took to initially discover the food. This experiment was conducted three times, with unique groups participating every time. The results did not support the hypothesis. There was no consistent decrease in foraging performance under red light or darkness. It is possible that the distance was not sufficient to effectively mimic the natural foraging behavior of P. occidentalis, which is known to travel long distances. It is also possible that they do not rely heavily on light for short-range foraging. Because of this, additional data would be needed to fully answer the research question. By better understanding how P. occidentalis forages, this information could be applied with other desert ants, contributing to a scientific understanding of how these detritivores use sensory cues to forage and disperse seeds across their native environment.

Let There Be Uv Light

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

For my science fair I did does UV radiation affect different materials over time? UV light wavelengths are not visible to the human eye. However, when the light is absorbed into certain materials it is reflected as longer wavelengths toward the eye, making them visible. UV light is able to chemical bonds of certain materials causing them to degrade over time. I tested glass, fabric, plastic, and wood. I put all these materials under a UV light and took pictures over time. There was no change in wood. There was a change in plastic. There was a white film on top. There was a little change in the glass, there were cracks in the glass that weren't there originally. In the fabric I could see that the fibers were getting looser. In conclusion I found out that uv radiation does affect different materials. It just depends if the material is natural or not.

Density Separation

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

In the Summer I decided I wanted to do something involving sand for my science fair project. When I went on vacation near a beach, I would collect a sample of the sand. The environment has always been something that is extremely interesting to me, including microplastics, so I decided that I was going to try to separate microplastics from sand. While researching how I might do that, I learned about density separation. Density separation is a way to separate microplastics from a matrix using the difference in density.

One challenge I faced while doing this science fair project was identifying what materials I was going to use. I knew I was going to need a saline solution using distilled water, but I didn't know what chemical powder I wanted to use. So I ended up changing my experiment slightly and ended up using two instead of just one. My project became, which saline solution will work best for density separation. Another challenge I faced was finding the right ratio of distilled water and powder to make a specific density. But thanks to extensive research and many complicated math equations later, I had the right ratio. During this experiment, I faced multiple problem-solving opportunities, but I’m so glad it all worked out in the end.

Using a microscope, I was able to prove my hypothesis that zinc chloride will work better for density separation, and able to prove that density separation does work and is possible to do at home.

Grow Algae Grow ... Or Don't

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

Eutrophication is one of the major dilemmas when it comes to watering plants. To give their plants more nutrients, many farmers use fertilizers which, when it rains, join the runoff and can cause algal growth otherwise known as eutrophication. Some different organic filters can capture any nitrogen, potassium, or phosphates which would otherwise cause harm to the body of water. The purpose of this project is to determine which filter captures the most excess nutrients from joining the runoff. The organic filters tested were biochar, grass buffer, compost, and straw mulch. It was hypothesized that the biochar would cause the least eutrophication because instead of only blocking the nutrients, it absorbs the nutrients and would therefore soak up more nutrient than were entering the runoff. Utah Lake water was gathered and the organic filters as well as the sod were hung above it. The sod was watered every two days and twice a week, the Utah Lake water was tested by a nitrogen tester. The results showed that the hypothesis was supported and the biochar resulted in the least eutrophication. The nitrogen tester has a limit of seventy-five parts per million, and the rest of the Utah lake water whose filter was not sod was at seventy-five and could not be tested further. Some of the pots were not completely filled with the sod, which may have resulted in more runoff, while others were completely filled and thus had more accurate results.

Plastics Are Not Fungis

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

The amount of plastic in our environment keeps increasing and isn’t decomposing. Scientists have been challenged on how to eliminate plastic waste. It was discovered some fungi can “eat” plastic. Their specialized enzymes break down the plastic into simpler carbon molecules. Then, the fungi absorb them as energy. The experiment’s objective was to see if fungi could decompose plastic to reduce the quantity. Two experimental groups with four trials each were tested with the mycelium of grey oyster mushrooms and pestalotiopsis fungi injected in polyurethane sponges; there were plain sponges in the control group. The 12 samples were kept in separate containers in darkness, allowing mushrooms to grow. Each week, two squirts of water were sprayed on each trial and the containers were weighed before and after the spray. In four weeks, no mushrooms formed; however, there was growth on some trials. At the end of the experiment, the average weight decrease for the experimental groups were almost identical. It was hypothesized that pestalotiopsis fungi would decompose more plastic so the sponge would weigh less at the end compared to the control group and grey oyster mushrooms. The hypothesis was partly supported; the results were inconclusive. Though the experimental groups rounded had the same average weight decrease higher than the control, most of the weight was water so there are factors like evaporation or the fungi sucking up the water for nutrients to consider, making it hard to draw a conclusion that the decreased weight was from degraded plastic.

Urban Heat Island

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

The point of the project was to find out which surfaces gained the most heat in a controlled time period (30 minutes), which was hypothesized and confirmed to be the artificial surfaces, the rubber mulch and turf. Meanwhile, natural materials such as the soil and wood mulch were kept cooler in the same amount of time.
Since the UHI effect is a cause of climate change, experiments like this should be an inspiration to stop pavement and turf and use more natural landscaping surfaces in order to keep the climate cool in any way we can. Stopping the UHI effect is one of the simplest measures we can take to do this.

What Substances Best Reduce Landfill Methane Gas To Lessen Its Contribution To Global Warming?

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

What substances best reduce landfill methane gas? The independent variable is the substance placed in a landfill model and the dependent variable is the amount of methane in the landfill models. The hypothesis is that the model containing kitty litter will be most effective in lowering methane levels, and the landfill model containing red seaweed will have the smallest impact.
The procedure involved creating six model landfills in plastic bottles. One of the following was added to a model landfill: kitty litter, activated charcoal, potting soil, mineral salt mixed with soil, and red seaweed. A balloon was placed over the top of the bottle to observe air inflation for a week. To complete the study, each balloon was punctured, and a gas leak detector was used to record methane levels.
The data showed that the kitty litter model had the least methane. The mineral salt was the second most effective, followed by the landfill cover, activated charcoal, and then the red seaweed model. All of the tested substances reduced methane amounts compared to the control landfill. The hypothesis was proven partially correct in that the kitty litter worked the best and the red seaweed was the least effective in reducing methane levels. The soil landfill cover and mineral salt did better than expected. The activated charcoal did worse than anticipated. Future areas of study could include lengthening the experiment duration and testing alternative substances. This experiment found that kitty litter is effective in reducing methane emissions from landfills.

Impact Of Large Industrial Facilities And Highways On The Air Quality In The Salt Lake Valley

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

This project examines the impacts of large industrial facilities (e.g., oil refineries and open-burning hazardous-waste management) and major highways on air quality in the Salt Lake Valley. Specifically, I analyze data from 350 TellUS and Purple Air PM2.5 sensors located in Salt Lake and Utah counties. The measurements cover 455 days from March 2024 to May 2025.

I find that the air is negatively affected in a two-mile radius from the biggest oil refinery in the state, with two sensors having an annual average at a level above the recommended (safe) PM2.5 level as set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Note, these sensors are located in the residential neighborhood. The entire 2-mile radius exceeds the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended average. Furthermore, both highways and open-burning waste management facilities increase PM2.5 concentrations in surrounding neighborhoods, exceeding WHO guidelines.

Arguably, an unsettling conclusion of my work is that such facilities should be prohibited in the valley due to their severe impact on the air quality (or alternatively, modernized or relocated). Today, only a very few neighborhoods meet WHO air quality guidelines.

How Effective Is Your Insulation

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

The purpose of my project is to see how insulation works and what factors make a good insulation. I believe that the more dense insulation with the least amount of air pockets in it will do the best in this experiment. I think that this will happen because then there will be less room for warm air to flow out of the box. Keeping all of that warm air inside of the box will keep the water warm.

For my experiment I had 6 of the same sized cardboard boxes. Then I placed 6 ceramic bowls inside of the boxes. After this I poured hot water into each of the bowls and surrounded the bowls with the insulation. I let the water sit for 5 minutes and took the temperature with an electronic thermometer. Then after 10 minutes I took the temperature again with that same thermometer.

In this experiment I learned that I was right. The materials that had the most density to them did the best. For example, the spray foam that I used was very dense, and it was one of the materials that did the best. On the other hand, the newspaper was the worst performing material, and I think that was because it was so thin and didn’t have a lot of material on it. In the end I did end up proving my hypothesis.

Acid Rain

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

Acid rain has destroyed millions of acres of forest by eradicating the plants. This ends up harming entire ecosystems by removing many animals’ resources. If there was a way to make plants more resistant to acid rain, environments would be saved. The objective of this experiment was to determine which mineral fertilizer best helps plants resist acid rain. The minerals tested were phosphorous, calcium, and magnesium. The hypothesis was that phosphorous would best support the bean plants because it would help young plants develop, create strong roots, and repair damage. To test this hypothesis, 5 plants of each group, including the experimental groups with fertilizers and the control group, were given an artificial acid rain made of white vinegar and water for 6 weeks. The results showed that the hypothesis was not supported; magnesium best supported the plants. After further research, it was found that this was because magnesium is much more available in acidic soil than phosphorous, meaning that it could better help the plants repair themselves and control growth. Phosphorous was second best: the plants showed low damage but did not grow as fast as magnesium. Calcium and the control group both did not perform well. These improvements can be made: increasing sample size, using fertilizers without extra ingredients, and testing longer. Some ideas for further research include different concentrations of acid rain, other plants like flowers or aquatic plants, different pollutants for acid rain, or other minerals such as potassium.

"Which Flocculant Improves Water Clarity The Best?"

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

In this experiment I tested to see which organic flocculant would improve water clarity the best. Flocculation is the process of grouping together small particles called flocs. I used Chitosan, Xanthan Gum, and a Starch-Based flocculant as my organic flocculants. Before the flocculant I had to use a coagulant. I used Mooring Oliefera seeds. Coagulation is the process of grouping together microscopic particles into micro flocs. I hypothesized that Chitosan was going to do the best and Xanthan Gum do well as well. My hypothesis was proven correct. In my experiment I filled up three cups of water and used coffee grounds to dirty them. I let the coagulant sit for 4 hours. Then after, I let the flocculants sit for 35 minutes. After testing I discovered that the Chitosan performed the best and the Xanthan Gum performed great as well. However, all of the flocculants didn't do as well as predicted. They received lower turbidity levels after they were tested. I believe this occurred because they weren't given enough time to properly work.

Can I Save The Mammoth In The Ice? Maybe Even And Apple Slice?

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

The purpose I had for this experiment was because it was an assignment for a science fair. A real reason was because I had the curiosity of what conclusion I would have at the end of this experiment. My question was what substances I had chosen would do the best for keeping an apple in the best shape? Honey, gelatine, apple juice, ice, or mud? My hypothesis was that I believed the ones that would do the worst to the best were going to be apple juice doing the worst, then mud, then honey, then gelatine, and the best would be the ice.
My experimental procedure was to gather all of your materials. Cut your apples into fourths and put 2 slices into each mason jar and 2 into each sandwich bag
fill your jars with the substance you plan to keep it in. Seal the mason jars firmly.
Put the apple juice and gelatine experiments into the fridge and leave them in there for the entire experiment. Leave the honey experiments out in room temperature for the entire experiment leave mud experiments outside for the entire experiment
check how each jar’s apples are doing and write or type down how each one looks every single day for 31 days.
The results at the end of my experiment was that the mud had done the worst, then the gelatine, then the honey, then the apple juice, then the ice doing the best. I had gotten 1 out of 5 of them correct from my hypothesis. My conclusion is that Ice is best at preserving an item. In my experiment I would say to possibly change the kind of gelatine you use to preserve your fruit and maybe even change the place or environment that you keep the items in.

Septic Solutions

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

We wanted to see which toilet paper brands break down the best for septic tanks because my family has a septic tank.

How Strong Are Bridge Types

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

Our project explores the strength of 3 different bridge types each showing how much weight they can hold. we made a hypothesis then concluded if it was correct we have made a carboard showcase of our project and a PowerPoint presentation also explaining our project. the reasoning for our project is that when you think about shapes and which one is strongest you'd say triangles but triangles always don't work when it comes to bridges they also need something to support the weight of cars that's why we decided to test 3 different bridges with multiple different features. we also thought about the bridges that break how can we make it so they last a long time.

Shell Shocked

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

How does ocean acidification affect calcifying organisms? I wanted to do this project since ocean acidification is one of the leading effects of climate change. Ocean acidification is the increase in ocean water acidity. The chemical reactions include CO2 and H2O combining to create H2CO3, which is known as carbonic acid. The carbonic acid then dissociates into hydrogen ions and bicarbonate. The dissolution creates extra hydrogen, increasing the acidity of ocean water. I hypothesized that the weight of the calcifying organisms would decrease as the acidity increases. To test my hypothesis, I tested 4 types of shells: sea stars, sea shells, oysters, and sea urchins. To begin this experiment, I made salt water, poured it into jars, and then used white distilled vinegar to adjust the pH. Vinegar has a high acidity, so it mimics the ocean water by increasing the pH, but not causing deterioration, due to the dilution. After a month, I opened the jars and weighed the shells. The shells had absorbed water, so I let them dry out for ten days and weighed them again. The final results did not support my hypothesis, as most of the shells did not lose weight. I conclude that I did not conduct my experiment in the right manner, leading to an inconsistent and inconclusive result. If I were to do this again, I would change the time the shells soaked in the acidified water and how I would weigh the shells.

How Lighting Can Affect The Survival Of Brine Shrimp In Our Salt Lake.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

For our project we exposed brine shrimp to different lighting environments and documented how it affected their growth.

Fuels N’ Fire

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

My project is about how different types of ground fuels affect a wild fire. The ground fuels that I tested were cheat grass, sage brush, Utah juniper, and single leaf pinyon.

Effectiveness Of Biodegradable Chitosan From Shrimp Shells In Water Purification

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

Microplastic contamination in water has become a major environmental and health concern, and many current purification methods are expensive. This project explores the use of chitosan, a biodegradable, natural substance derived from shrimp shells as a low-cost and eco-friendly method for microplastic removal. The chitosan solution used in this project was prepared in a weak acidic mixture and added in contaminated water samples at different concentration levels. The positively charged chitosan molecules attracted the negatively charged microplastic particles, thus forming visible flocs that could be filtered out efficiently. The experiment tested various chitosan amounts and visual clarity to measure removal efficiency. Results showed that samples treated with chitosan indicated a significant difference compared to untreated control, showing effective flocculation and microplastic removal. Higher concentrations did result in more microplastics removed, but only up to an optimal amount. These results support the potential of converting seafood waste into valuable material, solving many global water pollution difficulties.

Charged By The Wind

ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING

My project is about trying to use wind to charge a phone. I did this by using generators and a wind source. For the generator part, I used generators that had rods sticking out of them so I could put propellers onto them. For the Wind portion I used a Leaf blower and a small air mattress pump to produce the wind that was needed for the project. I also used different sizes and pitches of propellers to vary the amount of voltage being made by the generators. Finally, I used a Breadboard to put all the wires together and connect the generators to the charging device. The charger had wires soldered directly to where it would normally be used in a power socket so it could be hooked into the breadboard. Wind speed and volume, along with generator configuration and quantity were my variables.

Levitation Hover Nation

ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING

I wanted to build a hover board using my research on mag lev trains. They use electromagnetism to float and go fast. I fantasized that, in theory, I could magnetize a sheet and put magnets on a board, and I would be able to hover. I contacted an electrical engineer, and it turns out, it was going to take a lot more than I thought. He first taught me to build an electromagnet and how to solder. Next, he had me work with a computer programmer to understand basic coding and wire some simple circuit boards using an Adruino Uno R3. Then, he worked with me to get a 3D print out of a levitator. I built the circuit board that controls the electromagnet and I am still working on the programming to get my magnets to float just right.

Lego Ev3 Home Video Game Console

ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING

I tested whether I could build a functioning video game console for less than $100 using Lego and EV3 Mindstorm components and the Scratch programming language. I coded an Operating System and game for the console prototype and tested it across several benchmarks including Frames Per Second, Ping, Resolution and Maximum Number of Objects Rendered. I improved the prototype by enabling connectivity to Windows based devices, improved the optical drive by decreasing the gap between the disc and the laser and optimizing image rendering. The changes resulted in improvements across all testing benchmarks, and my hypothesis was proven as the overall cost of the console was $87. I made the code for the Operating System open source so that other kids can download it for free and customize it for their games.

Visionaide: The Ultrasonic Navigation System

ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING

The problem is that people diagnosed with blindness have a more difficult time navigating through their surroundings to complete daily tasks. We have come up with Visionaide as a possible solution to this problem. Visionaide is a pair of glasses with an ultrasonic sensor on top with a passive piezo buzzer. It has a breadboard and Arduino uno motherboard with a string of code in it that makes the buzzer beep when the sensor detects something closer than 4 feet away from the user. The closer an obstacle appears to the user, the faster the buzzer beeps along with the pitch. We tested our device out by running 8 packs of trials, 4 are for our prototype, and the other 4 is for our improved prototype. Each pack consists of 10 runs which is when me and my partner take turns walking around obstacles near us with our eyes closed to simulate the lack of vision people diagnosed with blindness experience. After testing our prototype, we came against a problem. Our code makes it so that it would beep and function how we want it to be when the sensor doesn’t detect any obstacles. In addition to that, the sensor would malfunction when the obstacle gets nearer than a foot. When we fixed this problem, everything was how we wanted it to be. In conclusion, we solved our initial problem with this device to help blind people navigate in the world more easily.

Which Citrus Fruit Has The Longest Battery Life?

ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING

Citrus fruits contain an electrolyte that generates electricity. These electrolytes contain free ions, which gravitate toward a source of opposite charge. When you insert a pair of electrodes into the citrus fruits, the electron exchange can produce a charge. Alessandro Volta can be credited for discovering this. In 1800, he made an invention called the "voltaic pile". It operated by placing pieces of cloth between copper and zinc discs.

My hypothesis is that if the fruit is more acidic, the battery will last longer, because a higher acidity level means that it will produce more ions. Based on my hypothesis, I believe that the lemons and limes will last the longest. The independent variable is the fruit type. The dependent variable is how long each battery lasts. The constants are the copper penny, galvanized nail, alligator clips, laying batteries and multimeter flat, and fresh and ripe fruits.

The procedure involved inserting a penny and a nail into each fruit. Alligator clips connected the penny to the multimeter's red wire and the nail to the black wire. Voltage readings were recorded four times per fruit.

After experimenting, I partially supported my hypothesis. While limes did have the longest battery life as predicted, lemons unexpectedly died the quickest. If I were to do this experiment again, I would have tested each fruit until they died and experimented on a different variety of fruits. Overall, I learned many things and am excited for further studies.

Optimum 2 Meter Ham Radio Antenna

ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING

As a licensed ham radio operator, my project was to test and figure out what 2 meter ham radio antenna provides the best signal. I was able to learn that the Aluminum J Pole antenna was able to provide the strongest signal compared to all of the other antennas, it had a signal strength of 9. The signal strength goes from 0-9+, with 0 being the worst. Ham radios are important for society because they can used for emergency preparedness and helping with community activities.

Hot Wheels Suck: An Engineered Solution To Prevent Hot Car Deaths

ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING

My project intended to create a device that would help prevent hot car deaths. Some materials used in this experiment were a simulated car, a portable heater, a Raspberry Pi, and four fans, intended to make the device and multiple scenarios. This system would detect if the temperature reached a certain point and there was ten pounds of pressure on the seat, it would turn on four fans, two blowing in and two blowing out, to move hot air out and fresh air into the car. The test observed how fast it could cool down a box. The result was that using no fans did not efficiently cool the box, while having two fans increased cooling efficiency. Using four fans was the most efficient configuration when cooling. If a parent left their child in a hot car with this device, the system responded by activating the fans in the simulated environment. The device would sense the temperature and detect weight in the seat. These two things would turn on the fans that would cool the car and reduce heat in the simulated environment until the parent returned to the car. Since it activates at ten pounds it would detect even the smallest children. The project demonstrated that the prototype functioned as designed and supported the design goal. This prototype could be improved upon, and the results supported the hypothesis through testing. This design could potentially be used in future cars to reduce the risk of overheating.

Turning Wind Into Watts

ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING

Pollution is a strong concern in modern society. There are many ways pollution is caused from unclean energy sources. One clean energy method that can be used anywhere in the world is wind power. Wind power can be harnessed by using wind turbines which capture wind. In this experiment, to find out the most efficient way to get power, blade numbers will be tested to determine the amount of energy that can be produced. A multimeter was used to measure the amount of energy produced by five different blade numbers. It was expected that three blades would produce the most energy as that is what is found in most wind power generators around the world. However, this was proven wrong in this experiment because more blades produced more energy. This might have been because of the size and weight of the materials used in this experiment. Since paper, a fan, and a small set up was used to build the blades, these factors changed the overall results. Large wind turbines used to generate energy only use three blades because it is more cost efficient due to size and materials. In this experiment, more blades created more energy while less blades produced less energy. The space between the fan and blades were also tested and showed that distance also resulted in less energy. However, the number of blades consistently showed more energy even at different distances.

Hot N' Cold Wire Makes Hall Voltage Higher

ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING

Hall Voltage is a voltage that appears across a material when an electric current flows through it and the material is placed in a magnetic field. It is used to measure magnetic fields, motion, position, and electric current safely, accurately, and without contact so it is found in motion and speed sensors, position sensors, current sensors and smartphones. One variable that affects Hall Voltage is temperature of the wire so the objective of this experiment was to determine how temperature affects the Hall Voltage in a silicon wire.
The different temperatures tested were 31°F, 48°F, 73°F, 90°F, and 99°F. It was hypothesized that if temperature of the wire increases, then Hall Voltage would decrease, meaning that 31°F would have the highest Hall Voltage and 99°F would have the lowest. Five different pieces of the same silicon wire were heated or cooled into the different temperatures needed, and were attached to a battery pack to make a circuit and that circuit had a perpendicular magnet put beside it and then a multimeter was used to measure the Hall Voltage.
The results demonstrated that the 31°F silicon wire had the highest Hall Voltage and 99°F had the lowest meaning that the hypothesis was supported. This shows that temperature affects the movement of charge carriers, changing Hall Voltage. Understanding this is important for designing Hall Effect sensors and other devices that need accurate voltage measurements, especially when temperatures change. Overall, temperature is a key factor in Hall Voltage, even in the real world.

Bone Vibes

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING & HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES

This engineering project developed and tested a homemade bone conduction sleeping mask to enable music listening during sleep without the ear pain from in-ear devices like AirPods. The research question was: How can a speaker function without inserting anything into the ears?
Bone conduction transmits sound vibrations through skull bones to the inner ear, bypassing the ear canal to reduce pressure and irritation—ideal for overnight use. Background research from Shokz and Frenz Band highlighted its comfort advantages for extended wear, despite potential trade-offs in sound quality.
The hypothesis proposed that forehead placement would maximize comfort over AirPods.
Using a sleeping mask, magnet, homemade copper coil, and speaker connection, three prototypes varied magnet/coil positions: forehead, cheekbone, and side of head. Three participants rated comfort and sound (1-10 scale) after three songs per trial, with AirPods as control.
Results favored the side-of-head position (average 6/10 overall), outperforming other placements but not AirPods in sound quality. Comfort benefited those sensitive to in-ear pressure, though the mask’s bulk limited convenience.
The hypothesis was partially supported: bone conduction improved comfort by avoiding ear insertion, but optimal placement was beside the ear. Future improvements could enhance portability and audio.
This device could help people enjoy bedtime music comfortably, supporting better sleep hygiene.

Infection Detecting Sutures

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING & HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES

Many people will need stitches in their lifetimes, for surgery or because of injuries. One of the main problems with these wounds is that they can become infected. In some places or situations, it can be hard to get follow up care, so infection can go on for a while without being detected. The pH of infected subcutaneous tissue is higher than the pH of healthy subcutaneous tissue. I made sutures treated with a pH sensitive material so the sutures can show developing infection by changing color. Then people could easily see whether they were developing an infection so they could seek care before it gets too bad.

The Kidney Filtration Innovating Kidney Filtration

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING & HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES

The human kidney is a vital organ responsible for blood filtration , waste excretion and the regulation of fluid, electrolyte and chemical balance within the body. Each kidney contains a million nephrons that perform selective filtration allowing plasma and small solutes to pass while retaining blood cells and larger proteins. If kidney function fails , wastes accumulate in the bloodstream which can result in life threatening conditions. This project constructs a kidney filtration unit that can potentially replace glomerular filtration and when developed more can be used as an everyday portable kidney. A layered ,3 dimensional Saggital kidney model was created to illustrate renal anatomy while a working nephron prototype was built using tubing , mesh and acrylic to simulate the semi permeable glomerular membrane. A blood analog composed of a suspension and dyed plasma is introduced into the system and gravity driven and pressurized flow is used to model blood pressure. This model which works on the filtering aspect was made as a prototype for an invention to be developed more , which can be used for filtering blood without having any dialysis machines needing to be connected.

Sports For Deaf People

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING & HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES

For our project, we made a vest with a light on it that helps deaf people play sports like soccer and football. So basically, we put an LED light on a vest,t and whenever a ref blows the whistle, they can press a button to light up a bright light that deaf people can see and know play has stopped. The LED has a small button on the end that lights up when pressed, making it very easy to turn on. Our data shows that the light is visible from every distance within 0-200 feet, making it have a very long range and easy to see for deaf athletes. Our data shows that it only goes to 200 feet, but in reality, it shows much farther than 200 feet.

Rethinking Woundcare: Engineering An Oral Bandage

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING & HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES

Oral wounds can have multiple causes, including braces and biting. When left exposed, the wound can cause pain or even get infected. The goal of this project is to make a gel that polymerizes and adheres onto oral tissue, creating a barrier between anything in the mouth and the wound. Research of available literature showed that sodium alginate, a chemical derived from seaweed should work well for this experiment due to its ability to adhere to oral tissue and polymerize when exposed to calcium lactate, which is a chemical derived from lactic acid. After changing the ratios of the sodium alginate and calcium lactate solutions, and doing multiple tests on the bandage, a final product was successfully produced. While this final product met all of the design goals, some of the tests were not realistic. For example, the bandage was not tested in the mouth because human testing was not allowed, and also, a chicken breast was used, which does not fully mimic the human mouth. In conclusion, the oral bandage did meet its design goals, but further testing is needed.

Look Away! Engineering Smart Glasses That Reduce Eye Strain

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING & HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES

As screen usage becomes a necessity, over a billion people suffer worldwide from preventable vision impairments that are caused by eye strain, which can worsen or cause myopia and other vision problems. Although the causes of eye strain are straight forward – prolonged and intense vision activities, there has yet to be a portable and applicable device to address the issue. So, the goal of this project was to invent and build a pair of smart glasses that reduce eye strain by monitoring screen distance and reminding users to take visual breaks. This was achieved by coding an Arduino Nano Every to command a VL53L0X distance sensor and two LEDs that alert the wearer when the screen distance is less that 50cm or the user needs a 20 second visual break. These components were mounted onto blue light glasses to create the two prototype devices. Product 1 had all components, including battery, directly attached to the glasses. Product 2 placed the battery pack off the frame. The sensor and alarms of both products were tested and found to be reliable and accurate. User’s reports show that both prototypes were effective in reducing eye strain. However, the two devices did have different advantages. Product 1 proved more suitable for mobile work while Product 2 was found to be liked by stationary users. Overall, Product 2 was superior because testers found it to be more comfortable. Future development should focus on improving comfort and portability of both Products to increase impact.

Laser Sensor Glasses

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING & HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES

(For your reference): Laser Sensor Glasses are an assistive technology device designed to improve the mobility and safety of people with visual impairments. The project consists of glasses integrated with laser distance sensors and an acoustic or haptic feedback system.
The device works by scanning the environment in real time. When the sensors detect an obstacle within a specific range, the system activates an immediate alert, allowing the user to navigate safely and avoid collisions. Furthermore, as the user gets closer to the scanned obstacle, the intensity and frequency of the alarm increase. Unlike traditional canes, these glasses offer hands-free protection for the upper body and head area. The goal is to provide an affordable, lightweight, and effective technological alternative to increase the independence of people with disabilities.

Rocket Science

MECHANICAL & MATERIALS ENGINEERING

My project was to test which nose cone made a model rocket fly the highest. I did this by 3D printing 3 different cone designs: a flat, domed and needle shaped all weighing the same amount. I launched the rocket 3 times with the different nose cones designs. My method of measuring was an altimeter, which unfortunately failed to provide a reading of height. I used an astrolabe to provide the measurement for each rocket launch. I observed that rocket flew the same distance each time. This proved my hypothesis incorrect.

Spinning In The Sky

MECHANICAL & MATERIALS ENGINEERING

My engineering project is to focus on building a strong enough homopolar motor. After experimenting with different materials I found out that if I made the motor from 3 neodymium disk magnets and a AA battery then forming the perfect moon and star shapes using copper wire, Together they are able to create enough direct current (DC) to make the moon and star shaped homopolar motors continuously spin in a circular motion for at least 15 seconds. While a homopolar motor itself has very little use in everyday life due to its lack of ability and its small size, a homopolar motor is an important scientific educational tool that demonstrates how real bigger motors work in our everyday life appliances.

Hammer’n Rebar V2

MECHANICAL & MATERIALS ENGINEERING

Last year I designed, built, and welded rebar pounders. They had a few problems such as noise, strength, pipe diameter, and other things. I fixed those.

Lidar Or Sonar: Which Is The Better Sensor?

MECHANICAL & MATERIALS ENGINEERING

My science fair project explores how the type of sensor (lidar or ultrasonic) affects the accuracy in detecting different objects. Self driving cars rely on a number of different types of sensors and systems in order to run and prevent crashes. My project explores and tests how effective different sensors are at detecting different objects. I hypothesized that the lidar sensor would be better at detecting object distances with more precision than the sonar sensor because it is using light for object detection. In my experiment, lidar measurements were more precise overall than ultrasonic measurements.
My experiment showed this with the data having lower error numbers on the lidar measurements than the ultrasonic measurements. Something that was also interesting is that the most accurate distance detection came from the ultrasonic sensor when detecting the metal first aid kit. This may be because the first aid kit box was a made of a hard metal. Metal reflects sound well, and this may have contributed to a more accurate measurement. Why do we care about accurate measurements from different types of sensors and how this relates to self-driving cars? It is important for self-driving cars to be aware of their surroundings and to be safe. Self driving cars could have the ability to reduce the number of car accidents and injuries with appropriate sensors and safety measures. Self driving cars should use many different types of sensors in order to improve detection of objects, and increase the safety overall.

Insta Kibbler 2.0

MECHANICAL & MATERIALS ENGINEERING

The problem I have is that whenever my dog is hungry she barks at her food bowl but putting food in her bowl doesn’t cut it. I have to take the food out and put it on the floor so she can eat it, and not bark. So, I invented the Insta Kibbler 2.0 which puts out kibble for my dog, and puts it on the floor for her, so she doesn’t bark. At first I used a water wheel to put out the food but the food would always get stuck and jam the Kibbler. The First version also was activated by a clap or a bark. This new and improved version solves some of its problems. First, The Insta Kibbler 2.0 now uses an auger conveyor belt system so as to not get jammed as easily. The new Kibbler also uses an Alexa plug to be activated. This way it can be plugged in easier. It now uses a 12v motor, 12v power supply adapter, and the Alexa plug. This way with the Alexa plug you can just say “Alexa turn on the dog feeder for five seconds” and about one ounce of dog food comes out instead of the previous version where you had to clap. If I could do this again I would add a few things. These things would be a more smooth auger converter belt system so it doesn’t jam easily, walls on the sides of the Kibbler so dogs couldn’t reach in and “steal” food, and I would add a flap to the output of the Kibbler so dogs, again, don’t “steal” food from the Kibbler.

Model Roller Coaster: Factors That Affect An Object’s Velocity

MECHANICAL & MATERIALS ENGINEERING

This project investigates the factors that affect the velocity of an object traveling on a
model roller coaster. The variables tested include track height, track surface friction,
object mass, and object shape. I constructed a model track using toy car tracks and
calculated the velocity of different cars by measuring their travel time over a fixed
distance. I conducted the experiments using two track heights and two surface
conditions (smooth and rough).
The results show that track height and surface friction have the strongest effect on
velocity. Objects traveling on taller tracks consistently reached higher speeds, while
rougher tracks reduced velocity due to increased friction and energy loss. Object mass
and shape influenced velocity in smaller and less consistent ways.
The results also show that not all gravitational potential energy converts into kinetic
energy because some energy is lost to friction and air resistance.
This experiment demonstrates how energy conversion and energy loss control motion in
roller coaster systems.

Travel Lax

MECHANICAL & MATERIALS ENGINEERING

The struggle of being an elite lacrosse player is that you can’t practice when you can’t bring your normal stick. This is a huge problem for players like myself. I would go on vacation, and come home feeling guilty and rusty from not practicing. I found a solution which was a mini stick. But the problem is that it doesn’t have the same feel and weight as a normal one. So I had the idea of a collapsible lacrosse stick that has the same feel, but could collapse down to fit in your own backpack or bag. But, if you do want a mini stick, you can adjust the length to have half the stick which is the size of the mini stick. Another person has tried this I found in my research, but it did not collapse down fast enough like my product. Throughout my project I have failed and failed, but I found that if you really prep beforehand you will make the rest of the process easy. I loved building this product and it was a ton of fun

From Powder To Power

MECHANICAL & MATERIALS ENGINEERING

What is the effect of the different curing methods on the PSI withstood concrete? The unique concrete that was used was a mix of Roman concrete cement and modern cement to create a concrete that lasts long and can withstand a lot of strength. Ponding, natural(heavy “rainfall” (drenchings) on the 3rd day and a light rainfall(misting) on the 6th day) and no curing were the methods that were used. It is predicted that if Ponding is used, it will withstand the most PSI. This is because ponding (completely submerging the concrete) makes water fully submerge itself on all sides, which will keep a constant temperature, minimizing cracks and maximizing strength. After mixing 965mL of lime, 2000mL of pozzolan, 2400mL of volcanic rock, 5365 mL of Portland cement, and 10730 mL of salt water, pour the concrete into 8x4 inch cylinders and rest in cylinders for 8 days. Cut away the cylinder molds and do each curing process for 7 days. Test using a concrete-grade hydraulic press ensuring that the concrete dries for 8 hours prior. The hypothesis was not supported. The natural curing withstood the most PSI, with its high: 885 PSI. No curing (control) was next with a max of 860 and a low of 822. And finally, ponding was a high of 794 and a low of 760. The reason for this was that there wasn’t enough curing time, and the concrete was still wet from the water, which made it weaker.

Can Airplanes Agree With "The More The Merrier"?

MECHANICAL & MATERIALS ENGINEERING

The purpose of my project is discover if more wings placed on the same longitudinal plane of an airplane is aerodynamic and if it increases the stability of the plane. I will test this by making a airplane model that has more than one wing and a regular airplane model. Then, I will test the models in a wind tunnel and create a small disturbance to the plane to resemble turbulence, and observe the recovery time. This is how I will see if "more is merrier".

The Braces Saver

MECHANICAL & MATERIALS ENGINEERING

The Braces Saver is an attachment onto the end of a goat string. Its first and main purpose is to decrease the chance of breaking brackets during treatment time, and while tying goats with braces. The second is to improve the quality of my practice after appointments. Goat strings are hard and it is hard to tie with a sore mouth, of which is common during treatment. The reason that my prototype solves these two problems is because of the materials. The two materials that are used in my prototype add soft value, solving the issue of soreness and a smooth outer lawyer, solving the problem of catching the goat string on brackets. My project targets goat tiers who have braces however it can help others.

An Assessment Of Oobleck As A Non Newtonian Component In Magnetorheological Fluids

MECHANICAL & MATERIALS ENGINEERING

The Researcher’s objective was to determine that if a non-Newtonian Water‑based Magnetorheological (MR) – Oobleck Hybrid Fluid stabilized with Propylene Glycol is pumped through an energized electromagnet’s field, then as the MR Fluid stress-thickens, the ferroparticles would exert mechanical forces onto the Oobleck causing it to shear-thicken, restricting flow proportional to the strength of the magnetic field.
Based on research, a MR Fluid is a non-Newtonian magnetic liquid suspension consisting of ferroparticles, a carrier fluid, a surfactant and other additives. When subjected to an electromagnetic field, the fluid will thicken as the field strength increases, forming chains along the field lines, thickening into a quasi-solid, and if the field is strong enough, completely restricting flow. Oobleck is a stress thickening Dilatant non-Newtonian fluid made from cornstarch that when stuck, the micron-sized cornstarch particles lock together forcing out the water between them. The cluster of interlocked particles act as a solid for as long as the force is applied.
The Hypothesis predicted that if an electromagnet was place between two Flowmeters, and if the Oobleck reacted to the force of the ferroparticles stress-thicken in the magnetic field, a corresponding increase in pressure across the electromagnet would translate into volume difference between the two Flowmeters. Because pressure and volume are inversely proportional, the indications on Flowmeter #2 should be lower than Flowmeter #1. The Hypothesis was not supported. Other than clog up the pump multiple times, the Oobleck did not appear to respond to the forces the electromagnet placed on the ferroparticles.

From Bottle To Build

MECHANICAL & MATERIALS ENGINEERING

The purpose of this project was to explore a way to recycle plastic bottles by converting them into usable 3D printer filament. Plastic waste is a growing environmental problem, and this project investigated whether common recycled bottles could be repurposed into a functional material for 3D printing.
First, used plastic bottles were thoroughly cleaned to remove labels, residue, and contaminants. After drying, the bottles were cut into long, even strips by pulling them through a cutting base with a secured razor blade. These strips were then fed into a heat extruder. The plastic was heated until it became malleable and could be reshaped into consistent filament suitable for a 3D printer.
Once the filament was produced, it was tested by loading it into a 3D printer and printing standard objects. The recycled filament fed smoothly through the printer and produced successful prints comparable to commercially available filament.
The results showed that recycled plastic bottles can be transformed into functional 3D printing filament using relatively simple tools and processes. This project was successful and demonstrates a practical method for reducing plastic waste while creating a useful product.

Empowering Engines

MECHANICAL & MATERIALS ENGINEERING

Empowering Engines is a project that is all about enhancing a V12 engine which has 4 major disadvantages. These disadvantages are poor durability, decreased heat resistance, fuel inefficiency and unnecessary weight. We will be solving these problems by using research, knowledge, and testing. The upgrades that were put onto the engine were Thermal Barricade Coating, Metal Matrix Composite, Diamond Like Carbon, Variable Valve Timing, Atmospheric Plasma Spray, Plasma Transferred Wire Arc, Linerless Bores, and Direct Injection. We collected data from different sources and analyzed them. The car we used to test performance was the Ferrari FXX K. In conclusion, these materials perform better than the ones on the engine, although our next step is to apply these materials onto the actual Internal Combustion Engine and observe how it performs.

Using Medieval Siege Weapons To Launch Rockets Into Space

MECHANICAL & MATERIALS ENGINEERING

This experiment created a model of an energy-efficient way to put rockets into space. The purpose of this project was to compare three model launchers to determine which stored the most energy and launched a tennis ball the farthest and fastest. My question was which of the three models that I built would store the most energy to make the tennis ball go the farthest and fastest. To build these model launchers, I used several materials, the most important being rubber plumbing tubing, pressure-treated pine, a metal bar, a staple gun, and a drill with screws. My hypothesis was that the mangonel would throw the tennis ball the farthest and the slap ballista the fastest. In order to test this, I built three different siege engines: a catapult, a slap ballista, and a mangonel, and each launcher was tested by launching a tennis ball multiple times and measuring the distance traveled and relative launch speed. When I tested them, the data showed that my hypothesis was wrong, and the catapult threw the tennis ball both the farthest and the fastest. One challenge encountered was maintaining consistent launch conditions across all trials. The results showed that the catapult transferred stored energy more efficiently than the other designs, and this project demonstrated how mechanical design affects energy storage and projectile motion, which can be applied to basic engineering and launch system concepts.

Compact 3 D Printer

MECHANICAL & MATERIALS ENGINEERING

3D printers are large bulky and heavy machines requiring a lkot of time to transport. So what if we could change that? I used a scissor lift mechanism to shrink the 3D printer for easier transportation and tried to make it small enough to fit inside a 3D printer filament box. I also made the entire thing out of 3d printed parts in order to minimize weight and cost. I had made 2 prototypes, one working and the other abandoned. The 3D printer did in fact work and could print. It could also shrink down as I had originally envisioned. However the size was still too great and the print quality was not the best it could be. If I were to change things I would fix many of the problems such as unorganized wires and errors in the design I discovered in hindsight.

Developing A Machine Learning Model To Predict Hidden Heart Failure From Public Health Datasets

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

Research Question:
How does the use of different machine learning models affect the accuracy of heart failure prediction?
Why this topic:
We chose this topic because several of our family members and our teachers have experienced heart failure, and we wanted to find a way technology could potentially help predict the condition earlier and prevent others from going through similar pain and sudden change.
Hypothesis:
We predict that the Random Forest will have the highest accuracy than the other machine learning models we test. This is because Random Forest combines many different decision trees. Each tree looks at the data in a slightly different way, and when their results are combined, the model becomes better at handling outliers and variations. This usually leads to more reliable and accurate predictions.

Experiment:
To conduct this experiment, we used a publicly available heart failure dataset from Kaggle and a data mining platform to build a machine learning model. We tested four different algorithms—logistic regression, decision trees, random forest, and gradient boosting—and compared their accuracy in predicting heart failure. The dataset’s input features were used to train and test each model, and we evaluated how accurately each algorithm predicted heart failure outcomes. This allowed us to analyze and compare the effectiveness of different machine learning approaches for heart failure prediction.
Results:
Our hypothesis was correct and Random Forest had the highest accuracy.
Next Steps:
Our next steps are to make this dataset more reliable so that we can help those in under-resourced communities.

Pop Vs Teeth

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

My project was based on the question "Which pop stains teeth the most?". In order to do this project, I had to do some background research. While researching, I found out that I could use eggshells to represent the teeth because they have calcium carbonate in them that make them act like teeth. Once I had all the information I needed, I got my materials and started my project. In order to do my project, I had to get four different types of pops. which included Coca - Cola, Pepsi, Root Beer, and Sprit (as a control). Once I had my pops, I separated them into different cups, poured an equal amount size of all of them, and put an equal sized eggshell into each of them and let them sit for 80 hours. Once my project was finished, I collected my data and analyzed it. My data then showed me that Coca - Cola stained teeth the most and Sprite stained teeth the least. My conclusion then showed me that my hypothesis was correct because I said that Coca - Cola would stain teeth the most. The impact my project has on society, is helping people know which pop is better for their teeth.

Modeling Cancer Prevention: Can Antioxidants Protect Cells?

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

I am extracting blueberries and green tea and mixing them with yeast for the natural antioxidants in these two foods to fight of the hydrogen peroxide I am adding to reduce oxidative stress. I am also diluting them to different antioxidant strength levels to find which concentration level would work best.

Lipase In Action

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

In my project I tested the function of 6 different natural substances (coffee powder, cinnamon, chili pepper, ginger powder, matcha powder, and turmeric) on the effect of the digestive enzyme, lipase. My experimental procedure was to mix 20 mL of 5% lipase enzyme solution, distilled water, vegetable oil, and 1 tsp of the natural substance I was testing. Then, I recorded the pH of the solution every 10 minutes with a digital pH meter for 1 hour to see how well the enzyme broke down the vegetable oil because the amount of fat digestion can make the solution more acidic. If more digestion occurs, the solution becomes more acidic and vice versa.
I hypothesized that the ginger powder solution would show minimal change in pH due to one of its compounds, gingerols, which studies found acted as a lipase inhibitor. Lipase inhibitors block the enzyme' s active site and slow down digestion. Similarly, lipase activators enhance its function and caffeine can act as an activator so I thought the coffee powder solution would show the greatest decrease in pH.
My results showed that the cinnamon and chili pepper solutions both had the greatest decreases in pH respectively. This shows that compounds within these substances acted as lipase activators. The turmeric and ginger solutions had the smallest changes in pH respectively. This means that compounds within these substances acted as lipase inhibitors.

The Science Of Radiation Safety

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

This project tests the best emergency procedure for handling equipment malfunction in a high-dose brachytherapy treatment for cancer. Without using radiation or patients, I ran, walked, ran with a lead apron, and walked with a lead apron to see the most efficient way to handle equipment malfunctions, exposing the patient and doctor to the least possible amount of radiation. After plugging in my data into a formula, incorporating time and distance from the source, I got my results. My data showed that putting on a lead apron would take the doctor too much time and expose the patient to the most radiation. My results were that running without a lead apron was the best solution because it saves the patient hundreds of miliseiverts of radiation.

Squeaky Clean Or Is It...

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

My project was about if plant based or non-plant-based dish soap was the best at removing bacteria and what ratio of dish soap to water was the best at removing bacteria.

Mannitol Is A Drug That Crystallizes, How Much Is Left Behind?

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

Mannitol is a medication used in hospitals. Mannitol is a supersaturated solution and will sometimes form crystals at room temperature. For this reason, mannitol is administered via an intravenous line through a filter. Mannitol has many important and emergent uses, accurate doses are essential for the drug to work. Because this medication is used in emergencies, there may not be enough vials without crystals to give the patient their dose. Doses drawn up from vials with crystals could be inaccurate because the crystals are made of the active ingredient. It is not known how much medication is left behind. The reason for this experiment is to measure how much medication remains in crystals when the solution is removed. This experiment was conducted by comparing three vials with visible crystals and one vial with no visible crystals as a control. The crystals were isolated by several steps and weighing after each one to make sure everything was accounted for. This also served as a double check for accuracy of the methods used. The weight of the crystals were compared to the intended dose of mannitol. On average the crystals were 50.93% of the expected dose. This was higher than expected which means patients may not get their full dose and therefore may not get the full effect.

Clean Steps Ahead: A Uv C Shoe Sanitizing Mat

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

Many people do not notice the bacteria that may be brought into their homes when they walk inside wearing shoes. To investigate ways to solve this problem, this project examined whether UV-C light could reduce simulated bacteria on shoes. Before experimentation began, UV-C strips were attached to metal plates that were then attached to the bottom of an outdoor mat. To test this project, Glo Germ was spread on the bottom of shoes and the shoes were placed on the mat for controlled exposure times. Data was collected by observing the amount of remaining fluorescence under UV light. The UV-C light reduced the fluorescence over time. One planned limitation of this phase of the project was the use of simulated bacteria rather than real bacteria. Future testing could determine whether the mat works on real bacteria and whether it would be effective in reducing the amount of harmful substances that are brought into homes on shoes. This project demonstrates the potential for UV-C light to serve as a preventative surface-sanitizing method in residential settings.

No Heartbreak O Meter

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is a common heart rhythm disorder that affects the atria. AF can lead to blood clots, stroke, sudden cardiac arrest, dementia, and heart failure. AF contributes to more than 20% of ischemic strokes and causes nearly half a million hospitalizations in the US annually. The deathrate from AF has been increasing for more than two decades. Because of the risks associated with AF, the need for daily monitoring is great. While heart rate monitors do exist to report heart rate readings, they do not necessarily interpret readings. In cases of AF, this can lead to misinterpretation of the readings because the therapeutic heart beat range may not be the same as standard parameters. The goal of this project was to create a heart rate monitor that would help those with AF understand if their heart rate was in therapeutic range. The heart rate monitor software was created by using Arduino Uno and C++. The monitor was then tested on a participant with known long-standing persistent AF. The monitor appeared to work as expected. More participant testing is needed to determine the usefulness and effectiveness of this monitor.

Stress, The Silent Killer

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

My project is to research how a person’s stress level affects their Blood pressure, Heart rate, Body Mass Index and Sleep and thereby affect their health. I chose this topic because I see a lot of stressed people around me every day, and wanted to find if there is a correlation between stress and these factors. I studied the work of Dr. Sheldon Cohen regarding linkage between stress and biological health and understood that chronic stress is among the most common causes of mental/physical health problem. Dr. Cohen created the Perceived Stress Scale, that was used to score subjects stress levels. I chose adult subjects between the age of 20-50 and collect data on the noted items. Analysis revealed that with an increase in stress, the blood pressure and BMI increased. People with more stress were found to gain more weight probably due to increased levels of the hormone cortisol that promotes fat storage and slower metabolism. Higher BMI (obesity) is positively associated with higher Blood pressure. Stress also causes the release of hormones like adrenaline- which increases heart rate and narrows blood vessels and therefore increases blood pressure. Additionally, data revealed that people with a lot of stress are also sleep deprived. On the positive side, regular exercise was found to be a powerful stress reliever that helps increase the production of Beta-endorphins, the brain's natural "feel-good" chemicals. More research needs to be done on this to find ways to reduce stress in people for better health.

Stained Teeth

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

For my science fair project, I studied what stains teeth the most and how to remove those stains. I tested five different liquids people commonly drink, using ten eggs and stained two with each liquid to see which one would stain the eggs the most. I carefully observed and recorded the level of discoloration every 24 hours for five days. After figuring out which liquids stained the most, I wanted to see which type of toothpaste worked best to remove the stains, natural or chemical. I used Crest 3D White, which had the most chemical agents. I made a natural whitening toothpaste because Crest does not make a natural whitening toothpaste currently. My natural toothpaste included baking soda, coconut oil, and lemon juice. I applied both types of toothpaste on the stained eggs and let the tooth paste sit for 24 hours. Next, I observed which tooth paste removed the stains the best. Overall, my project helped me understand that some beverages can stain teeth more than others and that different whitening methods have different results. This experiment helped me see how everyday drinks can affect tooth color and how people can try different ways to keep their teeth clean and bright. I also discovered what toothpaste has in it and how bad it could be to your teeth. Doing this project taught me a lot about dental care and comparing natural and chemical solutions to a problem many people deal with every day.

Stretching Improves Athletic Performance

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

This year, my group and I decided to prevent injuries. Our research showed us that the best way to prevent injuries is stretching. We decided to test different stretches, and see which would increase athletic performance. We decided to run two laps around the soccer field for three days. Each day, we tested a different type of stretch, and timed everybody's run time to see how we improved. The runners were Zack, Max, and Santiago. Max ran the track in 2:39 seconds, Zack ran 3:20 seconds, and Santiago ran 3:01 seconds. The next day we did static stretching. Max got 2:33, Zack got 3:19, and Santiago got 3:05. Santiago's time did increase, but maybe one of the variables were different. The day after, we did dynamic stretching to see if our run times would be faster and if it would increase athletic performance. That day, Max got 2:31, Zack got 3:00 and Santiago got 2:55, which improved everybody's performance. Everybody's time improved. Our data shows that static stretching will cause an average of 2:50 if you were to run two laps around the soccer field. An average time with dynamic stretching would be 2:30. This shows stretching can really help boost performance out on any field or court, and it is a great routine to do before any running or sports!

Fluoride Armor: Protecting Calcium Compounds Against Acid Erosion

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

Fluoride is used in dental products to protect teeth against acid erosion through remineralization. In remineralization, fluoride ions bond with hydroxyapatite in tooth enamel to form fluorapatite, a mineral more acid resistant than hydroxyapatite. The objective of this experiment was to test the effect of fluoride ion concentration on acid resistance. Eggs are being used as a substitute for teeth because eggshells are composed of a calcium based-mineral, like teeth.
The hypothesis was that, if toothpaste with a higher fluoride ion concentration was used to coat the eggs, then the eggshells would be more acid resistant. Calcium fluoride is produced when fluoride ions bond with calcium carbonate, a mineral in eggshell. When toothpaste has a higher fluoride ion concentration, more calcium fluoride is produced. As a result, the eggs are more acid resistant.
To test the hypothesis, eggs sat in toothpaste for 3 hours and rested outside of toothpaste for 3 hours each cycle to absorb fluoride. Each egg sat in 250mL of acid solution (pH 3.25). The eggs were watched continuously each cycle. Egg hardness and weight were measured at the end of each cycle. Nine cycles were run. The fluoride ion concentrations in toothpaste ranged from 0% to 0.15%, the control group was exposed to nothing but acid.
The hypothesis was supported: as fluoride ion concentration increased, acid resistance increased. The experimental group with 0.15% fluoride ions lost the least average weight (1.04%), while the control group lost the most average weight (3.6%).

Ice Pack Water Bottle

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

Some people really struggle with dentin hypersensitivity. The "Ice Pack Water Bottle" is a water bottle with two chambers. The outer chamber is used to hold ice. This ice cools you drink. Not only does this stop the ice from touching your teeth (and causing pain), but we tested and found the level that creates right amount of ice for it to be as cold as possible, without reaching our tested and found temperature that causes pain.

Dream Or Stream?

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

My project is about how the usage of technology before heading to bed can affect our sleep quality and mood.

What Kind Of Drying Method Gets The Most Germs Off Efficiently?

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

In this project we learn about how drying your hands can affect how clean they are. Or whether they become more dirty after you wash your hands. Starting off, subjects rubbed their hands on things you might touch on the daily like door handles, lockers, keyboards, and railings. One by one subjects would wash their hands for 20 seconds with the same soap, same sink, same everything except for what they dried their hands with. The first 3 dried their hands with paper towels, 3 with a clean towel, the next with just the air around them lastly 3 with a hand dryer/ hair dryer. When their hands were dry they would get swabbed with a damp cotton swab and rubbed on the petri dish then taped and labeled. Next the dishes were taken to the Judge lab and placed them into the incubator at 81 degrees fahrenheit for 5 days. After the 5 days, they are ranked on a scale of 1-10.
The observations of the scores that there is no perfect way to dry your hands but paper towels or hand dryers had advantages. Paper towels had one very big outlier which is believed is because my subject touched the paper towel dispenser before fully drying her hands. The other two trials were much cleaner and the paper towels. were the most efficient. Hand dryers were the cleanest but did take almost the longest. Towels were dirtier but quick and air dry was clean but took longer.

How Much Vitamin C Are In Oranges The Longer They Are Off The Tree?

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

The purpose of this experiment was to determine how the amount of vitamin C in oranges changes the longer they are off the tree. Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that helps support the immune system, aids in wound healing, and prevents diseases such as scurvy. I hypothesized that oranges would lose vitamin C over time after being picked.

To test this, I used an iodine titration method with a starch indicator to measure the amount of vitamin C present in oranges at different time intervals. When iodine reacts with vitamin C, it remains colorless until all the vitamin C is used up. Once the vitamin C is gone, the iodine reacts with the starch indicator and turns blue-black. The amount of iodine needed to reach this color change shows how much vitamin C is in the orange sample.

The results showed that oranges left off the tree for a longer period required less iodine to reach the endpoint, indicating a lower amount of vitamin C. This supports my hypothesis that oranges lose vitamin C over time. In conclusion, storing oranges for long periods can reduce their nutritional value, and eating fresh oranges provides more vitamin C and better taste.

Ice Cream

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

Our project is about making ice cream and how to make it with different certain materials while still making it cold and ice cream texture and how we did this was to make a vanilla ice cream mixture and but in a separate bag add the ice and the thing that would change (salt, sugar, CaCL2).But as we kind of figured the CaCL2 did better than the sugar or the salt since we had students and staff at our school try it to see which one had better ice cream texture and the coldness. And as we kind of imagined the sugar one didn't do as well as the CaCl2 since it kind of melted when we had people try it. The salt one did okay but people liked the CaCL2 since it was better texture than both of them and wasn't melted like the sugar one so people liked it better than the rest. After we collected all our data and graphed our data and put it in our power point and our poster so people knew what our data was and which one was better ect.

Dental Decay

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

My project examines what drink has the biggest effect on teeth out of Coke, Diet Coke, coffee, and the popular energy drink Alani. For this project I poured each drink into separate glasses. Then, I put one hard boiled egg into each glass and observed them for three days. My hypothesis was that coffee would have the biggest effect on teeth. My independent variable was the drinks that I used in my experiment. My dependent variable was the amount of dental decay that I measured. My hypothesis was proven incorrect. The drink that had the biggest effect on decay was Alani, and the biggest effect on staining was Diet Coke. Ultimately, I learned how much everyday habits affect teeth.

High Sugar Drink Alternative, "Miracle Berry"

MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES

The purpose of my experiment was to find a drink that tastes sweet without the downsides of sugar, inspired by the high sugar content in many beverages. I learned that excessive sugar consumption can lead to serious health issues like diabetes and obesity, which in turn can cause high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and increase the risk of strokes and certain cancers. This highlighted the importance of reducing sugar intake.
In my research, I discovered an African berry called the miracle berry, known to make sour flavors taste sweet without sugar. The berry contains a glycoprotein called miraculin, which alters taste perception. I set up an experiment using three sour fruit juices—lemon, lime, and cranberry—similar to sweetened drinks like lemonade and cocktails, to test if the miracle berry could make them taste sweet.
I created a packet for each participant to rank the juices based on sweetness and sourness before and after consuming the berry. The results indicated that the berry effectively transformed the sour juices, enhancing their sweetness. I asked participants two questions: “Did you like the juice?” and “Would you drink the juice again?” After using the miracle berry, 93.8% of participants said they would drink the lemon and lime juices again, while 78% would choose the cranberry juice. Overall, my project successfully demonstrated a way to create sweet drinks without added sugar.

Comparative Modeling Of Lung Cancer Progression Using Gompertz And Baranyi Kinetic Frameworks

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

This project investigated which mathematical model, the Gompertz model or the Baranyi model, more accurately predicts lung cancer tumor growth. Using simulated tumor-volume data in Google Sheets, both models were applied and fitted to the same dataset to compare their prediction patterns and long-term behavior. The Gompertz model demonstrated a sharper early growth rise followed by a rapid slowdown, while the Baranyi model captured a slower initial adaptation phase before acceleration. Results showed that the Baranyi model more closely followed the early-stage growth pattern, while the Gompertz model provided stronger long-term predictive stability. These findings suggest that model selection may depend on the question being asked: early detection and short-term forecasting may benefit from Baranyi predictions, whereas long-term tumor projection may be better represented by Gompertz modeling. Understanding which model best reflects real tumor growth contributes to improved cancer prediction, planning, and timing of treatment strategies.

When A Magnet Loses Its Cool!

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

This experiment, based on Science Buddies’ methodology, examined how temperature affects the permanent magnet’s strength. The experiment involved exposing the magnet to cold water, boiling water, freezer, and room temperature to see if temperature affects magnetic domains. The results showed that magnet strength will increase at cooler temperature. Therefore, any products that utilize permanent magnets need to take into consideration the temperature to improve efficiency.

Hand Position And Accuracy In Volleyball

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

I wanted to do this experiment because volleyball is a sport I really enjoy and care about. I play volleyball and practice serving often, so I was curious about which type of serve is the most accurate. I noticed that underhand, overhand, and jump serves all use different hand positions, and I wanted to find out how those differences affect accuracy. Doing this project allowed me to connect my passion for volleyball with science in a fun and meaningful way. In this experiment, four players with different experience levels tested underhand, overhand, and jump serves. Each serve was tried eight times, and accuracy was measured by how often the ball hit a target. Three out of four players were most accurate using the overhand serve, especially those with more experience. The results show that hand position affects how much control a player has over the ball, and the best serve can depend on a player’s skill level.

Magnets Imitating Gravity

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

I am passionate about space and looking at the night sky and planets and how they rotate. I was curious if I could create an orbit using magnets to represent the gravity that that keeps the planets in orbit. My hypothesis is that magnets can recreate gravity's role in the orbit of planets in the solar system. The experiment involved using 3 ping-pong balls to represent different planets, each with a different number of magnets inside. There were also different-sized steel balls to represent the sun and centrifugal force. The ping-pong ball planets were slowly rotated around the steel center ball to see if they would create an orbit. A steel ball was added to represent centrifugal force except for the control group. Each trial was timed to see how long it takes for the ping-pong ball to magnetize to the center steel ball. Durations were recorded on a data sheet. The two different independent variables are the number of magnets inside the ping-pong balls and the different-sized steel balls. The dependent variable was how long the ping-pong balls stayed in orbit. Results showed that the ping-pong ball with two magnets inside created more sustainable orbits, compared to the control group, and to the other ping-pong ball planets. Based on my project, magnets can recreate gravity's role to represent some of what happens with planets and their orbita in the solar system.

How The Size Of An Electromagnet Affects Its Strength

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

The purpose of this experiment was to find out how the number of wire coils affects the strength of an electromagnet. An electromagnet was made by wrapping copper wire around a metal bolt and connecting it to an AA battery. The independent variable was the number of wire coils, and the dependent variable was the strength of the electromagnet, measured by how many steel ball bearings and nails it could pick up. Electromagnets with 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, and 150 coils were tested. The results showed that as the number of coils increased, the electromagnet became stronger up to 100 coils. After 100 coils, the strength started to decrease, likely because of increased resistance and heat in the wire. The data supported the hypothesis and showed that the number of wire coils has a clear effect on the strength of an electromagnet.

Go With The Flow!

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

When in war, submarines need to be silent and undetectable to the enemy but also as quick as possible to avoid the enemy and be able to escape surprise attacks. Strong magnets can be placed in the hulls of submarines, agitating the molecules of the saltwater, and, through the Lorentz Force, quickly and quietly move the submarine without a trace of bubbles. These magnets also cancel out the natural magnetic field of the submarine, allowing them to remain even more undetectable to the enemy. The point of this experiment was to figure out which of 3 magnets accelerated saltwater the most, and therefore was the best for submarines. It was hypothesized that the strongest millitesla magnet would accelerate the saltwater the most as it was the strongest and, according to the Lorentz Force, the stronger the magnet, the more agitated the saltwater molecules will be leading to a faster flow. This experiment was done by inserting two pipes into the ends of a valve and one of the pipes into the bucket. Magnets were taped to the other pipe. Salt and water were mixed in a 3.5% salt solution (the approximate salt percentage of the ocean) and placed in the bucket; later, the water was let out while a stopwatch was running, and when the water reached a mark the time was recorded. The hypothesis was supported because the strongest magnet did speed up the flow the most

Resistance Is Futile

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

The goal of this project was to determine if glass can be made to conduct electricity. Glass is a well known resistor. However, literature suggests that glass containing high levels of impurities may allow electric current to flow. Also, literature suggests that when glass is heated, electrons may become liberated and move more freely, allowing for current to pass.

The experiment used two different types of glass fulgurites. These were made by applying a large voltage (using a microwave transformer) into beach sand and silica-based kitty litter. Pure glass rods were also tested.

A low voltage was applied to the fulguites/rods at room temperature, at ~1200 degrees F, and at ~2500 degrees F. The resulting amperage was measured and recorded.

It was observed that none of the fulgurites/rods were able to sustain an electric current. However, the kitty-litter based fulgurite showed brief spikes in amperage at ~2500 degrees F, suggesting that these may be able to conduct electricity at higher temperatures.

The most surprising result was that the sand-based and kitty-litter based fulgurites showed significantly higher heat resistance than the pure glass rods. The pure glass began to deform and melt at approximately 1200 degrees F, while the fulgurites showed no signs of deformation or melting, even at >2500 degrees F. This warrants further investigation in a future project, as heat-resistant glass may be used in many industrial applications.

The Surprising Strength Of Eggshells. How Strong Are Different Eggshells?

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

My question is how much weight can be placed on different breeds of chicken eggshells. And also, to see if home grown chickens lay stronger eggs than store eggshells. My hypothesis is that the home-grown chickens will lay stronger eggs than the chickens that lay store eggs.

The Frequency Factor

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

The purpose of this project was to show how string thickness affects tension on a guitar string. This report also examined whether it only mattered the note that was tuned to, regardless of string thickness. To do this project, I used a guitar, multiple strings, and tuners to record the tension. When I tuned the strings, I counted each turn by fourths and wrote down the amount of turns it took to tune each string. The number of turns required to tune each string was recorded. After recording the turns of each string, patterns were analyzed. I found that the string gauge did not significantly affect the number of turns required, but that the note being tuned to had a greater effect. Each string ended up having similar results. For example, the E2 string with a gauge of 8 took 4 turns to tune, and the 11-gauge E2 string took 4.5 turns to tune, producing similar results when tuned to the same note. My hypothesis was that the higher the string, the more tension and turns would be required to tune the string, but this hypothesis was not supported by the data. The low E and G strings produced similar results, as did the A2 and B3 strings, and the D3 and high E4 strings. These results demonstrated that string gauge had less effect on tuning effort than pitch. This information could be applied by guitar players to better understand how string thickness affects tuning.

Seeing The Unseen Using A Cloud Chamber To Detect Background Radiation

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

The purpose of this experiment is to detect background radiation using a cloud chamber. Background radiation is the low-level radiation that is constantly present in the environment, even when nothing radioactive is nearby. The hypothesis was that if elevation changes, then the number of radiation particles detected in a cloud chamber would change. Background radiation was observed using a homemade cloud chamber, a scientific device that makes invisible radiation visible. I constructed the cloud chamber using a glass cup, black felt, and isopropyl alcohol. I used dry ice to cool down the cloud chamber to a low temperature so that a thin mist of supersaturated vapor formed. Radiation particles leave visible trails as the vapor condenses along their paths. On average per experiment, approximately 20 horizontal trails, 11 vertical trails, and 9 slanted trails were observed. Although data was collected, the results were inconclusive due to too small elevation differences, the high speed of radiation particles, and difficulty replicating the experiment consistently at different elevations.

How Does Magnet Strength And Wire Thickness Affect Electromagnetic Induction?

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

Abstract:
Electromagnetic induction is important because we see and use it in everyday life, such as fans, heaters, dishwashers, drills, and power generation. This project explores Faraday’s Law and Ampere Maxwell’s Law by looking at how magnet strength and wire thickness affects electromagnetic induction. It was Hypothesized that the thicker the wire is, the more current will be observed, for a given magnet strength, and that the greater the magnet strength under and above a coil of wire, of a given wire thickness, the more induced current will be observed.
This was explored by first creating 3 different induction coils. Each coil was wound 200 times across the same diameter, and each coil had a different wire thickness. 4 ferrite disk magnet pairs were used to create a current in each of the induction coils. The data was collected by placing one magnet on the table and then placing the induction coil on that magnet. Both ends of the induction coil were attached to the Galvanometer/Ammeter. One more magnet was placed on top of the coil and bobbed up and down directly over the induction coil. The current moved the needle on the Ammeter; it picked up the current that was created from the magnet and the coil.
It was discovered that the above hypotheses were correct. The thicker the wire was, the more current was observed. This means that the thicker wire had more copper in it, and this is because more copper generates more electrons. It was observed that the more magnet strength, the more current was observed out of all the coils, even the thinnest one. This means that more current was generated from the coils by adding more magnet strength.

Magnetic Brakes

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

My project, Magnetic Brakes, investigated the effect of magnet strength on the speed of a magnet falling through a copper pipe. My hypothesis was that if the magnet was stronger, the magnet would fall slower than if it was weaker. I tested this by dropping three different magnets into a 5 foot long copper pipe and testing how long it takes to fall. I also dropped a non magnetic dowel pin of the same dimensions and weight of the magnets as a control.
This experiment relies on Lenz’s Law. Lenz’s law states that “the direction of the current induced in a conductor by a changing magnetic field is such that the magnetic field created by the induced current opposes the initial changing magnetic field.” This means that if a magnet is falling through a conductor like copper, it will generate a magnetic field that opposes the magnetic field of the falling magnet (or vice versa). This opposing magnetic field will slow the magnet down.
My results showed that my hypothesis was right. My non magnetic dowel pin fell through the pipe in an average of 0.57 seconds. My N35 magnet fell at an average of 8.60 seconds per fall, my N45 magnet fell at an average of 10.95 seconds per fall, and my N52 magnet fell at an average of 12.62 seconds per fall. Some of the magnets were damaged during the experiment but it didn't seem like it caused too many problems.

Sound Breaking Through The Wall

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

My project is about how well sound can travel through diffrant density materials and I ended up incorrect and out of the cardboard, wood, and steel, the steel let the least out and the least dense(the cardboard). I did it by putting a speaker in tree difrant things a tote, a cooler, and a tire and then measured the decibels coming out of the material that was pleased on it to cover the top. I did it with the tire, tote, and cooler because it shows that the sound is coming out and through the material and not through the walls of the things that it is in.

How Does The Color Of An Object Affect How Much Heat It Absorbs?

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

Different colors of crayons melt at different rates when exposed to heat in this experiment. Crayons of various colors were glued onto paper and placed at the same distance from a heat source. The time it took for each crayon halfway was recorded. The experiment was repeated over 3 trials to improve accuracy and observe patterns In melting time. The results were organized using line and bar graphs with each color crayon represented separately. The data showed that some crayon colors reached the halfway melting point faster than others. Overall, the experiment demonstrated how the heat exposure affects how quickly crayons melt, and that crayon color can influence their rate of melting likely due to their colors

Does The Air Pressure Inside An Indoor Volleyball Affect It's Distance?

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

The average air pressure inside a volleyball is between 4.26-4.61 pounds per square inch (psi), but I want to know what will happen to the distance of the serve if the air pressure changes. I used an indoor volleyball and I used a pressure gauge to measure the pressure in the volleyball and to figure out the exact pressure I needed to serve the ball at a high pressure of 5.0psi, a low pressure of 3.5psi, and a regulation pressure of 4.3psi. I served each volleyball five times (a total of 15 serves) and put the data into a graph to calculate which air pressure affected the volleyball's distance the most. In conclusion, the regulation pressure was the best for the volleyball.

Picking Up Speed

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

ABSTRACT
My project “Picking Up Speed”
Is about measuring the speed of a
Simple electric motor based on the
Number of magnets in the motor. The
Reason i chose this project was to find
a way to make electric motors:
safer , simpler, more efficient
And better for the environment.
I found the best possible solution to be
Increasing the number of magnets in an
Electric motor, rather than decreasing
The distance-(most machines and appliances are
Already compact) and increasing the
Voltage-which makes the motor more dangerous
Increasing the number of accidents and
Casualties that occur with electric motors
in everyday appliances such as: car accidents,
Plane crashes, failures in medical equipment,
Drones, elevators ,and even in fluid and air
Systems (such as HVAC and water pumps).
By choosing this project i can help save lives
And help make this world safer !
I found on average if you increase
The magnets by 1 the speed increases on an average of 53% after countless trials.

Blood Stain Analysis: Is Blood Stain Pattern And Spatter Analysis Accurate In Determining The Speed A Person Used To Leave A Crime Scene On Foot?

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

This science fair project was about determining the speed that was used to leave a crime scene, based off the blood stain/drops left behind by the victim of the crime. My hypothesis was that I would be able to accurately tell the difference between walking and running/jogging, but would not be able to tell the difference between running and jogging. The experiment was performed three times: one where the subject ran, another where the subject walked, and a third experiment where the subject jogged. It was a blind scenario analysis, meaning I was unaware of which experiment was running, walking or jogging. The data was collected from each scene by measuring the size, shape, and distance of each drop. The data was then analyzed to attempt to figure out which scenario was walking, jogging, or running. My hypothesis was proved incorrect; I predicted the correct speed of the victim leaving the “crime scene” in all three of the scenarios. The running and jogging scenarios had a a much greater difference than what I believed there would be. A shocking part of my experiment was that the size of the jogging droplets was larger than the walking because of the bounce caused by a jog rather than a walk or a run.

Temperature Control On Magnets

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

This project investigated how temperature affects the strength of a magnet. The strength of the magnet was measured by counting how many paper clips it could lift after being placed in cold water and hot water for 30, 60, and 90 seconds. Each test was repeated three times and the averages were recorded. The results showed that the magnet lifted more paper clips after being in cold water and fewer paper clips after being in hot water. As the time in hot water increased, the magne became weaker, while cold water helped the magnet maintain or sligh increase its strength. These results support the hypothesis that heat weakens a magnet by disrupting magnetic domains, while cold temperatures help keep them aligned.

The Sky Is Falling

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

When people make toys with parachutes, they usually use plastic. Is this because it stays in the air longer, or because it is cheaper and more durable? For my science fair project, I tested 3 different materials with the goal of seeing which was the most effective material for a parachute to be made of. I tested this by creating multiple tests to measure the air time of three different material parachutes each dropped at several different measured heights. My hypothesis was I think the plastic parachute will stay in the air the longest because it is the lightest material. From my findings, plastic won as the longest to stay in the air with a close second of paper and fabric landing in third. I was correct in my hypothesis that plastic was the best material for parachutes.

The Cloud Chamber

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

Do you realize you are constantly getting swarmed by particles? You do not hear, see, or smell them but they will always be there. These particles collectively are called background radiation. They might even travel through you without ever interacting with the molecules in your body. In this science project, we will build our own cloud chamber to prove the existence of background radiation. We will then use our cloud chamber to determine if the background radiation in your environment appears to be random.

Bottle Rockets

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

We were able to make a fuel source for our bottle rockets, using the combination of baking soda and vinegar. We measured the height of how high it went. We used vinegar to baking soda ratio to determine the amount of resource we use in our bottle rockets. We changed the vinegar ratio to see if it could increase or decrease how high the rocket goes.

Race To Burn

PHYSICS, ASTRONOMY & MATH

The purpose of my project was to determine which extinguishing substance was most effective at putting out a small fire rather than to prevent flames from burning populated areas. My hypothesis was that out of the three substances that I used, which were water, baking soda, and burn spray, the burn spray would extinguish the fire the fastest due to removing multiple elements of the fire triangle, and the baking soda would perform the worst due to only affecting the area where it was applied. The independent variable in this experiment was the extinguishing substance, and the dependent variable was the time it took for the fire to extinguish, with the control being a fire disc allowed to burn without intervention. To begin this experiment, four fire discs were placed on a metal tray and ignited by an adult mentor until fully engulfed in flames. After the discs were fully engulfed, one extinguishing agent was applied to the center of each disc, and the time from application until the flames were fully extinguished was recorded. The data collected in this experiment consisted of the time required to extinguish each fire disc. My data showed that the burn spray was the most effective in putting out the fire, and the baking soda was the least effective in extinguishing the flame, while water showed moderate effectiveness, thus supporting my hypothesis in this experiment.

Color Changing Flowers

PLANT SCIENCES

My project is abought how fast white daisy petals will change color depending on the color of food dye used to color them. Different dye molecules have different sizes and i explore how the size of the dye molecule affects how easily it can travel through the plant via capillary action. I found that blue food dye, having the smallest molecules, can travel faster to the flowers petals. I also learned that the amount of dye in the water has to be substantial for the flower to draw it into the petals, as my first experiment failed when the water didn't have enough dye.

Bio Buddies

PLANT SCIENCES

We conducted our experiment to figure out whether organic or synthetic nutrient sources will optimize the biomass of bean plants. The reason we did this is so people can know what works best for plants to produce safe/edible food for humans and animals alike. We did this by testing leaf litter, chemical fertilizer, sunlight, and LED light on bean plants to see what works best.

Determining How The Amount Of Light Affects A Plant's Phototropic Response

PLANT SCIENCES

How does the distance from a grow lamp affect how much a plant bends toward the light? I believe that the amount of light a plant receives will directly affect how strongly it bends toward that light source. This is because plants use light not only for photosynthesis but also as a signal that guides their growth direction. The bending movement, known as phototropism, is controlled by a plant hormone called auxin. Auxin gathers on the side of the stem that is away from the light, causing those cells to grow longer and push the plant toward the light source. My hypothesis is: If a plant receives more light, then its phototropic response will be stronger, causing it to bend more toward the light source. I expect that plants exposed to bright light will show greater bending angles than those grown in low light.

Experimental Procedure:
Place each plant inside a box with a 2 by 2 inch hole on the side to let light in.
Shine different amounts of light into each box, one closest to the light, one a little farther away from the light, and one farthest from the light.
Keep all other conditions (such as water, temperature, and soil) the same.
Observe the plants every day for a couple of weeks
Measure how much each plant bends toward the light using a ruler or protractor.
Record the data and compare how the different light amounts affected plant bending.

In conclusion, my hypothesis was proven correct, as the plant closest to the grow lamp (Plant 1) had the most movement to the light, and the most growth, whereas Plant 2 and Plant 3 had less growth towards the light, because they were farther away from the grow lamp.

The Impact Of Radiation On Seed Growth

PLANT SCIENCES

The purpose of my project is to explore the effects of radiation on different types of seeds, beans and sunflowers, and their growth. I hypothesized that higher doses of radiation would stunt plant growth and that seeds with shells would be more protected. I used irradiated seeds provided by Dr. Edward Cazalas at the University of Utah. The seeds were planted and cared for over 2 weeks. The growth of the plants was measured. Subjective assessments on plant health were also noted. The data support the hypothesis that radiation has a negative effect on seed growth. The seeds exposed to higher doses of radiation had either delayed sprouting or did not sprout at all. The seeds with shells seemed to provide a benefit. This can provide some insight into the effect of radiation on plant life as a food source.

Bubbling Plants

PLANT SCIENCES

The objective of this project is to find the amount of oxygen produced by an Elodea plant based on the distance from light. The Elodea plant had either an absence of light or was placed 5 inches, 10 inches, or 15 inches away from the light source. It was hypothesized that the Elodea that was 10 inches away from the light would produce the most amount of bubbles. After the Elodea plants sat in cold spring water for a day, a photosynthesis apparatus was created to find the amount of oxygen the plant produced. After 15 minutes, the amount of bubbles produced were counted for 2 minutes. Surprisingly, the results showed that the Elodea placed 5 inches away from the light produced the most amount of bubbles. As expected, the control group and Elodea 15 inches from the light had the least amount of bubbles but it was not expected for the Elodea 10 inches away to produce the second-most amount of bubbles. This was most likely caused because the light source was too far for the plant to get enough to photosynthesize. In the research, the distance from light could harm the plant’s cells if too close, but the plant that was 5 inches from the light was producing the most amount of oxygen, meaning the light wasn’t close enough to cause much damage to the plant. The distance from the light source affects the amount of photosynthesis which occurs in a plant because of the intensity of the light.

Mycelium Bioplastics

PLANT SCIENCES

This project explores the effect of culturing mycelium with glycerin for added flexibility and corn starch for extra strentgh.

Pollution In The Ocean

PLANT SCIENCES

I wanted to find out how oil pollution affects plants that live in that polluted water. I wanted to know this because this is important to the life cycle, which, if it has a large effect, could greatly harm the animals in the ocean as well. I hypothesize that if there is more pollution in the water, then the plants will die faster.

Plant: The Musical

PLANT SCIENCES

Plant: The Musical tests which genres of music are best for plant growth. I researched from multiple sources and all of them seemed to point to classical music being the best option for plant music. I tested 12 radish seeds, 4 seeds for each genre, which are classical, rock, and no sound, all with an identical watering schedule and sunlight exposure. Over a period of 7 days, or a week, the genre with the best results was classical music, with the tallest plant being approximately 2 inches, and the worst genre of music for plants was no sound, with the tallest only being around half an inch. If I were to further experiment with this project, I would change the noise level to see if the noise of something could affect the plant growth.

Is Moss An Effective Ground Cover For Xeriscaping?

PLANT SCIENCES

Xeriscaping is the design of landscapes to reduce the need to irrigate plants. Moss is a groundcover plant lacking roots or a developed vestibular system, most commonly found in shady, moist environments. Moss absorbs water through capillary action. This experiment tests if moss is an effective ground cover for xeriscaping. My prediction is that moss won’t be an effective ground cover because it will absorb all the water. The procedure had 12 plants (white yarrow and blue iris) and placed moss on half of the plants’ soil. The plants were watered every day, and the moisture level of the soil was recorded for each plant every night. Observations of the plants’ growth were recorded. The data was fit into graphs representing the soil moisture levels of plants with and without moss on water and non-water days. Analysis of the data showed the order of highest moisture level to lowest moisture level was: plants with moss on water days, plants with moss on non-water days, plants without moss on water days, and plants without moss on non-water days. This occurred because moss on the soil prevents evaporation. The moss became overwatered, and there were no differences in growth, showing that moss is not an effective ground cover for xeriscaping. For future experiments, more species of moss and different watering methods could be tested. This experiment is helpful because xeriscaping is very popular in dry states, and finding plants or ground covers that can be used is very beneficial to the process.

How Do Different Color Lights Affect Plant Growth

PLANT SCIENCES

For my science fair project, I wanted to determine how different colors of light affect plant growth. I tested bush beans using red, blue, and white light. My hypothesis was that blue light would do the best because blue enhances photosynthesis, while red mainly triggers it and white is a controlled neutral between the two, representing the color of the sun. The independent variable was the color of light used, and the dependent variable was the rate of plant growth.
After four weeks, I determined that blue light did the best, followed by red and then white. The red plant sprouted upside down and was a day or two behind the blue plant, but it recovered and almost caught up. The white plant never really shot up and stayed around the same height, sometimes growing only ¼ inch in a day or not at all. I thought this was odd because the white plant had larger leaves and should have been able to perform photosynthesis more easily.
In the end, my hypothesis was correct and I learned many interesting facts about how plants grow. I was shocked at how quickly they grew in a single day and how just how resilient they are. If I did this experiment again, I would use more and different types of plants to improve my results. However, I am very happy with how everything turned out and would definitely continue this experiment in the future.

The Key Is Tea

PLANT SCIENCES

My project was to test if teas can affect plant growth. I was trying to find out if there's another way to water plants and which type of tea is the best for growing a plant. I hypothesized that teas would help the plants grow because of the nutrients in the tea leaves. My method was to use different teas and put the prepared tea liquids in the refrigerator to prevent bacteria growth and used a plant light during the day. I also used water and sugar water to compare the growth of the plants using something other than tea. The seeds watered with water and sugar water did not grow. Out of all the teas, the plant watered with Chamomile had the most growth. However, all seeds watered with teas grew and stayed alive throughout the experiment. My conclusion is that tea can help plants grow and provide nutrients for them to stay alive.

Exposing Plants To Sunlight

PLANT SCIENCES

My project is about exposing plants to sunlight at specific times. I will have six in total. Three in the morning, three in the afternoon. Later, I will be observing and writing it down on my data. Also, I think that the afternoon sunlight will help grow my plants because it has a warmer temperature. Another reason is because I think it takes a longer time to have sunlight. Morning can have a longer time but, not a warm temperature. I will also be measuring how tall the plant grew. My plants are next to windows. They will be on different windows because the morning sunlight comes from the southwest. Afternoon comes from the northeast. I think that it is more helpful where it hits sunlight. Later on I will change the plant into a bigger pot.

University of UtahScience & Engineering Fair

SAVE THE DATE: March 10-13, 2026

Junior Project Abstracts

Does Music Affect The Learning Of A Dyslexic Child?

Bubble…Bubble…Pop!

Before The Crash: When A Blink Changes Everything

Age Old Question: Brain Vs Brawn

Does Mood Affect Test Scores?

The Correlation Between Studying Time And Grade Performance

The Impact Of Social Media On Teen’s Mental Health

Thinking To The Beat

Color Preference In Horses

Catching More Z's: How Do Different Pre Bedtime Routines Impact The Quality Of Different Sleep Stages For Adults?

Pucker Up

Does The Color Of A Food Or Drink Effect How People Perceive Its Taste?

Minty Minds

How Different Ages Detect Scammers

Flexibility With Age And Gender

The Sound Of Focus

Snooze Tunes

The Effect Of Exercise On Memory And Reaction Time In Adolescents

The Power Of Exercise

Does Clothing Affect Or Impact The Behaviors Of Others

Do Dogs Have A Dominant Paw?

Autism Bias

Can You Change The Compromise Effect Of Decision Making?

Instasham Should I Be Allowed To Get Social Media

Sour Patch Kids

Meditaion Matters

Bot Tling Up Emotions: How Ai Chatbots Interpret & Respond To Emotionally Challenging Scenarios

Light Pollution

Miracle? Berries

A Matter Of Taste

Now You See Me...

How Does Exposure To Blue Light Affect Memory And Reaction Time?

Was It Always Like That ?

How Does The Stroop Affect Works?

Can I Influence The Compromise Effect Of Decision Making?

Are Your Daily Habits Affecting Your Sleep And How Stressed You Are?

Do The Factors That Cause Stress Change In Between Genders?

Shell We Compare? A Study Of Egg Growth.

Parakeet Preferences

Brick By Brick: The Influence Of Substrate Composition On The Structural Integrity Of Mycelium Bricks

Putting A Little Heart Into Your Music

Fabulous Flexible Films

How Does P H Affect The Growth Of Bacteria?

The Glow Show

How Do Sugar Substitutes Affect Yeast Reproduction

Blood: What Can We Learn From It

Osmosis Water Battle

Temperature Effects On The Ph Levels Of Grape Anthoocyanins

Bleach Damage

Chill Out, Apple!

Effect Of Exercise On Cognitive Ability

How Does Water Temperature Affect Guppies Behavior

Is The Five Second Rule True

What's So Different About Our Drinking Water

How Does The Type Of Liquid Used Affect The Success Of Forming Boba Popping Spheres

Cloudy With A Chance Of Spf

Gimme Some Sugar

Catalyzed Oxidation

Bubbling With Energy

Chipped Or Champion: Does Nail Polish Price Predict Durability

Why Do Apples Brown? What Substances Slow The Browning?

How Do Different Types Of Sugar Affect The Fermentation Of A Kombucha Scoby

Power Of P H

Fruit Vs Lemons

The Effect Of Hydrogen Peroxide On The Speed And Volume Of The Elephant Toothpaste Reaction

Reactivation Of Aluminas For The Removal Of T Butylcatechol From Isoprene

Crystral Growing

Glucose Concentration In Different Food Categories

Heat Sensitivity In Natural Food Coloring

The Effect Of P H On Vitamin C In Orange Juice

Catalase Vs. Hydrogen Peroxide

Do Different Drinks Affect The Shape Of Popping Boba Balls

Chemical Free Texture Powder

Chemiluminescence‘S Essence

Lithium Ion Battery Performance And Cold Temperature

Fuel For Thought

Go With The Flow

University of Utah
Science & Engineering Fair