Local schools compete in Science and Technology Fair at Alfred State College

Pictured are the students who were awarded for their projects at Alfred State’s 20th annual Regional Science and Technology Fair. In the front row, from left to right, are Lemuel Fiegle, Christy Childs, Gail Patton, Nicholas Gray, and Aurelia Hoover. In the back row, from left to right, are Matthew Robinson, Catherine Pryzbyla, Laura Wilhelm, Shayla Wilhelm, and Nathan Armstrong. Not Pictured are Clayton Cheney and McKenzie Calderwood.

More than 100 outstanding scientific projects by students from 13 area school districts were featured in Alfred State’s 20th annual Regional Science and Technology Fair.
Participating districts included Addison, Alfred-Almond, Archbishop Walsh STCS, Bolivar-Richburg, Cassadaga Valley, Friendship, Hinsdale, Hornell, Houghton Academy, Lima Christian School, Portville, Prattsburgh, and St. Ann’s Academy.
A total of 180 students presented 158 science and technology projects to the judges for a chance at a share of the $1,590 in prize money. Participants were divided into three divisions: senior (grades 10-12), junior (grades seven through nine), and novice (grades four through six).
Winners in the senior division included first-place winner ($250) Laura Wilhelm from Portville with “Liquid Ice Melt for the Common Consumer,” second-place winner ($150) Gail Patton from Hinsdale with “What’s in a Face?,” and third-place winner ($100) Nathan Armstrong from Hinsdale with “It’s Time to Strike.”
Winners in the junior division included first-place winner ($250) Catherine Pryzbyla from Archbishop Walsh with “Self Control: The Marshmallow Test,” second-place winner ($150) Christy Childs from Hinsdale with “Preserving?,” and third-place winner ($100) Lemuel Fiegl from Lima Christian School with “Hacking the Air Gap.”
Winners in the novice division included first-place winner ($50) Nicholas Gray from St. Ann’s Academy with “Slippery Slopes – Investigating the Angle of Repose and its Impact on Slope Stability,” second-place winner ($25) McKenzie Calderwood from Prattsburgh with “Power of Precipitation,” and third-place winner ($15) Clayton Cheney from Prattsburgh with “Tap, Sap, Boil.”
The grand prize ($500) went to Shayla Wilhelm from Portville with “Aluminum SiO₂ Coated Optical Mirror Deterioration with Epoxy Resin.”
The People’s Choice Award resulted in a tie between (Certificate/Ribbon) Matthew Robinson from Hornell with “The Making of the Grand Canyon” and Aurelia Hoover from St. Ann’s Academy with “Separating Ink: Water vs. Alcohol.”
Winning Outstanding School awards were Prattsburgh (novice division), Hinsdale (junior division), and Portville (senior division). All Outstanding School winners received a silver tray.
Each participant received a certificate of participation, and individual ribbons were presented to first-, second-, and third-place prize winners in all divisions. The Science and Technology Fair was sponsored by Otis Eastern of Wellsville, with additional funding provided by ACES, Thermo-Fisher Scientific, Alfred State Student Senate, Alfred State Science Society Club, the Physical and Life Sciences Department, the American Chemical Society, and Wards Scientific.
Additionally, about 80 volunteers consisting of faculty, staff, students, community members, and alumni assisted with the fair. Alfred State thanks everyone who helped make the 20th annual Regional Science and Technology Fair possible.