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Sonomans fare well at science fair

It’s science fair season and dozens of Sonoma school students jumped into cars and buses last week to head over to Sonoma State University to compete in the Synopsys–Sonoma County Science Fair.

More than 120 middle- and high-school students from 19 schools around the county participated, a record number of schools and participants.

The elaborate and painstakingly documented science fair projects ranged from biology, chemistry, physics and astronomy, behavioral science, general science, health and human biology, mathematics, agricultural sciences, environmental science, earth and planetary science and cognitive sciences to electronics-electromagnetism. More than 60 local scientists, businesspeople and teachers served as judges and spoke with students about their projects.

Sonoma State University hosted the event for the first time this year, and students took part in workshops by professors and college students on DNA extraction, science careers and chemical indicators. The SSU Chemistry and Physics Clubs put on demonstrations and the SSU Nursing Club and NASA Outreach programs provided educational displays.

This year, 44 students earned blue (first place) ribbons, 11 of which were from the city of Sonoma. Blue ribbon winners from grades seven to 12 will be invited to go on to the Bay Area Science Fair in March.

The three participating Sonoma schools were Altimira Middle School (led by teachers Eric Fessenden and Dutch Van Herwynen) which sent eight students; St. Francis Solano School (led by teacher Natalie Salvatto) sent 10 students; and the Presentation School (led by teacher Katie Faircloth) sent five students.

From Altimira Middle School:

• First place:

Kohana Bowman (seventh grade): Fonts: How different fonts do affect the way your brain remembers written information

Sam Little (eighth grade): Sodium Chloride Versus Aspirin: Testing the effects of how aspirin counteracts salt stress in plants

Karen Torres (seventh grade): Tented Versus Non Tented: Does tenting penstemon cuttings produce more roots than non-tented cuttings

• Second place:

Molly Brown (seventh grade): What is the Most Effective Way to Clean a Sponge? Different methods for getting rid of bacteria

Annette Lee (sixth grade): How Soil Mixture Affects Water Retention

Nicolas Spanger (sixth grade): The Effect of Height on Sound Transmission

• Third place:

Justin Cox and Nathan Jaymot (sixth grade): Can Peas Grow in Salt Water?

From St. Francis Solano:

• First place:

Quinn Cordero (eighth grade): Oil Spill! A Project on Polypropylene vs. Natural Products Absorbing Oil

Grace Cutting (eighth grade): Soda Sobriety: An Experiment Determining How Students' Opinions About Their Soda Consumption Will Be Affected After Viewing a Tangible Model of the Amount of Sugar in a Can of Soda

Marco Della Santina (eighth grade): Cookin' Colors: An Experiment to Determine Which Color Absorbs the Greatest Amount of Thermal Energy

Nick George (sixth grade): A Question of Light! An Experiment on Whether to Use Hydroponic Light or Natural Sunlight for the Fastest Plant Growth

Campbell Martin (eighth grade): Oh Shoot! An Experiment on Whether or Not Video Games Affect One's Accuracy in Recreational Target Shooting

Alison Perkins (sixth grade): Stain, Stain, Go Away: An Experiment on Stain Remover Effectiveness

• Second place:

Nick Biaggi (seventh grade): Blast Off! An Experiment on the Altitudes and Aerodynamics of Model Rockets

Nicole Hanson (seventh grade): See It, Hear It, Touch It! An Experiment to Determine the Most Effective Way of Learning

• Third place:

Dylan Cavaz (eighth grade): Super Solar Power: An Experiment on the Types of Solar Panels, and the Amount of Energy Produced Through the Day for a Solar Car

Nathaniel Silva (seventh grade): What's the Max? An Experiment on Hydraulic Fluids and How Much Weight They Can Lift

In addition, Della Santina, Cordero and Perkins won cash prizes.

From the Presentation School:

• First place: 

Renee Serota (eighth grade): Operation Drop It! The effect of string length and surface area on parachute drag

Alexandra Garber (seventh grade): Rooftop Gardens: Are They a "Cool" Idea?

• Second place: 

Alexia Lema (seventh grade): How LED intensity varies with current

Natalie Gulrajani (seventh grade): Splatter Matters! What is the effect of angle and distance on splatter pattern?

• Third place: 

Corbin Cook (eighth grade): Bouncing Golf Balls: The effect of density on bounce height

Gulrajani was also awarded a cash prize.

Altimira Principal Will Deeths said, “This is only the second year that our school has entered the Sonoma County Science Fair and I’m so proud of our students. Participating in a science fair is a great deal of extra work for students and particularly our staff, and it was exciting to have that hard work rewarded with such impressive results. I’m excited that some of these projects will represent Altimira and Sonoma Valley at the Bay Area Science Fair. This is a true testament to the level of science education in our Valley.”