ROCK SPRINGS –– Western Wyoming Community College hosted the Southwest Regional Science Fair Jan. 30.

This year, 53 participants came from four different schools across the region. The fair is an opportunity for students to apply their STEM knowledge, engage in scientific thought, and gain innovative ideas and knowledge from peers and educators. Local STEM teachers dedicate much of their time to prepare their students for this educational opportunity.   

“The Science Fair is an opportunity for students around the state to showcase their ingenuity and creativity in the context of science. We greatly appreciate the students that participate, and their teachers and their family that support them” David Tanner, the school of math and science chair said.

The fair is an affiliate of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), which is the world’s largest international pre-college science competition.

This year participants presented 36 projects from the following schools: Big Piney Middle School, Kemmerer Junior/ Senior High School, Pinedale High School, and Hanna Elementary.  

Winners

Overall Winner:   

• Cora Jenks and Kyla Arnold, from Big Piney Middle School for their project, From Polluted to Pure: Evaluating the Efficiency of Brassica Juncea Plants in Heavy Metal Phytoremediation. Jenks and Arnold were awarded a scholarship to Western along with a trophy and medal.  

Animal Sciences:                                          

• First place: Anjulee Sevenski and Kassidy Shreve (Big Piney Middle School) – Comparative Protein Analysis of Animals in the Cervidae Family: Moose, Elk, Mule Deer and White Tail Deer. 

Behavioral & Social Sciences:                                               

• First place: Adison Penfield and Gabriella Bennett (Big Piney Middle School) – The Effect of Infinity Mirrors on Human Perception. 
• Second place: Saige Erickson and Tailyn Sellers (Kemmerer Jr./Sr. High School) – Coke vs. Pepsi  
• Second place: Kelsey Zobell (Kemmerer Jr./Sr. High School) – Who’s Who and What’s What of Chocolate 

Biochemistry/Cellular & Molecular Biology/Bioinformatics & Computational Biology:                      

• First place: Symon Carpenter (Big Piney Middle School) – Generating Electricity from Wastewater 
• Second place: Callee Wilder (Big Piney Middle School) – Reviving Nature: Methods to Prolong the Life of a Plant Cell 

Biomedical & Health Sciences/Biomedical Engineering/Translational Medical Sciences:                                

• First place: Lucy Ryerse (Kemmerer Jr./Sr. High School) – What Type of Sunscreen Gives the Best Coverage? 

Chemistry/Energy: Chemical:                                                

• First place: Lexxus Green and Matisyn Long (Big Piney Middle School) – How the Presence of Chemicals Affect the Color of Fire 
• First place: Seth Ellis and Wyatt Miller (Kemmerer Jr./Sr. High School) – What Makes Ice Melt Fastest? 
• Second place: Haven Jackson (Hanna Elementary School) – Candy Crystallization 
• Third place: Samantha Carpenter (Hanna Elementary School) – Gluten-Free Four: Does it Rise? 

Earth & Environmental Sciences/Environmental Engineering:                           

• First place: Cora Jenks and Kyla Arnold (Kemmerer Jr./Sr. High School) – From Polluted to Pure: Evaluating the Efficiency of Brassica Juncea Plants in Heavy Metal Phytoremediation 
• Second place: Tinley Kern (Big Piney Middle School) – Evaluating Water Quality: Artesian Wells vs. Rural Wells in Terms of Safety and Purity 
• Third place: Eli Jernigan and Jaxson Salo (Kemmerer Jr./Sr. High School) – Liquid Lab: The Quest for Pure Water  

Engineering Mechanics/Sustainable Materials & Design/Materials Science:                                            

Junior Division

• First place: Lillian Patterson (Big Piney Middle School) – Analyzing the Effect of Flames on Fleece Fibers 
• Second place: Charlie Knotts (Big Piney Middle School) – Engineering an Ionizing Water Filter 
• Third place: Jaice Carver and Shonee Bingham (Big Piney Middle School) – Reading Colors of Flames with an Engineered Spectrometer 

Senior Division 

• First place: Ash Cooper (Pinedale High School) – Cafe Noir  

Mathematical Sciences: 

• First place: Kale Raza and Parker Key (Big Piney Middle School) – Arc and Impact: Exploring the Relationship Between Distance and Time in NFL Kicks 

Microbiology:                                                                  

• First place: Aria Lowery and Ashlyn Taylor (Big Piney Middle School) – The Effect of Sunlight on Bacteria Growth 
• Second place: Brenden Lockwood and Logan Rogers (Kemmerer Jr./Sr. High School) – What Grade has the Dirtiest Phone? 

Physics & Astronomy: 

• First place: Payzlee Anstett (Big Piney Middle School) – Head First: Investigating G-Forces on the Skull During a 3-Meter Dive 
• Second place: Addison West and Payton Scherr (Kemmerer Jr./Sr. High School) – Air vs Helium Volleyball 
• Third place: Wrenlynn Byers (Kemmerer Jr./Sr. High School) – Measuring Skyglow with a Digital Camera 

Plant Sciences:                                               

• First place: Garrett York and Landon Griffin (Big Piney Middle School) – The Effect of Fire Factors on Plants 
• Second place: Alexa CastilloRuiz and Rosetta Welton (Big Piney Middle School) – Space Tomatoes 
• Third place: Lily Teeples (Hanna Elementary) – Can Plants Handle the Beat?