2007 Dutchess County Regional Science Fair Awards

The Annual Dutchess County Regional Science Fair was held on Saturday, March 24th.  Several members of the section assisted in judging those exhibits related to the study of chemistry.  The Section presents special awards to those students who are deemed best able to demonstrate the understanding of their subject matter and were creative, thorough and clear in their presentation.  There were quite a few projects we wanted to recognize as is evident from the long list of awards we presented.  In addition to asking questions on their current work, the judges provided the students with suggestions on furthering their study of the subject.  The group reviewed nearly 60 projects.  Below are the names of this year’s recipients and judges.  Many thanks to those who volunteered their time on Saturday!!

Outstanding:

 
Hanna Brandow (6th grade at St. Denis/St. Columba)
Transesterification – From the Fryer to Your Fuel Tank
       
Jeff Duncan (8th grade at Poughkeepsie Middle School)  
Avogadro’s Number

Zhong Zhuang (John Jay High School)
Ethanol vs. Gasoline


       
Superior:


Richard Coffin (6th grade at St. Denis/St. Columba)
The Effect of Temperature on a Chemical Reaction
 
Tara Grogan (5th grade at St.Denis/St. Columba)
I’ve Reached my Boiling Point
 
Parker Swenson (8th grade at Wappingers Junior High School)

The Cleaning Power

Laya Varanasi (Roy C. Ketcham High School)
Hyperaccumulators – Plants that Absorb Metals from the Environment
       

Honorable Mention:


Eric Berlinghoff (7th grade at Van Wyck Junior High School)
Which Salt Melts Better?

Narise Conner and Shannon Moloney (4th grade at Kinry Elementary)
Acid Effects
Rebecca Daves (6th grade at Van Wyck Junior High School)
Heat of Fusion
 
Kristen Duke (9th grade at Roy C. Ketcham High School)
Stay on Top with Surface Tension
       
Zachary Kellerman (8th grade at St. Mary’s – Fishkill)
Stop, I’m Shrinking

Emily Machado (6th grade at St. Mary’s - Fishkill)
The Dangers of Toothbrushes

Charles A. Ropes (7th grade at St. Martin de Porres)
How Much Carbonation is in Soda?

Caitlin Smart ( Roy C. Ketcham High School)
You Are What You Eat

Jacob Wiegard (6th grade at St.Denis/St. Columba)
History & Science - A Revolutionary Mix
 
Judges:

Jacqueline Bair
Lauren DiMisa
Beate Klingenberg
Nancy Klymko
Doris Love
Jocelyn Nadeau
Dominic Schepis
Patti Cusatis 

 

2006 Dutchess County Regional Science Fair Awards

The Annual Dutchess County Regional Science Fair was held on Saturday, April 1st at Casperkill.  Several members of the Mid-Hudson Section assisted in judging those exhibits related to the study of chemistry.  The Section presents special awards to those students who are deemed best able to demonstrate the understanding of their subject matter and are creative, thorough and clear in their presentation.  In addition to asking questions on their current work, many of the judges gave the students ideas on ways to delve even deeper into their research.  The group reviewed over 50 projects.  Below are the names of this year’s winners and judges.  Special thanks to those who volunteered their time on a Saturday to spend a few hours with some future scientists!

Outstanding ($50 gift card to Barnes and Noble and an ACS certificate):

Frank Valentino (7th grade at St. Denis/St. Columba)
Does One Bad Apple Spoil the Whole Bunch?

Superior ($25 gift card to Barnes and Noble and an ACS certificate):

Martin Yu (5th grade at Hagan Elementary School)
Heating, Freezing, Floating: Experiments with Substances Added

Joseph Tokarz (5th grade at Kinry Elementary)
Changing Water Density

Dorothy Tai (5th grade at Gayhead Elementary)
How Corrosive is Household Liquid? Should we Dump in the Sink?

Alanna Smith (8th grade at St. Mary’s, Fishkill)
Hydrogen Fuel Cells: Power of the Future

Caitlin Smart (Roy C. Ketcham High School)
Toxic Teeth: Measurement of Mercury in Dental Fillings
       
Natascha Lamprecht (6th  grade at Dutchess Day School)
The Best Shortenting for Peanut Butter Cookies         

Zachary Kellerman (7th grade at St. Mary’s, Fishkill)

Metal Deterioration

Honorable Mention (ACS certificate):

Laya Varanasi (8th grade at Wappingers Junior High School)
Natural Weed Killers

Gabrielle O/Donoghue (5th grade at Holy Trinity)
I Need More Salt Mummy!

Kayla Every (8th grade at St. Mary’s, Fishkill)
A Dancing Spring in an Electrolyte Solution

Melissa Ercolino (6th grade at St. Mary’s, Fishkill)
Melt Down

               
Judges:

Peggy Frisch
Sarjit Kaur
Tony Mitchell
Glenn Roy
Dominic Schepis
Patti Cusatis

 

2005 Dutchess County Regional Science Fair Results

The Annual Dutchess County Regional Science Fair was held on April 9.  Several members of the Section assisted in judging those exhibits related to the study of chemistry.  The Section presents special awards to those students who are deemed best able to demonstrate the understanding of their subject matter and were creative, thorough and clear in their presentation.  It was time well-spent.  In addition to asking questions on their current work, many of the judges gave the students ideas on ways to delve even deeper into their research on the subject.  The group reviewed over 60 projects.  Below are the names of this year’s winners and judges.  Many thanks to those who volunteered their time on that beautiful Saturday!! 

 

Judges: David Straus, Sarjit Kaur, Nancy Klymko, Dominic Schepis, Miriam Rossi, Judy Coffin, and Patti Cusatis.

 

OUTSTANDING:

 

Lana Verkuil

( Roy C. Ketcham High School ) Galvanic Corrosion

         

Michael Schepis

(7th grade at St. Martin de Porres)

Is Boiling Point an Inherent Property of Liquids?

 

Spencer Coffin

(8th grade at St. Denis/St. Columba) Ionic Polymer Metal Composites:  Electro-Active Polymers as Artificial Muscles

         

 

SUPERIOR :

 

Kanika Gupta

(5th grade at Gayhead Elementary) Prolonging the Life of Cut Flowers

 

Amanda Assante

(5th grade at St.Denis/St. Columba) The Effect of Cooking on the Vitamin C Content of Foods

 

Kevin Corliss

(6th grade at St. Mary’s, Fishkill)

Slip Sliding Away: A Study of Lubricants

 

Brian Czornyj

( Roy C. Ketcham High School )

The Study of Polyethylene Crystal Growth

         

Victoria White and Lindsay Borassi

(6th grade team from Kinry Elementary)

Dry Ice Experiment

 

Robert Verkuil

(5th grade at Myers Corners) Hydrogen Power     

 

HONORABLE MENTION:  

Taemee Pak

( John Jay High School )

What Components in Soy Sauce are Responsible for High Osmotic Activity?

 

Christina Carmosino

(5th grade at Gayhead Elementary) Welch’s Jelly as a pH Indicator

 

Mark Lombardi

(5th grade at Hagan Elementary) Which Liquid Increases the Most in Density When Freezing?

 

Scott Porzio

(7th grade at St. Denis/St. Columba)

Milk Mystery – Organic Milk vs. Regular Milk

 

Laya Varanasi

(7th grade at Wappingers Junior High School )

Vitamins: Which Materials Protect Vitamin A from Light?

 

Kristen Duke

(7th grade at Wappingers Junior High School )

Does Temperature Affect the Viscosity of a Liquid?

 

Christina Sayegh

(6th grade at St. Denis/St. Columba)

C for Yourself