The Dallas Morning News and Toyota are pleased to announce that, for the fourth consecutive year, Beal Bank will be donating 40,000 in cash prizes to winning entrants of the 44th annual Dallas Regional Science and Engineering Fair. These prizes will go to all first, second, and third place winners in the life and physical sciences. And, these awards can help offset college and other future expenses.
| WINNING PARTICIPANTS IN THE JUNIOR DIVISION (GRADES 7 AND 8) WILL RECEIVE THE FOLLOWING CASH AWARDS: | FIRST PLACE: $350 |
SECOND PLACE: $250 |
THIRD PLACE: $175 |
| WINNING PARTICIPANTS IN THE SENIOR DIVISION (GRADES 9-12) WILL RECEIVE THE FOLLOWING CASH AWARDS: | FIRST PLACE: $600 |
SECOND PLACE: $400 |
THIRD PLACE: $300 |
More that 1000 students enter The Dallas
Morning News-Toyota Regional Science & Engineering Fair each year,
and -- in 2001 -- more than 100 cash prizes will be awarded. With these
cash prizes, competition is expected to be intense. We encourage you to begin
your research and experimentation early to ensure a high-quality project!
THE KATHRYN AND ASHLEY H. PRIDDY YOUNG SCIENTIST AWARD AT UNIVERSITY
OF TEXAS SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER: A SUMMER RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP.
Elizabeth Hambleton, an eleventh-grade student at the TAG Magnet in Dallas, was
selected to receive a two-month, paid summer research fellowship from UT
Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Elizabeth will earn a $2,000 stipend and
will assist at a laboratory at UT Southwestern during the summer. The $2,000
research stipend is funded by the Southwestern Medical Foundation.
SENIOR DIVISION GRAND PRIZE WINNERS
Senior Division Grand Prize Winners will also receive an all expense-paid trip
to compete in the International
Science Fair in San Jose, CA, USA, May 6-12, 2001. (The 2000 Grand Prize
Winners competed at the International Science Fair in Detroit, MI.)
SENIOR DIVISION GRAND PRIZE WINNERS ARE ALSO ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE A
FOUR-YEAR $18,000 SCHOLARSHIP TO SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY.
TEXAS STATE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR
Junior and Senior Division first-place and second-place winners will also be
eligible to compete in the State Science Fair in Austin, TX. The 14th Annual
Texas State Science and Engineering Fair was held April 7-9, 2000. Congratulations
to the winners who participated from the Dallas Regional Science Fair this year:
The prizes listed under each participant's name were awarded at the International Science and Engineering Fair.
Michelle Afkhami, Williams High
Dean Tuck, Jasper High
Stan Pozmantir, Clark High
...and there's more
Each student in The Dallas Morning News-Toyota Regional Science &
Engineering Fair will be awarded a Certificate of Participation.
AND area businesses and associations award special prizes for winning exhibits. Refer to the listing of 2000 donors below.
Due to the support and participation of many local businesses and organizations, there is an opportunity to win many additional prizes at The Dallas Morning News-Toyota Regional Science and Engineering Fair: Thank you to all the 2000 special awards donors and we look forward to your continued support:
Each year approximately 250 area scientists, and science and business professionals volunteer as judges during the Regional Science Fair. First-round judges interview all student exhibitors and narrow the field to second-round contenders. Second-round judges then designate first, second and third- place winners, and honorable mentions in each science. Also, area firms and organizations recognize exceptional work by Science Fair exhibitors with special awards. This year more than 125 special awards were designated by 44 organizations. Here, after untold hours of hard work spent defining the questions and researching the answers, are the 2000 Dallas Morning News-Toyota Regional Science and Engineering Fair Grand Prize winners:
AND THE WINNERS ARE ...
JUNIOR DIVISION
SENIOR DIVISION
Brittany Boyer is a
seventh-grade student at Wilson Middle School in Plano and is participating in
the Science Fair for the first time. Her project, For the Love of Music,
has been awarded a grand prize. As a clarinet player, Brittany was interested
in the effects that various environmental factors and conditions have on the
quality of musical pitch produced by the instrument. Brittany conducted a study
to discover the optimum conditions under which to practice and play the
clarinet. Multiple trials were conducted by playing standardized notes on a
clarinet under various controlled environmental conditions. A chromatic tuner
that measures the degree of sharp of flat of each note against ideal pitch was
used to record results. Through her research, Brittany quantified how specific
variables in humidity, room volume, room rigidity and distance of the clarinet
from the tuner affected the quality of musical pitch. The results of this
experiment show that the quality of musical sound is affected by controllable
conditions, which can allow musicians to make educated choices about the
environment in which to practice and play. Brittany plans to take this study to
another level next year by conducting similar experiments in actual recording
studios and concert halls.
Madison Jones, an
eighth-grader at Highland Park Middle School, has been awarded the grand prize
for Problem Poultry II, which studies means of controlling bacterial
contamination in poultry products. Her project is a continuation of a research
project last year which examined the extent of bacterial contamination on the
surface of chicken products, and examined means of controlling bacteria during
packaging. Tissue samples were collected and subjected to one of four
treatments: hot water rinse, sprayed with dilute Clorox solution, covered with
a Clorox-spray treated pad, or sprayed with dilute Clorox and covered with the
Clorox pad. Samples were then packaged in Styrofoam and plastic. Bacterial
cultures were taken from each sample and compared with pre-treatment levels. No
bacteria grew from any deep cultures. Among the surface tissue samples, Madison
found significant increases in bacteria in samples rinsed in hot water only,
while significant decreases occurred among other treated samples. Surface spray
and a sprayed pad to keep the dilute Clorox solution close to the chicken
proved to be the most effective at eliminating all strains of bacteria tested.
This information could be used to help processors develop chicken packaging
aimed at reducing bacterial contamination. In future research, Madison plans to
examine the effectiveness of bacteriacides other than dilute Clorox solution.
Scott Stewart, a
seventh-grade student at Frankford Middle School in the Plano ISD, has been
awarded a grand prize for this project, Titanic: 88 Years and Still Immense.
Scott was intrigued by the titanic, which sunk in salt water 88 years ago and
yet hasn't completely rusted to small shreds of metal. Scott conintued to
expand on a previous research project which tested rates of corrosion; this
year, he examined the corrosion of metal samples under different aqueous
conditions over a five-day time period. In one experiment samples of steel wool
were placed in saline solutions of various strengths. Measurements were taken
at regular intervals over a five-day period to determine rate and amount of
corrosion. In another test, he studied the corrosive properties of treated and
untreated pond water on steel wool over the same time span. Scott measured
corrosion by examining the concentration of suspended rust particles in the
solutions tested. In the saline group, Scott found that the highest
concentration of rust occurred in the solution with the highest salinity (twice
the strength of ocean water), but that the fastest rate of corrosion occurred
in .75 ocean water salinity. The experiment Scott performed used unfiltered,
filtered, and boiled pond water on steel wool. Results indicated that untreated
pond water corroded the steel wool faster than the treated water. Scott built a
device to measure the amount of light filtered through the rusty water samples.
Future project plans include the identification of the chemical(s) that caused
the higher rate of corrosion in the untreated pond water.
Jimmy Yang, is a
seventh-grade student at Robinson Middle School in Plano. His grand prize
winning project, Plant: Are You In This Genus, examines the feasibility
of classifying plants using two methods -- paper chromatography and
spectroscopy. Chlorophyll from three species of plants in one genus (Lonicera),
and from another species of plant in a different genus (Ligustrum), was
extracted and subjected to both methods. It was found that of the two methods,
spectroscopy showed the most quantifiable differences between genera. While the
paper chromatography method did show some differences between chlorophyll
extracts of the two different genera, spectrograms showed a very significant
difference in absorbance ratios between the Ligustrum and Lonicera samples. The
classification of plants has been based on a system invented more than 200
years ago which relies on the appearance and visual characteristics of plants.
Only recently have more modern scientific methods, such as DNA testing, been
attempted. The results of this study indicate that spectroscopy may be a
possible way to classify genera of plants. This is the first year that Jimmy
has researched classification of plants with spectroscopy and chromatography.
Future studies may involve using spectroscopy on different genera; other
methods such as gas or liquid chromatography may also be used.
Michelle Afkhami is a
sophmore at Williams High School in Plano ISD. Her grand prize-winning project,
The Miracle of Metamorphosis, continues reserach into the effects of
chemical pollution on Lepidopteron (butterflies and moths) development. Earlier
studies concluded that the development of the Painted Lady butterfly was
affected by pollution; most notably a shortened larval stage. This year's
objective was to confirm previous conclusions, extend them to another species
(the Wax Moth), and to examine other adaptions Lepidopteron use to protect
themselves. Each species was separated into 5 groups. One group of each species
was left alone to develop normally as a control group; and the others were
sprayed with distilled water or a 1% solution of sulfuric acid, sodium, or
ammonia. Michelle found that both species used adaptive mechanisms to protect
themselves from the chemical spray: the Painted Lady larvae used silk to
deflect chemics, and Wax Moths used burrowing as a means of protection. In both
species, the chemical groups were more active and consumed more food than the
control groups. Michelle found that the most significant response was in the
ammonia group, followed by those sprayed with the sodium, sulfuric acid, and
distilled water solutions. Michelle has been participating in Science Fair
competitions since kindergarten; her first-year Metamorphosis study won
third prize in last year's Regional Science Fair competition.
Stan Pozmantir, a
freshman at Clark High School in Plano, was awarded the grand prize for his
project, Brushless Electric Motors -- A Third Year Study. This study
continues his exploration into the design and development of brushless electric
motors. (Brushless motors typically have higher stability, reliability, and
efficiency than brushed types, and are used in many high-performance
applications.) His third year study was devoted to the development and
comparison of eight different types of brushless motors. Extensive testing and
experimentation was conducted to determine the performance and reliability of
the designs. Results showed that different motors performed best in various
categories, such as speed under different loads, torque under different
voltages, maximum load, efficiency, reliability, stability, cost, and
complexity. The number of the experiments exceeded 1000 measurements; each
measurement was taken at least 3 times. Stan's original brushless motor design
has been widely used as an educational kit to demonstrate principles of
electricity and magnetism. Other motors developed this year may serve the same
purpose, to help explain the the basics of electronics. Stan created a website
(https://members.tripod.com/simplemotor/) which explains his reserach in more
detail. Stan's brushless electric motor research projects won the grand prize
last year and placed second in the previous year's Science Fair competition.
Future projects may include developing other motors, or improving existing
motor designs.
Dianna Spence, a
sophomore at Jasper High School in Plano, was awarded the grand prize for her
project, Echinacea: A Natural Antibiotic. Dianna's study continues her
research into the antibiotic properties of the Echinacea plant (an herb which
has been advertised as an effective cold remedy). Last year, she determined
that Echinacea acted as an effective antibiotic against a nonpathogenic strain
of the E-coli bacteria. For this year's study, Dianna created extracts from
leaf/stem and root/stem combinations of two species of Echinacea: purpurea and
angustifolia. Using liquid chromatography, Dianna separated the extracts into
separate components and conducted experiments to determine the antibiotic
properties of each component against bacterial cultures of E-coli. After
numerous experiments, Dianna found that different components had varying
degrees of success. Two groups of compounds were shown to significantly inhibit
E-coli growth: root extract from Echinachea angustifolia and root/leaf extract
from Echinachae purpurea. For future research, Dianna's plans include
indentifying the specific components in the Echinacea extracts that are
responsible for the antibiotic activity.
Dean Tuck is a sophomore
at Jasper high School in Plano. His All Washed Up Part III study
continues reserach into levels of pollutants in Pittman Creek, a Trinity River
tributary in Plano. Growing up near the creek, Dean observed over the years
that the level of plant and animal life, as well as the appearance of the
water, seemed to have declined in quality. He began to study the levels of
carcinogenic and toxic compounds in the water of Pittman Creek. Dean's previous
reserach determined the presence of pollutants and that pollutant levels int he
creek varied depending on climatic conditions (i.e., after rainfall). This
year, Dean expanded his reserach and identified concentrations of specific
chemicals in the creek water within one hour after rainfall in order to
establish a correlation between certain ppollutants and storm runoff. He found
that after rainfall, there was a significant increase in concentrations of
nitrates, toxic organic carbons, and simizine, and that levels significantly
exceeded safety standards set by the EPA. In order to remove the chemicals,
major improvements in water treatment are required, at considerable cost.
Dean's future reserach plans may include research into low-cost, natural
methods of filtration to increase water quality.
Each day, the best science teachers guide, encourage and motivate their students. They try to plant within their pupils the seed of curiosity that will enable them to learn and grow. When they succeed, not only is the individual student rewarded, but all society ultimately benefits. In an attempt to recognize these teaching efforts, the Science Fair Teacher Award Committee last year selected 40 teachers to receive awards based on the number of their students entering and placing in the Fair. The 2000 Dallas Morning News Toyota Teacher Awards were presented to the following outstanding teachers:
JUNIOR DIVISION