Sara Volz, a junior at Cheyenne Mountain High School, has won the grand prize in the senior division at the 57th Colorado Science and Engineering Fair at Colorado State University.
Again.
Volz’ topic is titled Optimizing Algae Biofuels: Artificial Selection Nitrogen Stress as Methods to Induce Lipid Synthesis.”
Yes, it’s complicated. Just know that she has shelves and shelves of algae growing in her room and that her mother Pattye Volz is happy about that because the 30 beakers used to be on her kitchen counter.
This is Sara’s second year of winning the state grand prize. She’s been a competitor for six years.
“It was awesome, there was a lot of tough competition and I didn’t expect to win again,” she said.
She will compete in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair May 13-18 in Pittsburgh. Last year, she won first place in the energy and transportation category at the international event.
At the recent Colorado meet, two other local students took home grand prize awards in the junior division (grades 6-8): Marlo Masters, junior grand prize, and Aleesa Muir, third grand prize. Both attend The Classical Academy.
Four other students, who won top honors in the Pikes Peak Regional Science Fair in March also will compete in the International event with the other winners: Maislinn Helfer, ninth grade, Palmer High School; Sydney Matteson, ninth grade, Palmer;Matthew Hileman, ninth grade, and Wesley Hileman, 11th grade, The Classical Academy. The Hilemans also took second place in the Engineering category at the state meet.
To participate in the Colorado Science and Engineering Fair, a student must first be chosen at a regional fair. All students must also adhere to rigorous rules set by the Society for Science the Public, and the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair’s Scientific Review Committee.
The following area students placed in their categories at the state competition.
Senior Division:
Sydney Anderson and Rowan Binkley-Jones, Edison High School, chemistry, third place; Emma Frantz, Palmer, earth and space sciences, honorable mention; Sydney Matteson, Palmer, earth and space sciences, third place; Maislinn Helfer, Palmer, environmental sciences, second place; Jenna Hartley, Palmer, medicine health, honorable mention; Rahul Shankar, Rampart High School, medicine and health; second place; Ya’el Courtney, Lewis-Palmer High School, physics, first place.
Junior Division:
Nadja de Sa, The Classical Academy, animal sciences, first place; Rene Carter, North Middle School, animal sciences, third place; Callie Matteson and Ashley Vitti, North, behavioral and social science, first place; Marlo Masters, The Classical Academy, chemistry, first place; David McHugh, Banning Lewis Ranch Academy, earth and space science, fourth place; George Liu, The Classical Academy, energy and transportation, third place; Joshua Courtney, Monument Academy, environmental sciences, first place; Rebecca Bloomfield, North, environmental sciences, honorable mention; Peter Shearon, The Classical Academy, math and computer sciences, third place; Aleesa Muir, The Classical Academy, medicine and health, first place; Lauren Zawacki, North, medicine and health, honorable mention; Nicole Whitehead, North Middle School, medicine health, honorable mention; Michael Harms, The Classical Academy, medicine and health, third place; Seth Young,The Classical Academy, microbiology, first place; Ali Betsch, The Classical Academy, physics, fourth place; Elya Courtney, Monument Academy, physics, second place; Alison Henry, The Classical Academy, plant sciences, first place; Misha Kummel, North, plant sciences, second place.
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Article source: http://www.gazette.com/articles/colorado-136846-volz-science.html
