The 2018 Lowcountry Regional Science and Engineering Fair was held Tuesday, April 10, 2018 at the College of Charleston TD Arena. Over 100 students participated showing off their wonderful projects in science, engineering and math. Congratulations to all of our winners, this list of which can be accessed at http://lhsm.cofc.edu/lowcountry-science-fair/index.php.

Student being judged at the Lowcountry Regional Science and Engineering Fair.

The top winners this year included: From the Junior 1 Division (5th and 6th grade), Sam Owens, from Lowcountry Leadership Charter School, took 1st place for his project, What Does it Take for Clay to Break?, looking at the strength of various types of clay, including air dry, oven baked and epoxy- based clays. From the Junior 2 Division (7th and 8th grade), Ella Cheek, from The Georgetown School of Arts and Sciences, too 1st place for her project, Get Color Stoked, determining whether or not color evokes certain emotions in people. From the Senior 1 Division (9th and 10th grade), Naomi Higgins, from The Georgetown School of Arts and Sciences, took first place for her project, Test Tunes, an experiment to determine whether or not music or sounds are motivational and improve concentration. And from the Senior 2 Division (11th and 12th grades), Anna Smirnova from Academic Magnet High School, took first place for her project, The effect of fullerene additives on P3HT films processed in binary solution, to determine how CBM and various solution preparation methods affect the aggregation of P3HT.

Overall winners, Naomi Higgins and Anna Smirnova

The overall winner of the Lowcountry Regional Science and Engineering Fair was Anna Smirnova, who will travel to Pittsburgh, PA to present her project at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. In addition, this year, the overall second place winner, Naomi Higgins, will also travel there. Amazing Projects!

Thank you to all students, teachers, parents and judges that participated, encouraging STEM minds!

The 2017 Lowcountry Regional Science and Engineering Fair was held Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at the College of Charleston TD Arena. Over 120 students participated showing off their wonderful projects in science, engineering and math. Congratulations to all of our winners, this list of which can be accessed at http://lhsm.cofc.edu/lowcountry-science-fair/index.php.

Two Engineering students from Stall High School with their high altitude balloon payload.

The top winners this year included: From the Junior 1 Division (5th and 6th grade), Lindsey Fauerbach, from East Cooper Montessori School, took 1st place for her project, Enjoy the Ride about coding an mBot, a robotic car, to prove that self-driving cars are now realistic. From the Junior 2 Division (7th and 8th grade), Benjamin Lipschutz, from Addlestone Hebrew Academy, took first place for his project, Evaluation of the Five Second Rule and Beyond, to test food that is on the floor for less than and more than five seconds to assess if it becomes contaminated. From the Senior 1 Division (9th and 10th grade), Rachel Esienhart, from Palmetto Scholars Academy, took first place for her project, Brain Food: Multisensory Perception and Interference, an experiment to determine whether or not the McGurk effect could be applied to sight and taste. And from the Senior 2 Division (11th and 12th grades), Jenny Yao from academic Magnet High School, took first place for her project, Identifying Limiting Nutrient on Stem Cell Spheroid Viability for Human Cardiac Tissue Regeneration, which looked at Stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte spheroids as potential cell delivery systems that improve cell retention and engraftmen.

Overall Winners Jenny Yao and Ali DeLambo with teacher Katy Metzner-Roop

The overall winner of the Lowcountry Regional Science and Engineering Fair was Jenny Yao, who will travel to Los Angeles, CA to present her project at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. In addition, this year, the overall second place winner, Ali DeLambo will also travel there. Amazing Projects!

Thank you to all students, teachers, parents and judges that participated, encouraging STEM minds!

Congratulations to the 2016 Lowcountry Regional Science and Engineering Fair Winner, Isabella Neubauer! Isabella researched whether online personality tests can accurately measure a person’s personality by testing if the results varied over time. Studies like Isabella’s are important because with an emphasis on social media and personality quizzes, we need to understand the science behind these influences. For example, there are online personality quizzes that employers could use to gauge what type of person you are to use in the hiring decision making process.

Isabella found that her participants’ personality test results changed after two weeks of their first quiz, indicating that these tests might not be an accurate representation of one’s personality. She deduced that, “…the results of online personality tests are not an accurate representation of people’s personalities, and while they may be fun, caution should be exercised for real world applications.”

While doing this research, Isabella took it a step further and investigated the link between music preferences and the “Big 5” personality types. Isabella concluded that there was not a strong connection; however she did find that, “country listeners tended to have low neuroticism and openness, Classical/Christian listeners were agreeable, conscientious, and not neurotic, and rock listeners were introverted.”

With this research, Isabella won the Lowcountry Regional Science and Engineering Fair, held in April at the College of Charleston and presented at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), this May in Phoenix, AZ. Of her trip to the Intel ISEF, she said, “…being able to be a part of the competition at such a high level was awesome, but a little scary too. Interacting with the other competitors and learning about their projects was inspiring – learning from and sometimes just goofing off with some of the smartest kids in the world. Definitely a unique experience.” The LHSM was proud to have Isabella represent the Lowcountry of South Carolina at the Intel ISEF. Her trip was made possible through a donation by the Charleston Defense Contractors Association.

Isabella will be a Junior at The Georgetown School of Art and Sciences, Georgetown, SC. She is still not quite sure what the future holds for her, but she knows that she is interested in science, photography and editing, and history.

As the Intel ISEF says…the future is indeed bright for these science fair participants. And it is indeed bright for our own Isabella Neubauer.

The 2015 Lowcountry Regional Science and Engineering Fair was held Tuesday, March 24, 2015 at the College of Charleston TD Arena. Over 120 students participated showing off their wonderful projects in science, engineering and math. Congratulations to all of our winners, this list of which can be accessed at http://lhsm.cofc.edu/lowcountry-science-fair/index.php.

Thank you to all students, teachers, parents and judges that participated, encouraging STEM minds!

Congratulations to the 2014 Lowcountry Regional Science and Engineering Fair Winner Irene Cheng! Irene presented her research on the Antibacterial Agent Triclosan as a Growth Inhibitor of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Basically, Triclosan is an antibacterial and antifungal agent used in commercial goods since 1972 and is now found in a variety of household items and personal care products. Irene researched whether this agent was able to control or kill certain strains of bacteria. What she found was that Triclosan can stop the growth and reproduction of bacteria as long as the concentration of Triclosan-containing hand soap was sufficient.

Studies like Irene’s are important as the Food and Drug Administration crack down on agents that are considered antibacterial but that may be harmful to humans and the environment. For example, there are questions about Triclosan’s effect on the body’s endocrine system. In addition, an environmental working group found that more than 75% of the population has Triclosan in urine and is passed out of our systems making its way to our lakes, rivers and streams. Understanding these antibacterial agents will provide scientists and the public with a better knowledge of whether they are truly useful in combating bacteria or if they are too harmful to the environment to continue use.

With this research, Irene won the Lowcountry Regional Science and Engineering Fair, held in April at the College of Charleston and presented at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), this May in Los Angeles, CA. Of her trip to the Intel ISEF, she said, “The trip was absolutely amazing and inspiring! The people we met from all over the world were so smart, creative, and innovative! The trip was honestly life changing and I feel so grateful to have been able to have gone.” The LHSM was proud to have Irene represent the Lowcountry of South Carolina at the Intel ISEF. Her trip was made possible through a donation by the Charleston Defense Contractors Association.

Irene currently is a senior at Academic Magnet High School. She worked with faculty at the College of Charleston, specifically Dr. Vijay Vulava, Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, in her data collection and analysis. She is planning on attending the Honors College at Clemson University this fall on a full ride – Wow! She plans to major in Biology or Biomedical Engineering, continuing her research career, eventually working towards a Masters and PhD.

As the Intel ISEF says…the future is indeed bright for these science fair participants. And it is indeed bright for our own Irene Cheng.

The 2014 Lowcountry Regional Science and Engineering Fair was held Tuesday, April 1, 2014 at the College of Charleston TD Arena. Over 75 students participated showing off their wonderful projects in science, engineering and math. Congratulations to all of our winners, this list of which can be accessed at http://lhsm.cofc.edu/lowcountry-science-fair/index.php.

Thank you to all students, teachers, parents and judges that participated, encouraging STEM minds!

The 2014 Lowcountry Science and Engineering Fair (LSF) will be held Tuesday April 1, 2014 at the College of Charleston TD Arena, Meeting Street. Registration and forms will be due on Friday, March 7, 2014.

The LSF is open to students in grades 5-12 in Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, and Georgetown counties. More information regarding registration will be sent out at a later date.