The 75th Maine State Science Fair
April 3, 2021
Student Awards
- Grand Awards
- Scholarships
- Category Awards
- Experiential Awards
- Special Awards
Grand Awards
1st Grand Award – Linh Nguyen, 12th grade, Deering High School. Applications of Carbon Nanotube Based Sorbents for Removal of Arsenic from Polluted Water
2nd Grand Award – Vetri Vel, 12th grade, Bangor High School. Readily Implementable Fall Detection System for the Elderly Using Thermal Image Segmentation and Convolutional Neural Networks
3rd Grand Award – Mateus Nascimento, 11th grade, Brunswick High School. How Animals Talk: Understanding Silk Moth Communication through Detection of Pheromones with an Electronic Nose
Scholarships
The University of Maine
- Ashton Caron, Nokomis Regional High School
- Quinn D’Alessio, Bangor High School
- Maya Elkadi, Bangor High School
- Matthew Gilbert, Greely High School
- Nora Goldberg-Courtney, Maine Coast Waldorf School
- Grace Hall, Belfast Area High School
- Emerson Harris, Boothbay Region High School
- Ashly Nyman, Nokomis Regional High School
- Ogechi Obi, Bangor High School
- Nick Pease, Nokomis Regional High School
- Carter Rice, Nokomis Regional High School
- Zoe Stankevitz, Nokomis Regional High School
College of the Atlantic
- Nora Goldberg-Courtney, Maine Coast Waldorf School
- Emerson Harris, Boothbay Region High School
University of New England
- Siobhan Duffy, Washington Academy
- Maya Elkadi, Bangor High School
- Grace Hall, Belfast Area High School
- Emerson Harris, Boothbay Region High School
University of Southern Maine
USM 4-year scholarships
- Quinn D’Alessio, Bangor High School
- Emerson Harris, Boothbay Region High School
USM Merit scholarships
- Tomas Cundick, Foster Technical Center
- Siobhan Duffy, Washington Academy
- Nora Goldberg-Courtney, Maine Coast Waldorf School
- Grace Hall, Belfast Area High School
- Roland Ladd, Bangor High School
- Uyen Nguyen, John Bapst Memorial High School
- Simon Socolow, Bangor High School
- Virginia Weiss, Cape Elizabeth High School
St. Joseph’s College of Maine
- Grace Hall, Belfast Area High School
- Uyen Nguyen, John Bapst Memorial High School
University of Maine at Augusta
- Nora Goldberg-Courtney, Maine Coast Waldorf School
- Roland Ladd, Bangor High School
Husson University
- Grace Hall, Belfast Area High School
- Jordan Boyd, Nokomis Regional High School
- Cassidy Hodges, Nokomis Regional High School
- Ella Donaghy, Medomak Valley High School
York County Community College
- Amber-Rae Pesek, Hancock County Technical Center
Central Maine Community College
- Lillian Philbrook, Hancock County Technical Center
Southern Maine Community College
- Virginia Weiss, Cape Elizabeth High School
Cary James Water Ride Scholarship
- Linh Nguyen, Deering High School
Category Awards
Animal Sciences
1st – Patrick Wahlig, Falmouth High School, Stable Isotope Analysis of Maine-Caught Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) Otoliths as a Means of Determining Natal Origin
2nd – Runzhe Yao, Gould Academy, Effects of Disinfection Products on Pholcidae
3rd – Ashton Caron, Nokomis Regional High School, The Impact Of Forage Quality On Bovine Grazing Patterns
Behavioral Sciences – Psychology
1st – Sciatzy Solis, Medomak Valley High School, Comparing Self-Esteem Between Two Immigrant Generations
2nd – Vy Do, Washington Academy, Do Teenagers Tend to Stay Up Late?
3rd – Olivia Whitten, Nokomis Regional High School, The Impact of Positive and Negative Paper Space on Dyslexia
Behavioral Sciences – Sociology
1st – Siobhan Duffy, Washington Academy, Effects of Outdoor Activity on High Schoolers’ Well-being During COVID-19
2nd – Ella Donaghy, Medomak Valley High School, Do Demographic Factors and Exposure to COVID-19 Affect a Person’s Use of a Mask?
3rd – Chen Xie, Gould Academy, COVID-19, Social Isolation, Demographic Factors, and Feelings about Online Social Events as Predictors of Coping Styles in a Sample of Select High Schoolers in the United States and China
Biological Sciences
1st – Mateus Nascimento, Brunswick High School, How Animals Talk: Understanding Silk Moth Communication through Detection of Pheromones with an Electronic Nose
2nd – Simon Socolow, Bangor High School, Investigating Large Scale Low Trophic Level Food Alternatives
3rd – Ariel Larrabee, Hancock County Technical Center, Designing SynBio to Reduce Prolonged Microplastic Exposure in Fish
Biomedical and Health Sciences
1st – Emerson Harris, Boothbay Region High School, Customized Pointe Shoe Padding: Distributed Pressure and Proper Alignment to Reduce Long-Term Deformities
2nd – Coco Xu, Falmouth High School, Creating and Applying a Formula that Evaluates the Risk of Developing Alzheimer’s Disease
3rd – McHenna Martin, Hancock County Technical Center, Designing a Better Lyme Disease Test
Chemistry
1st – Auburn Putz-Burton, Gould Academy, Understanding the Chemical Analysis of Soil at Historical/Archaeological Sites Based on a Study of the Smithtown Historical Society Heritage Site
2nd – Jiaqi Li, Gould Academy, How the Extract of Flavor E-Cigarette Impact Daphnia’s Heartbeat?
3rd – Grace Leschey, Virginia Weiss, Cape Elizabeth High School, Chloride in streams during the winter
Computer Sciences
1st – Nick Pease, Nokomis Regional High School, Creating a Portable Commercial and Private Aircraft Tracker
2nd – Alex Hardy, Foster Technical Center, Renewable Energy Rain Generator
3rd – Cuthbert Steadman, Beckett Mundell-Wood, Bangor High School, Testing the Effectiveness of a 3D Virtual Reality-Based Online Learning Program Compared to Traditional Online Schooling
Data Sciences
1st – Madyson Redding, Old Town High School, Fingerprint Analysis
2nd – Maia Pietraho, Brunswick High School, Author Attribution via Frequency Analysis of Stop Words
3rd – Jack Nussbaum, Brunswick High School, Is Bottle Redemption Really Effective and How Do You Maximize the Effects?
Engineering
1st – Vetri Vel, Bangor High School, Readily Implementable Fall Detection System for the Elderly Using Thermal Image Segmentation and Convolutional Neural Networks
2nd – Brady McQuaid, Brunswick High School, Biometric Pill Box
3rd – Jordan Boyd, Nokomis Regional High School, The Use of 3-D Printers to Design Prosthesis
Environmental Engineering
1st – Linh Nguyen,Deering High School, Applications of Carbon Nanotube Based Sorbents for Removal of Arsenic from Polluted Water
2nd – Maya Elkadi, McKayla Kendall, Bangor High School, The Creation of Silver Nanoparticle Tablets to Combat Heavy Metals in Water
3rd – Frederick Oldenburg, Roland Ladd, Bangor High School, The Development of an Autonomous Pollinating Drone
Environmental Sciences
1st – Swetha Palaniappan, Cape Elizabeth High School, Development of a Diagnostic Test for Microplastics in Water Samples
2nd – Paula Dauphinais, Nancy Dauphinais, Nokomis Regional High School, Hybridizing Fungi With Favorable Characteristics to Bioengineer a Potential Solution to the Microplastics Crisis
3rd – Ruth White, Orono High School, Investigating the Effect of Ski Wax on Plant Growth
Environmental Sciences – Water
1st – Miranda LeClair, Old Town High School, Maintaining Moisture in Soil with Wood Pellets
2nd – Ginny Hunt, Bangor High School, Identifying Microplastics in the Sediment of the Penobscot River Watershed using Arc-GIS
3rd – Quinn D’Alessio, Bangor High School, A Multi-Point Correlation to Lake Analytics in Developing a Method of Monitoring Eutrophication
Materials Science
1st – Ogechi Obi, Bangor High School, Treating Cellulose Nanofiber with Calcium Alginate to Improve Barrier Properties
2nd – Jinkyu Kim, Gould Academy, In-Depth Characterization of Nanoporous Carbon Photocatalyst From Coffee Waste
3rd – MacKenna Carter, Machias Memorial High School, Preening Oil is an Eco-Friendly Alternative to DWR rain jacket coating
Physics and Energy
1st – Mia Smith, Old Town High School, Body Angle and Motion Characteristics of Effective Softball Hitters
2nd – Nuthi Ganesh, Bangor High School, Assessing Solar Panel Array Efficiency with a Pyranometer and UVA Meter
3rd – Will Caron, Bangor High School, Solar Panel Tilt Angle and Percentage Loss Due to Angle
Plant Sciences
1st – Meaghan Caron, Bangor High School, Fallopia Japonica as an Alternative Fuel Source to Remediate the Spread of Invasive Species
2nd – Nora Goldberg-Courtney, Maine Coast Waldorf School, Mini Hydroponic Greenhouse
3rd – Bryce Carter, Hancock County Technical Center, The Role of Microgreens in Helping to Solve the Hunger Crisis
Special Awards
Algae Foundation
Quinn D’Alessio, Bangor High School, A Multi-Point Correlation to Lake Analytics in Developing a Method of Monitoring Eutrophication
American Meteorological Society
Quinn D’Alessio, Bangor High School, A Multi-Point Correlation to Lake Analytics in Developing a Method of Monitoring Eutrophication
Kate Saidy, Gould Academy, Design of a Spectrometer to Analyze Toxic Algae
American Psychological Association
Siobhan Duffy, Washington Academy, Effects of Outdoor Activity on High Schoolers’ Well-being During COVID-19
ASM Materials Education Foundation
Ogechi Obi, Bangor High School, Treating Cellulose Nanofiber with Calcium Alginate to Improve Barrier Properties
Association for Women Geoscientists
Miranda LeClair, Old Town High School, Maintaining Moisture in Soil with Wood Pellets
Communicating Your Science Video Award
Emerson Harris, Boothbay Region High School, Customized Pointe Shoe Padding: Distributed Pressure and Proper Alignment to Reduce Long-Term Deformities
Swetha Palaniappan, Cape Elizabeth High School, Development of a Diagnostic Test for Microplastics in Water Samples
The Jackson Laboratory Promising Scientist Award:
Mary McPheeters, Falmouth High School, The Effects of Cover Crops on the Amount of Carbon in the Soil
Avery Matthews, Falmouth High School, Microplastic In Water
Katie Nakai, Brunswick High School, How to Get the Most Strawberry DNA from One Sample
Alexander Benton, Maine Coast Waldorf School, The Effect of Part Cooling Fan Speed on Unsupported Filament Bridging
Audrey Hufnagel, Lincoln Academy, The Effect of Oyster Shells on pH Levels
NASA Earth Systems Science Award
Ruth White, Orono High School, Investigating the Effect of Ski Wax on Plant Growth
NOAA Award
Eliza McPhee, Old Town High School, Impact of Climate Change on Arrival Dates of Select Species of Birds
Office of Naval Research Naval Science Award
Alexander Benton, Maine Coast Waldorf School, The Effect of Part Cooling Fan Speed on Unsupported Filament Bridging
Vetri Vel, Bangor High School, Readily Implementable Fall Detection System for the Elderly Using Thermal Image Segmentation and Convolutional Neural Networks
Will Caron, Bangor High School, Solar Panel Tilt Angle and Percentage Loss Due to Angle
MacKenna Carter, Machias Memorial High School, Preening Oil is an Eco-Friendly Alternative to DWR Rain Jacket Coating
The Reach Award from the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance
Anna Molloy, James Wheeler, Orono High School, Genomic Characterization of a Novel Mycobacterium abscessus, prophiNQTL-1
Esme Song, Penelope Haydar, Caroline Gentile, Cape Elizabeth High School, How an Increase in Surface Area of Plant Leaves Affect Carbon Dioxide Levels in a Closed System
Regeneron Biomedical Science Award
Albert Bai, John Bapst Memorial High School, Building Up New Lipid Nanoparticles and Evaluating their Potential to Address the Frozen Reality of Covid-19 mRNA Vaccine Stability
Ricoh, USA, Inc. Award
Bryce Carter, Hancock County Technical Center, The Role of Microgreens in Helping to Solve the Hunger Crisis
Society for Science Community Innovation Award
Meaghan Caron, Bangor High School, Fallopia Japonica as an Alternative Fuel Source to Remediate the Spread of Invasive Species
Stockholm Junior Water Prize
Ginny Hunt, Bangor High School, Identifying Microplastics in the Sediment of the Penobscot River Watershed using Arc-GIS
Quinn D’Alessio, Bangor High School, A Multi-Point Correlation to Lake Analytics in Developing a Method of Monitoring Eutrophication
Miranda LeClair, Old Town High School, Maintaining Moisture in Soil with Wood Pellets
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Award
Frederick Oldenburg, Roland Ladd, Bangor High School, The Development of an Autonomous Pollinating Drone
In 2014, MMSA joined The Jackson Laboratory in sponsoring and organizing Maine State Science Fair. Through MMSA’s Reach Center, this initiative aims to increase participation throughout the state, particularly in rural areas, by providing resources and support to teacher and student participants.
Thanks for the great work your organization is doing!
Connections to Guiding Principles
Students can use Maine State Science Fair to demonstrate proficiency in Guiding Principles. MMSA has aligned the MSSF scoring criteria to the Guiding Principles, showing that evidence of proficiency can be found in four out of five of the standards. This document is meant as a starting point to help teachers weave MSSF into their work with students.
Maine State Science Fair is back for its 72nd year! It’s an event with a long history, but it is far from old or stale. MSSF is more than just the traditional sciences. In fact, we welcome projects in the fields of computer science, engineering, mathematics, behavioral & social sciences, and even data science. Once again, MMSA’s Reach Center is teaming up with The Jackson Laboratory to host this exciting STEM event.
Visit maine-state-science-fair.org for more information or to register. Contact Stefany Burrell if you have any specific questions!
I'm a science teacher at Lincoln Academy. I just wanted to say how impressed I've been with Stefany Burrell's work at MMSA. I was a Teacher Fellow with the JAX science fair program this past summer. The way she and Michael McKernan ran the program was really well thought out and super helpful. And, all through this year Stefany has offered reminders, support, and resources to help me and my students get ready for the Maine state science fair. Any time I had a question she responded quickly and was more than happy to help.
