More than 50 young researchers from Rockdale County Public Schools competed in the 72nd annual Georgia Science & Engineering Fair (GSEF), which took place online March 16 through April 10, 2020, receiving more than 70 awards! Congratulations to our winners! These students, listed below, were selected by the GSEF Judging Team and representatives of sponsoring organizations.
GSEF 2020
GRAND AWARDS - JUNIOR DIVISION
Junior Division Best in Category
MATERIALS SCIENCE:
Olivia DeFrancesco, Camille Hall & Jessica Rhee – Gen. Ray Davis Middle School (DMS), “Utilizing Bacillariophyceae (Navicula) to Create Solar Energy”
GRAND AWARDS - SENIOR DIVISION
Senior Division Best in Category
BIOMEDICAL & HEALTH SCIENCE:
Ashanah Gayden & Tommy Nguyen – Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology (RMSST), “Application of pH-Responsive Nanogels for Targeted Drug Delivery”
BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING:
Sarah Burkey – RMSST, “Developing a Urinalysis Immunoassay for Cortisol Detection Year 2”
Regional Fair Regeneron ISEF Finalists
Regional Fairs across the state that are directly affiliated with the Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF) select winners to advance to the ISEF competition. These students were awarded this honor at their Regional Fair prior to advancing to GSEF. The 2020 Regeneron ISEF, originally scheduled for May 2020 in Los Angeles, has been canceled, but these students will still be honored as ISEF Finalists by the Society for Science & the Public.
ROCKDALE COUNTY REGIONAL FINALISTS:
Justin Bromell – RMSST, “Biolistic Gene Delivery as a Potential Treatment for Skin Cancer”
Sarah Burkey – RMSST, “Developing a Urinalysis Immunoassay for Cortisol Detection Year 2”
Ashanah Gayden & Tommy Nguyen – RMSST, “Application of pH-Responsive Nanogels for Targeted Drug Delivery”
GEORGIA SCIENCE & ENGINEERING FAIR
SENIOR DIVISION TOP TEN GRAND AWARD RECIPIENTS
Sarah Burkey – RMSST, “Developing a Urinalysis Immunoassay for Cortisol Detection Year 2”
Ashanah Gayden & Tommy Nguyen – RMSST, “Application of pH - Responsive Nanogels for Targeted Drug Delivery”
HONORS RIBBONS - JUNIOR DIVISION
FIRST HONORS
Addison Cabe - DMS
Olivia DeFrancesco - DMS
Camille Hall - DMS
Jessica Rhee - DMS
SECOND HONORS
Caleb Paterson - DMS
Andrew Tyler - DMS
FOURTH HONORS
Prakash Gupta - DMS
Matilda Rodgers - DMS
Rowan Rodgers - DMS
STATE COMPETITOR
Austen Aldrich - Conyers Middle School
Alexa Apiyo - DMS
Love Cheng - DMS
Barkley Dowdy - DMS
Micah Frazier - DMS
Devon White - DMS
Shamar Henry - DMS
Kayla Holland - DMS
Ryan Rakestraw - DMS
Gavin Reece - DMS
HONORS RIBBONS - SENIOR DIVISION
Honors ribbons indicate a student's relative position in the overall fair. They do not take into consideration either project category or student’s grade, although Junior and Senior divisions are calculated separately. First Honors go to projects with total scores ranking approximately at or above the 90th percentile based on overall scores, regardless of category. Second Honors go to the 80th to 90th percentiles. Third Honors go to the 70th to 80th percentiles. Fourth Honors go to the 60th to 70th percentiles.
FIRST HONORS
Sarah Burkey - RMSST
Ashanah Gayden - RMSST
Asianna Haughton - RMSST
Tommy Nguyen - RMSST
Candy Zheng - RMSST
SECOND HONORS
Justin Bromell - RMSST
Hailey Covarrubias - RMSST
Megan Fachisthers - RMSST
Morgan Gill - RMSST
Laura Goldgar - RMSST
THIRD HONORS
Tymesha-Elizabeth Kindell - RMSST
Shivam Vohra - RMSST
FOURTH HONORS
Elizabeth Huynh - RMSST
STATE COMPETITOR
Hector Aguirre - RMSST
Zaria Battle - RMSST
Lizbeth Cazares - RMSST
Sya Chandler - RMSST
Brandon Gignilliat - RMSST
Julie Gutsulyak - RMSST
Emily Kirkwood - RMSST
Chase Malone - RMSST
Skyler McLymore - RMSST
Sydney Moodie - RMSST
Amelia Page - RMSST
Nawal Reza - RMSST
Mariana Rios - RMSST
Alisha Robbins - RMSST
Josephine Slotnik - RMSST
Maxwell Thomas - RMSST
Jayda Uslu - RMSST
Gina Wiggs - RMSST
SPECIAL AWARDS
American Psychological Association Award
Candy Zheng – RMSST, “Pathways to Educational Equality in China”
ASM Materials Education Foundation Award
Zaria Battle & Mariana Rios – RMSST, “Antibacterial Fabric: The Effects of Natural Oil on E. coli”
Association for Women Geoscientists Award
Asianna Haughton – RMSST, “Utilizing the Byproduct of Xenoliths”
Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Biotechnology Award
FIRST PLACE JUNIOR DIVISION:
Addison Cabe – DMS, “Effects of Blue-Green Algae Dietary Supplements”
FIRST PLACE SENIOR DIVISION:
Ashanah Gayden & Tommy Nguyen – RMSST, “Application of pH-Responsive Nanogels for Targeted Drug Delivery”
National Association of Biology Teachers Biology & Life Science Project Award
SENIOR DIVISION AWARD:
Laura Goldgar – RMSST, “The Effect of Chitosan on Plant Growth”
Naval Science Award
Tymesha-Elizabeth Kindell – RMSST, “Electrospinning Graphene Based Skin Grafts for Burn Wounds”
PCOM (Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine) Georgia Osteopathic Medicine Award
AWARD WINNER:
Prakash Gupta – DMS, “How Does Blue Light from Electronic Devices Affect Sleep?”
Sigma Xi, CDC Chapter Public Health Science Award
SENIOR DIVISION AWARD:
Sarah Burkey – RMSST, “Developing a Urinalysis Immunoassay for Cortisol Detection Year 2”
SPIE - Optics and Photonics Science Fair Award
FIRST PLACE JUNIOR DIVISION:
Prakash Gupta – DMS, “How Does Blue Light from Electronic Devices Affect Sleep?”
Stockholm Junior Water Prize Regional Award
NOMINEES:
Lizbeth Cazares & Emily Kirkwood – RMSST, “The Effect of Bioremediation on Fracking to Reduce Acid Drainage”
Sydney Moodie & Amelia Page – RMSST, “The Phytoremediation of Trace Metals Using Eichhornia crassipes”
Shivam Vohra – RMSST, “Creation of Metal-Ion Doped Graphene-Semiconductor Composites”
UGA Genetics GSA Best Genetics Related Project
SENIOR DIVISION AWARD:
Justin Bromell - RMSST, “Biolistic Gene Delivery as a Potential Treatment for Skin Cancer”
U.S. Agency for International Development Science Champion Award
Candy Zheng – RMSST, “Pathways to Educational Equality in China”