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Gwinnett Student Researchers Take Science to the Next Level at Regional Fair

The Gwinnett Science & Engineering Fair Feb. 4 showed the community the talents of its youth, and students the possibilities for their futures.

"One day. One community. One vision."

The 33rd annual Gwinnett Science and Engineering Fair was held at Friday, Feb. 4, at its new location at (GGC). For the first time, the middle and elementary school science fair (the junior fair) was held at the same location, and participated in the final awards ceremony along with the high school students (the senior fair). The new GGC student center was filled with over 600 students, teacher chaperones, parent volunteers, Gwinnett County Public School (GCPS) authorities, professionals and guest speakers.

GCPS Director of Science Education and director of the fair, Mary Elizabeth Davis, said this science fair is intended to bring the community together to recognize the students. Last fall, Gwinnett public schools won theΒ  a prestigious award for urban schools. Davis said winning the Broad made the Gwinnet public more aware and supportive of the excellence of its public schools, and this science fair was an example of the community coming together to support education.

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Job expo

Three hours of the day’s events were dedicated to student breakout sessions, in which students could listen to professionals speak about their careers in science industries ranging from video-games to microscope development. Davis said the goal of the science fair is to obliterate the archaic idea of science fairs as boring, with simple backboard presentations. Instead, the event allows students to be exposed to a breadth of careers they never would have considered, she said.

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One of the sessions was a job expo, where students had the opportunity to speak to professionals from 21 companies in the science and engineering fields.

Marquise Fletcher of Duluth High School said, β€œ[The job expo] shows what you can look forward to, for a career.”

Jessica Mengwasser represented OFS, a fiberoptics company, at the fair. She said her hope by attending the science fair is to show students β€œwhat’s out there” in the fast-developing engineering world.

Julie Mosely, GCPS science staff, attended the event. She said the science fair is not just a competition, but an opportunity to network and to be competitive. Moseley said, β€œScience develops at such a rapid pace, and we are a science-based society. This is the venue to encourage and challenge kids to reach their highest potential.”

Symposium

Students desiring to compete at a higher level of research participated in Symposium, which requires a separate application process from the general science and engineering fair, and selected students present their research to an audience. Projects ranged from the science of personal space bubbles in conversations to using honokiol, a phytochemical from the Magnolia plant, to inhibit cancer cell growth. At the dinner reserved for Symposium students and guests Dr. Jeff Matthews, principal of , said in a speech that these are the students who give hope to their generation and will soon lead the science world, working in jobs that don’t yet exist. Matthews said true understanding of research is demonstrated by the ability to put the science into laymen’s terms so that others can understand the subject. Indeed, that is the challenge of science fair projects for students.

Tell me about it...

Duluth High School science coach John Edgar said, β€œThere are lots of people who can do cool stuff, but they can’t communicate about it.” Moseley said the students’ benefit from doing a science fair project is being able to articulate research and explain how it can be applied.

All high school students at the regional fair were required to present their research to three judges. Whether or not they really wanted to do a science fair project, every student seemed to have learned from the experience.

Cindy Ayala, a sophomore from Meadow Creek high school, said she learned what a refractometer was. Sarah Lawley, a freshman at South Gwinnett high school, researched the effects of gluten on density of food products. She said, β€œI’m really tired of baking cupcakes.”

Sophomore from Collins Hill High School, Artee Sharma, said she would like to continue her research further. The hardest part, she said, was finding the exact topic to study, and reliable sources. Her project was in the subject of microbiology and she is confident that she wants to practice medicine as a professional.

Zeshan Haider, sophomore at Duluth High School said on a scale from one to ten, his science fair project required a 7 in critical thinking, and a 10 in hard work. What does he think about the science world now? β€œIt’s crazy,” he said.

Awards

Fox 5 morning meteorologist Jeff Hill emceed the awards ceremony. Awards included special recognition, third, second and first place prizes in each subject category for the junior and senior fairs. GGC awarded $500 scholarships tofour students: Anna Jackson and Glacia Ahlstrand of Collins Hill High School, Chris Hodges of South Gwinnett High School and Jason Adams of Peachtree Ridge High School.

Other prizes included tickets to the High Museum of Art, the Georgia Aquarium, and Zoo Atlanta. Thirty-six regional-level first prize projects (50 students) from the senior fair will advance to the state competition in April at the University of Georgia in Athens. State winners will go on to compete at the international level.

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