The Ninth Annual Capital City High School Science Fair, held Saturday at the Marie Drake gym, attracted 161 students who had 57 individual projects and 46 team projects, organizers said. The fair is privately sponsored.
Two projects were judged outstanding: Carl Brodersen on the feeding preference of a snail, and Lia Carpeneti and Sarah Moore on garlic's effect on anaerobic bacteria. Those students won a $300 scholarship from National Bank of Alaska and a trip to the Alaska Science and Engineering Fair in Anchorage on March 31-April 1, with transportation and expenses courtesy of Alaska Airlines and Coeur Alaska.
Five projects were honored for what organizers called wonderful projects. The students were: Karl Twelker on magnetohydrodynamic propulsion; Kathryn Brubaker on mussels; Joanna Marsha and Rochelle Roger assisted by Natalie Hale on sound pollution; Mike James on perspective; and Laura Flynn and Erin Flynn on erosion. Those students won a $150 scholarship sponsored by Carson Dorn Inc., Haight & McLaughlin, American Society of Civil Engineers, Alaska Society of Professional Engineers, Alaska Communications Systems, and AEL&P.
Seven projects were highlighted as great. The students were: Josh Carpenter, Hale Loffbourrow and Josh Zwingelberg on a bomb calorimeter; Matthew Wen and Peter Griffin on the economic value of biodiesel byproducts; Nellie Olsen on chromated copper arsensate and pH; Andrew Pendleton on the pitch of a string; Elizabeth Meiners and Kira Laliberte on which type of water grows the healthiest plants; Stephanie Orsi on the effect of salinity and temperature on ice; and Sara Knowles and Owen Stokes on how daylight affects substance abuse.
Many organizations also gave awards. Stephanie Orsi won an award from Greens Creek Mine. Travis Vidic, Nathan Purves, Courtney Allen, Melissa Goade and Cayleigh Allen won awards from the Southeast Alaska Gardeners Association. Jenner Maher and Andrew Pendleton won awards from Miss Scarletts Flower Shop. Mark Means won the Juneau Home Economists Award. And Carl Brodersen won the University of Alaska Southeast Award.
Anil Ed, Jake Reed and Camden Buzard won the Juneau Amateur Radio Club Award. Lev Tobias assisted by Kyle Brownlee won the Juneau Audubon Society Award. Jason Hanna and Josh Finley won the National Weather Service Award. Ellen Story and Micaela Fowler won the Discovery Southeast Award. Britt Anderson won the DIPAC Award. Bryce Mecum won the Mendenhall Watershed Partnership Award. Kathryn Brubaker won the Mount Juneau Gastineau Masonic Lodge No. 21 Award. Reed Willis won the 12th Year Award for Seniors.
The American Society of Civil Engineers also held a balsa-wood bridge-building contest at the science fair this year. Students competed to build the most efficient tress or beam bridge as measured by how much weight it can hold compared to its own weight.
In the beam bridge category for students 12 and under, Cassie Orbistondo won, followed by Danielle Orbistondo in second place and Stephanie Johnson in third place. Giselle Stone won the truss bridge category for that age level, followed by Helena Bennet and Keegan Goodell in second place and Jacob Hackery and Jerry Wade in third place.
In the beam bridge category for students 13 to 17, Matt Voelckers won, followed by Darren Austin in second place and Frank Naumcheff in third place. Voelckers also won in the truss category, followed by Nick Axemaker in second place and Alex Brown in third place.
Josh VanFleet won for overall aesthetics.