A total of 316 high school students from nine counties came to Slippery Rock University, Feb. 22, to present scientific research projects as part of the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science’s Region IX meeting. The PJAS is a statewide organization of junior and senior high school students that promotes interest in science through research projects and investigations.
In addition to presenting research in 13 categories of science, students competed for scholarships and cash awards funded by the SRU Foundation, Inc., and University departments and academic units.
The presentations were conducted in the Smith Student Center with SRU faculty and students helping serve as volunteer judges. All first-place winners in their respective categories have qualified to present at the PJAS State Meeting, May 18-20, at Penn State University.
The following two SRU Foundation Scholarship winners were awarded $3,000-per-year scholarships for four years to attend SRU and major in a science:
- J.J. Nicolls received the Outstanding Grade 12 Presentation award. Nicolls, from Freeport Area, presented “Vitamins Affect on Planaria Regeneration” (Christy Gregori, Sponsor).
- Elizabeth Bersett received the Outstanding Grade 11 Presentation award. Bersett, from Wilmington Area, presented “The Impact of Airport Noise Pollution on Public Health” (Sara Telesz, Sponsor).
Other cash award winners receiving $100 included:
- Ella Higbee, from Indiana Area, in the Junior High Biological Science category for “The Effectiveness of Bleach vs. Natural Cleaners” (Emily Hixson, Sponsor).
- J.J. Nicolls, from Freeport Area, in the Senior High Biological Sciences category for “Vitamins Affect on Planaria Regeneration” (Christy Gregori, Sponsor).
- Richard Migliorisi, from New Castle, in the Junior High Chemistry category, for “The Enzymatic Reactions in Potatoes” (Russ Carley, Sponsor).
- Nolan English, from South Side School District, in Senior High Chemistry category for “Milk Plastic” (Stacie Stonebraker, Sponsor)
- Mariam Khan-Afridi, who is home-schooled, in the Junior High Earth and Space category for “Affect of herbicides on seed germination” (Antoinette Ashfaq, Sponsor).
- Emaan Ashfaq, who is home-schooled, in the Senior High Earth and Space category for “Rethinking the Chemical Composition of Weed Killers” (Antoinette Ashfaq, Sponsor).
- Ashley Urena, from New Castle, in the Junior High Computer Science category for “Notes in Code” (Russ Carley, Sponsor).
- Patrick Lee, from Reynolds, in the Senior High Computer Science category, for “Earthquake Damage Detection Using Fourier Transform” (Jane Coburn, Sponsor).
- Sienna Stutz, from Butler Area, in the Junior High Engineering category for “How does Sand and Cement affect the Strength of Concrete? (Veronica Sankey, Sponsor).
- Chase Martineau, from Wilmington Area, in the Senior High Engineering category for “A Glimpse Into The Dark: Affordable Night Vision” (Sara Telesz, Sponsor).
- Olivia Cornish, from Butler Area, in the Junior High Mathematics category for “Twisted Science; The Knot Theory” (Benjamin Rittenhouse, Sponsor).
- Elizabeth Bersett, from Wilmington Area, in the Senior High Mathematics category for “The Impact of Airport Noise Pollution on Public Health” (Sara Telesz, Sponsor).
- Xavier Grenci, from Butler Area, in the Junior High Physics category for “Analog Versus Implicit Monte Carlo Simulations” (Benjamin Rittenhouse, Sponsor).
- Audrey Yang, from Indiana Area, in the Senior High Physics category for “Fighting Fire with Frequency” (Emily Hixson, Sponsor).
- Ty McFarland, from Karns City Area, in the Junior High Behavioral Science for “Does Biological Sex Affect Reaction Time?” (Terry MacKrell, Sponsor).
- Emma Runge, from Indiana Area, in the Senior High Behavioral Science category for “Is PBIS Effective in the High School Setting?” (Emily Hixson, Sponsor).
The SRU departments and academic units that provided funding for the cash awards included Biology; Chemistry and Environmental Geosciences; Computing and Security; Mathematics, Statistics and Physics; Engineering; and Psychology.
More information about PJAS Region IX is available online. More information about SRU science programs is available on the University website.
