Odessa science students excel at competition

Five Odessa students were among the 463 competitors at the 54th annual Washington State Science and Engineering Fair (WSSEF) held April 1 and 2 at Bremerton High School. Odessa students won three first-place awards, one best-of-category award and eleven special awards, including the C.J. Croswaite Science Student of the Year Award.

Of the hundreds of students vying for the top awards, only 10 of their projects were selected to go into the final round, including those of Kira Powell and Mackenze Braun. After an hour and a half of grueling questioning, both OHS students earned the top awards given out by the state of Washington in the 17 categories in which prizes were awarded.

Mackenze Braun

Odessa High School senior Mackenze Braun won the top award, first-place, in the Zoological Sciences category for her project entitled “Analyzing Horse (Equus) Coat Color of Eumelanin and Pheomelanin Using Spectrophotometry.”

As a result of her win, she received the following scholarships and other awards:

• WSSEF first place award (trophy, certificate and ribbon)

• Evergreen State College Natural and Physical Science Scholarship (tuition and certificate).

• Ohio Wesleyan University Outstanding Achievement in Science Scholarships ($60,000 scholarship to OWU)

• Wolfram Mathmatica (math software and certificate)

Kira Powell

OHS junior Kira Powell’s project, “The Use of Sodium-Polyacrylate to Increase Crop Production in Dry-Land Farming,” won first place in the Botanical Sciences category. Her awards were:

• First-place trophy in chemistry (trophy, certificate and ribbon)

• Washington State University Scholarship (tuition and certificate)

• Wolfram Mathmatica (math software and certificate)

• Ohio Wesleyan University Outstanding Achievement in Science Scholarships ($60,000 scholarship to OWU)

Austin Schmierer

OHS junior Austin Schmierer took second place in the Cell and Molecular Biology category for his project entitled “Isolation of Microsatellite Markers in Centaurea stoebe (spotted knapweed),” taking home a certificate and ribbon.

Thorsen Wehr

Representing the Odessa Junior High School was eighth-grader Thorsen Wehr with his project entitled “Focusing Sound Waves Using a Nonlinear Acoustic Lens,” for which he won first place and best of category in the junior division, as well as a major special award. His awards were:

• First place in 8th-grade division (trophy, certificate and ribbon)

• Best of Category in 8th-grade division (trophy and cash award)

• The Craig M. Lewis Memorial Award (certificate and cash award)

• The Broadcom MASTERS [Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering for Rising Stars] (certificate and invitation to BroadCom research competition)

• Ohio Wesleyan University Outstanding Achievement is Science Scholarships ($60,000 scholarship to OWU)

• Pacific Science Center Award (Guest Family Membership and IMAX passes)

• C.J. Croswaite Washington State Science Student of the Year (plaque)

Kiegan Wehr

In the 5th-grade division, Kiegan Wehr‘s project was entitled “The Effect of Temperature on Laptop Performance.” He was awarded second place, receiving a certificate and ribbon.

Justifiably proud

As Odessa High School’s advisor for a class called “Advanced Science Research” or ASR, Jeff Wehr is proud of his students, and rightly so. As the father of Thorsen and Kiegan Wehr, he has even more reason to feel good about the successes of the youngsters he mentors.

“These fine Odessa students presented marvelously, and their projects revealed excellent use of the scientific method. I am very proud of the amount of time, effort and commitment each of these students dedicated to the science department this year,” he said. “As usual, their hard work paid off very well!”

He went on to say that Powell had already secured a spot to present her project at the International Science Fair (ISEF) based on her presentation at the regional competition. The ISEF will be held in May 2011 in Los Angeles, Calif. and is the largest and one of the most prestigious science competitions for high school students in the world. Washington State students will be competing with 1500 students from around the world for prizes and scholarships.

Both Braun and Powell will also attend the National Science Symposium. Taken all together, the awards earned by the Odessa students were worth nearly $200,000.

The record 463 students competing at the 2011 WSSEF shattered the previous attendance record, marking a 40 percent increase over the 2010 fair. Students competing at the 2011 fair represented 17 Washington counties and 107 schools. First-time participants included groups from Camas High School, Columbia River High School and Curlew High School.

WSSEF sponsors and donors provided trophies, prizes and scholarships valued at approximately $1.6 million to be distributed during the awards ceremony.

The awards ceremony traditionally features a lot of glitter and heavy metal, and 2011 was no exception. Awarded were 144 first-place trophies, eight best-of-category trophies, the Mary Haviland Science Teacher of the Year Award, the C.J. Croswaite Science Student of the Year Award and five traveling school trophies. Numerous special awards and more than 20 scholarships were distributed.