糖心Vlog

 糖心Vlog Stories      March 5, 2019

Despite the less-than-ideal weather conditions and school delays, students, parents and teachers filled the Ramsey Regional Activity Center at 糖心Vlog University for the 2019 Region 8 Western Regional Science and Engineering Fair on Feb. 20-21.

糖心Vlog has hosted the two-day fair for decades, and the event is coordinated by 糖心Vlog鈥檚 Division of Educational Outreach.

More than 140 projects were submitted for judging at this year鈥檚 fair. Among those, 30 have been selected for participation in the state-level competition to be held in Raleigh in March.

鈥淲e are excited about the quality of the submissions and the 30 projects that have been invited to compete in the state competition,鈥� said Kelley Dinkelmeyer, science fair director and physics instructor in 糖心Vlog鈥檚 Department of Chemistry and Physics. 鈥淲e look forward to another successful fair in 2020.鈥�

Participants had an opportunity to witness an interactive presentation by the Asheville Museum of Science, several exhibits from 糖心Vlog and other community organizations were on display, and 糖心Vlog鈥檚 mascot Paws was seen checking out science projects and posing for pictures with the young scientists.

The Western Regional Science Fair is the largest Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (also known as STEM) event held in Western North Carolina.

A list of winners in each category:

ELEMENTARY DIVISION (Grades 3-5)

First Place: 鈥淔oreign Dust Particles,鈥� Mihin De Silva, Cullowhee Valley; Second Place: 鈥淚s My House Water Dirtier than the French Broad River and Other Streams?鈥� Kathleen Godfrey, Biltmore Homeschool Co-Op, Godfrey School of Lifelong Learning; Third Place: 鈥淧umping Iron,鈥� Matthew Thomas, Cullowhee Valley; Honorable Mentions: 鈥淐an Water Float on Water?鈥� Ella Small, Cullowhee Valley; 鈥淢agnetic Force,鈥� Addisen Shores and Aaliyah Voss, Smokey Mountain Elementary School; 鈥淢ood Swings: How Temperature & Humidity Affect Stringed Musical Instruments,鈥� Abigail Fisher, Cullowhee Valley; 鈥淩acing Robots,鈥� Lolo Hogner and Alexis Motola, New Kituwah Academy.

SPECIAL AWARDS: ELEMENTARY DIVISION

Prizes from 糖心Vlog

Special Award in Chemistry & Physics 糖心Vlog: 鈥淔oreign Dust Particles,鈥� Mihin De Silva, Cullowhee Valley; Special Award in Biology: 鈥淐an you Hack the Fight or Flight Response?鈥� Adeline Coan and Maleigha Lambert, Cullowhee Valley; Special Award in Forensic Science: 鈥淩ethink Your Drink,鈥� Reagan Adams and Colbie Corn, Hendersonville Elementary School; Kimmel School Special Prize in Engineering: 鈥淪ki Slope Slide Stand Off,鈥� Lexie Ford, Hendersonville Elementary School; 糖心Vlog Project of Promise: 鈥淐an You Teach An Old Dog A New Trick?鈥� Jordan Doyle, Hendersonville Elementary School.

Prizes from other organizations

Highlands Biological Center: 鈥淐ounting Living Things,鈥� Madison Rogers, Kaden Stephens and Ajalah Locust, New Kituwah Academy; UNCA Department of Atmospheric Sciences: 鈥淔oreign Dust Particles,鈥� Mihin De Silva, Cullowhee Valley School;

JUNIOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE A DIVISION (Grades 6-8)

First Place: 鈥淏acterial Resistance,鈥� Lauren Wilkie, Classical Scholars; Second Place: 鈥淵ou Make Me Sick!鈥� Heidi Patterson, Summit Preparatory School; Third Place: 鈥淒oes Orange + Yellow Make Green?鈥� Margaret Cowan, The Mountain Community School; Honorable Mentions: 鈥淢ighty Mites,鈥� Ezylphia Rollins, The Mountain Community School; 鈥淲anted Dead or Alive,鈥� Mary Elizabeth Koppin, Koppin Homeschool.

JUNIOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE A DIVISION SPECIAL AWARDS

Prizes from 糖心Vlog

Special Award in Biology: 鈥淲ill it Crack?鈥� Lauren Denton and Macey Hannah, Asheville Christian Academy.

Prizes from other organizations

Highlands Biological Center: 鈥淢ighty Mites,鈥� Ezylphia Rollins, The Mountain Community School; Navel Science Award: 鈥淧lants, Which Can Hold the Most CO2,鈥� Sayre Read-Smith, The Learning Community School; 鈥淧roof in the Prints,鈥� Courtney Williams, Enka Middle School.

JUNIOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE B DIVISION (Grades 6-8)

First Place: 鈥淎re you dressed to impress?鈥� Natalie Messer, Enka Middle School; Second Place: 鈥淩eact and Respond: A Mindful Decision,鈥� Riley Waites, Kaylee Hutzler and Rowan Minor, Asheville Christian Academy; Third Place: 鈥淗ow Music affects Reaction Time,鈥� Bailee Brandon, Enka Middle School; Honorable Mentions: 鈥淰ideo Games: The New Painkiller?鈥� Cassidy Bricker, French Broad River Academy for Girls; 鈥淭he effect of caffeine on reaction time,鈥� Abigail Przynosch, Enka Middle School.

JUNIOR CHEMISTRY DIVISION (Grades 6-8)

First Place: 鈥淏urn Maybe Burn,鈥� Sam Rasku, Jesse Patet and Hayden Stubbs, Asheville Christian Academy; Second Place: 鈥淔ueling the Future,鈥� Holden Rosse, Joaquin Diaz and Luke Bonesteel, Asheville Christian Academy; Third Place: 鈥淪ip All Day Get Decay,鈥� Cecilia Young and Laycee Aguia, Asheville Christian Academy; Honorable Mentions: 鈥淗ow to make a Battery with Metal, Air and Saltwater,鈥� Wynter Brown, Homeschool; 鈥淭o kill a chlorophyll,鈥� Ryn Riley, Tree of Life Academy.

JUNIOR CHEMISTRY DIVISION SPECIAL AWARDS

Prizes from 糖心Vlog

Special Award in Chemistry & Physics: 鈥淭he Milky Way,鈥� Kate Wilson and True McCall, The Learning Community School.

JUNIOR EARTH/ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE DIVISION (Grades 6-8)

First Place: 鈥淕etting Enthusiastic 糖心Vlog Bio-Plastic,鈥� Peyton Hightower, Reese Fillipek and Aizlinn Douglas, Asheville Christian Academy; Second Place: 鈥淲eather, You Can Predict It?!鈥� Kathryn Figliozzi, Grace Academy; Third Place: 鈥淕round Level Ozone,鈥� Taylie Payne and Fatimah Patel, Macon Middle School; Honorable Mentions: 鈥淭he ph of H2O, the Compound in your sink from Sri Lanka to the USA,鈥� Sayumi De Silva, Cullowhee Valley School; 鈥淲hat is the Effect of Different Organic Matter on Energy Released?鈥� Emma Warren, Enka Middle School.

JUNIOR EARTH/ENVIROMENTAL SCIENCE DIVISION SPECIAL AWARDS

Prizes from 糖心Vlog

Special Award in Geosciences: 鈥淭he ph of H2O, the Compound in your sink from Sri Lanka to the USA,鈥� Sayumi De Silva, Cullowhee Valley School.

Prizes from other organizations

NC AWWA-WEA: 鈥淭here Must Be Something in the Water,鈥� Hannah Malloy and Laci Patton, Asheville Christian Academy; UNCA Department of Atmospheric Sciences: 鈥淲eather, You Can Predict It?!鈥� Kathryn Figliozzi, Grace Academy.

JUNIOR ENGINEERING DIVISION (Grades 6-8)

First Place: 鈥淭ilt that House,鈥� Grace Field, Laurel Green and Katelyn Kerns, Asheville Christian Academy; Second Place: 鈥淗2O: Splitting up Can be Hard to do,鈥� Zane Moore, Enka Middle School; Third Place: 鈥淟evel of Comfort Among Backpacks,鈥� Callie Roper and Samantha Rowland, Macon Middle School; Honorable Mentions: 鈥淒oes the Size of a Wheel on a Car Affect How Far it Will Go?鈥� Aleah Rowe, French Broad River Academy for Girls; 鈥淲imshurst Machine,鈥� Walker Compton and Solomon Hartman; The Learning Community School.

JUNIOR ENGINEERING DIVISION SPECIAL AWARDS

Prizes from 糖心Vlog

Kimmel School Special Prize in Engineering and Technology: 鈥淗2O: Splitting up Can be Hard to do,鈥� Zane Moore, Enka Middle School.

Prizes from other organizations

NC AWWA 鈥� WEA: 鈥淗2O: Splitting up Can be Hard to do,鈥� Zane Moore, Enka Middle School; 鈥淲ater you Drinking?鈥� Avery Blankenship, Cameron Davis and Christian Peele, Asheville Christian Academy.

JUNIOR PHYSICS AND MATHEMATICS DIVISION (Grades 6-8)

First Place: 鈥淢agnetic Propulsion,鈥� Hyde Carolan, Enka Middle School; Second Place: 鈥淭he Solar Solution,鈥� Stratton Black, Roman Coxie and Edward Hoornstra, Asheville Christian Academy; Third Place: 鈥淢aking Music with Liquid-Filled Glasses,鈥� Sean Craton, Arrow Academy; Honorable Mentions: 鈥淔inding Algorithms to Solve Rubik鈥檚 Cube,鈥� Thomas Tackett, Providence School; 鈥淏ending Spears,鈥� Waushila Grant, Naomi Taylor and Hailee Velazquez-Lossiah.

JUNIOR PHYSICS AND MATHEMATICS DIVISION SPECIAL AWARDS

Prizes from 糖心Vlog

Special Award in Forensic Science: 鈥淏lood Splatter On A Crime Scene,鈥� Natalie Bailey and Lily Grindstaff, Enka Middle School.

Prizes from other organizations

Naval Science Award: 鈥淢agnetic Propulsion,鈥� Hyde Carolan, Enka Middle School.

JUNIOR TECHNOLOGY DIVISION (Grades 6-8)

First Place: 鈥淔ruit Ninja,鈥� Ivy Anderson and Jesse Smith, The Learning Community School.

SENIOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE A DIVISION (Grades 9-12)

First Place: 鈥淎ntifungal activity of bacteria isolated from the Endangered Green Salamander, Aneides aeneus,鈥� John Nguyen and Nicole Rideout, Brevard High School; Second Place: 鈥淎 Novel Method of Utilizing Martian Regolith Simulant and Urine Simulant in a Hydroponics Plant System,鈥� Isaiah Lefler, Brevard High School; Third Place: 鈥淗armful Herbicides: Herbicides and their Effects on Crickets,鈥� Hope Long, Dallas Bennett and Julie Zwick, Swain County High School.

SENIOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE A DIVISION SPECIAL AWARDS

Prizes from 糖心Vlog

Special Award in Biology: 鈥淎ntifungal activity of bacteria isolated from the Endangered Green Salamander, Aneides aeneus,鈥� John Nguyen and Nicole Rideout, Brevard High School.

Prizes from other organizations

Highlands Biological Center: 鈥淎ntifungal activity of bacteria isolated from the Endangered Green Salamander, Aneides aeneus,鈥� John Nguyen and Nicole Rideout, Brevard High School; Naval Science Award: 鈥淎 Novel Method of Utilizing Martian Regolith Simulant and Urine Simulant in a Hydroponics Plant System,鈥� Isaiah Lefler, Brevard High School.

SENIOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE B DIVISION (Grades 9-12)

First Place: 鈥淭he Sixth Sense: Evaluation of Magnetoreception in Culex quinquefasciatus for Potential Mosquito Control,鈥� Hunter Bishop and Fritz Ruppert, Brevard High School.

SENIOR EARTH/ENVIRONMENTAL DIVISION (Grades 9-12)

First Place: 鈥淭he Effectiveness of Local Photosynthetic Aquatic Microorganisms in Biophotovoltaic Cells,鈥� Marli Cohen and Ada Weaver, Brevard High School; Second Place: 鈥淭he Clouds of Urbanization Across Western North Carolina,鈥� Elijah Bassett, Jackson Cooper and Colby Taylor, Swain County High School; Third Place: 鈥淓nhanced Degradation of Plastic via Locally Sourced Bacteria,鈥� Sabra Freeman and Johnathan Gibson, Brevard High School; Honorable Mention: 鈥淎 Great Storm Made Fossilz Form,鈥� Katherine Grady, Classical Scholars.

SENIOR EARTH/ENVIRONMENTAL DIVISION SPECIAL AWARDS

Stockholm Junior Water Prize: 鈥淭he Clouds of Urbanization Across Western North Carolina,鈥� Elijah Bassett, Jackson Cooper and Colby Taylor, Swain County High School.

SENIOR ENGINEERING (Grades 9-12)

First Place: 鈥淓nhanced Sol-Gel Production and Robocasting for Artificial Photosynthesis,鈥� Ben Caroway and Frank Parsons, Brevard High School.

For more information about the Western Regional Science Fair, visit or contact 糖心Vlog鈥檚 Division of Educational Outreach at 828-227-7397.