Student to represent Gaston County Schools at international science fair
East Gaston High School science teacher Brian Johnson says it’s the “Olympics of Science Fairs,” and one of his students will represent Gaston County Schools at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Atlanta May 7-13.
During a surprise announcement in February, senior Hannah Mullis learned that she is a Regeneron finalist, earning an automatic bid to the ISEF. Alisa Wickliff, associate director for the UNC-Charlotte Center of STEM Education, and Lenoir-Rhyne University professor Chris Gordon were on hand to present Mullis with a certificate that recognizes the achievement.
Mullis was shocked as her family and friends joined her for the surprise.
“I didn’t see my name on the list of winners at the regional level and thought that I was done with my project,” said Mullis, who is researching how to reduce stress in horses after therapy sessions. “I work at Shining Hope Farms where individuals with special needs come to experience hippotherapy (therapy using horses). My current research focuses on how the stress in horses is affected by the different ability and movement that the rider possesses.”
Mullis, who plans to major in communication sciences and disorders or exercise science at Appalachian State University with the goal of becoming either an occupational therapist or a speech pathologist, owes a lot of her recognition to Johnson. However, Johnson said it is Mullis who deserves all the credit.
“Hannah is one of those generational students that I have had the pleasure to teach,” said Johnson. “Her ability to set forth on a project and follow through is amazing.”
In addition to Mullis, many other students performed well during the local and regional competitions. In partnership with the Schiele Museum, Duke Energy, and other local businesses, Gaston County Schools conducted the annual Gaston Regional Science and Engineering Fair on Friday, January 21. The virtual fair included 115 exhibits and projects that were created by Gaston County’s best and brightest elementary, middle, and high school students.
The Gaston Regional Science and Engineering Fair is divided into four categories: biological sciences, chemistry, environmental sciences, and physics. Students are judged on scientific method, research, cited resources, and the types of evidence provided to support the results.
Science fair coordinator Courtney Johnson said, “We are extremely pleased with the recognition received by our students. Their projects were outstanding and reflected a depth of research, creativity, and expertise. We are very proud of their accomplishments, and we commend them for their hard work and commitment to scientific research.”
For some of the aspiring young scientists, this was their first time ever participating in a science fair.
“Many of our students have never conducted research or entered a science fair. We are so thrilled with all the work they have put into the projects,” said Stanley Middle School teacher Diana Baxter. “The students’ research was on something they were interested in, and a lot of them compared it to their own lives, which makes it a better science experiment.”
Stanley Middle eighth grader Lillyan Wall enjoys baking and researched what substance is best to keep cupcakes from sticking to a pan.
“My hypothesis was correct because the solid did much better than the spray and the liquid,” explained Wall. “If I were to do it again, I would use butter instead of vegetable oil because it left a sticky residue on the cupcakes.”
■ Gaston Regional Science and Engineering Fair
Here is a look at the winners in the Gaston Regional Science and Engineering Fair. The awards ceremony was held in January at the Schiele Museum.
Duke Energy Overall Winners
▪ Elementary School
Maddox Jennings, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy, “The Race is One!”
▪ Middle School
Samantha Franke, Stanley Middle School, “Fertilizer Frenzy”
▪ High School
Sidney Hare, Gaston Early College High School, “Purification Systems on Eliminating Bacteria”
Schiele Museum Award of the Earth
▪ Elementary School
Xane Chandler, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy, “Sunlight vs. LED Light”
Belmont Abbey College Future Scientist Award
▪ Elementary School
Gracie Coleman, Costner Elementary, “My First Rocket”
Junior Naval Science Award
▪ Middle School
Abigail Stephens, Stanley Middle School, “Contain the Water”
Senior Naval Science Award
▪ High School
Heba Patel, Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences, “Effects of Rice Water on Lavenders”
Environmental Sciences
▪ Elementary School
Christian Dean, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy, First Place, “Got Basil”
Xane Chandler, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy, Second Place, “Sunlight vs. LED Light”
Reagan Lankford, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy, Third Place, “The Effect of Color on Bird Feeding Habits”
▪ Middle School
Jillian Schultheis, Stanley Middle School, First Place, “Clean Up Your Act”
Samuel Cadel, Stanley Middle Middle, Second Place, “The Great Plant Water Experiment”
Abigail Stephens, Stanley Middle, Third Place, “Contain the Water”
▪ High School
Tate Smith and Evan Friday, Forestview High School, First Place, “Soil Type Temperatures”
James Gunter, Forestview High School, Second Place, “The Effects of pH on the Growth of Hydrilla in Lake Wylie”
Biological Sciences
▪ Elementary School
Ella Clanton and Alexandria Otis, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy, First Place, “Tooth Decay Eggshell Experiment”
Riley Doran, Belmont Central Elementary, Second Place, “Soda vs. Teeth Eggs-periment”
Iris Ritter and Abigail Yost, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy, Third Place, “Pansy Power”
▪ Middle School
Trevor Goff, Belmont Middle, First Place, “Just How Unique Are A Person’s Fingerprints”
▪ High School
Andre Gaddy, Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences, First Place, “The Intensity of Light and its Effect on Plant Growth”
Hannah Mullis, East Gaston High School, Second Place, “Does Rider Ability Affect a Therapy Horse’s Behavior?”
Sadie Morton, Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences, Third Place, “How Smell Impacts Flavor”
Chemistry
▪ Elementary School
Sophia Markwith, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy, First Place, “Sugar Crystals”
Nixon Sipe, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy, Second Place, “Tooth Test An Egg-speriment”
Connor Abernathy and Anderson West, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy, Third Place, “Crunch Time!”
▪ Middle School
Lilyan Wall, Stanley Middle School, First Place, “The Un-sticky Situation”
Adria Radermacher and Akira Biggs, Bessemer City Middle, Second Place, “Effect of pH on Pop Rocks”
Lizzy-Jane Ross, Stanley Middle School, Third Place, “To Prime or Not to Prime, That is the Question”
▪ High School
Kelly Smith and Zoe Deo, Stuart W. Cramer High School, First Place, “Luminol, Bleach, Enzymes, Oh My!: A Forensic Investigatory Project on the Action of Luminol on Blood Stain Alternative (Crime Scene Chemistry)”
Physics
▪ Elementary School
Gus Barone and Finn McMinn, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy, First Place, “Ice Ice Baby”
Kai Gaut, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy, Second Place (Tie), “Superstar Rocket”
Traygus Mason, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy, Second Place (Tie), “Hot Wings”
Mason McCarey and Liam Luksa, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy, Third Place, “When Pigs Fly”
▪ Middle School
Zuhu and Wasil Mustafa Shaikh, Stanley Middle School, First Place, “Methods of Noise Control”
Tristy Williams, Stanley Middle School, Second Place, “Mask Up!”
▪ High School
Abrianna Risner, Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences, First Place, “Temperatures Effect on Tennis Balls!”
■ Region 6 North Carolina Science Fair
The award-winning submissions from the local competition were eligible to advance to the Region 6 North Carolina Science and Engineering Fair, which took place February 10-12 at UNC-Charlotte. The regional winners from Gaston County are eligible to compete in the state-level virtual competition, which will be held March 25-26.
Here is a list of the regional winners:
High School Special Awards
▪ Kelly Smith and Zoe Deo, Stuart W. Cramer High School, American Chemical Society Senior Award, Second Place
▪ Evan Friday and Tate Smith, Forestview High School, American Meteorological Society Award
▪ Abrianna Risner, Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences, ASM Materials Education Foundation Award
High School Category Awards
▪ Andre Gaddy, Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences, First Place, Biological Sciences
▪ Abrianna Risner, Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences, First Place, Physics
▪ Kelly Smith and Zoe Deo, Stuart W. Cramer High School, Second Place, Chemistry
Middle School Awards
▪ Lillyan Wall, Stanley Middle, American Chemical Society, Honorable Mention
▪ Lizzy-Jane Ross, Stanley Middle, American Chemical Society, Honorable Mention
Elementary School Awards
▪ Christian Dean, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy, Biological Sciences, Honorable Mention
▪ Nixon Sipe, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy, Chemistry, Honorable Mention
▪ Xane Chandler, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy, Earth and Environmental, Third Place
▪ Reagan Lankford, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy, Earth and Environmental, Honorable Mention
▪ Maddox Jennings, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy, Physics and Math, Honorable Mention
