Delaney Walts, a junior at Charles J. Colgan High School, and Shan Lateef, a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, shared the grand prize in the senior division of the Prince William-Manassas Regional Science and Engineering Fair, held March 7, at the Kelly Leadership Center. Their project was "Using Drosophila Melanogaster as an Integrated Model to Elucidate the Neuropathology, Physiology and Genetic Mechanisms Underlying Traumatic Brain Injury."
Lateef is a resident of Prince William County and attended Benton Middle School in PWCS. While located within the Fairfax County Public School division, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is a full-time regional Governor's School that serves other school districts including Arlington, Loudoun, and Prince William counties, as well as the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church.
A third grand prize in the senior division was awarded to Eleanor Sigrest, who is a junior at Forest Park High School and also attends the Governor's School @ Innovation Park. Her project was "Can You Hear the Empty Paces? The Effect of Custom Surface Energy Profiles within a Fuel Tank on the Ability to Mitigate Slosh in Microgravity."
Almost 300 young scientists from Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park participated. These young innovators represented their public and private high and middle schools after winning top honors as first and second place finalists at local science fair competitions.
Cash prizes were established for the first time this year because of the I-66 Express Mobility Partners' donation through SPARK, the Education Foundation for Prince William County Public Schools. Middle division winners could receive up to $100 and senior division winners awarded up to $250.
First-place winners in the middle division qualify to apply to the Broadcom MASTERS, the premier national competition with a $25,000 Samueli Foundation prize for the first-place finalist.
In the senior division, all first-place winners qualify to be promoted to the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair and grand prize winners are awarded with an "all-expenses-paid" trip to California in May to compete at the International Science and Engineering Fair.
For a complete list of awards and winners, please visit the Science Fair webpage.
Congratulations to all participants for their impressive achievements!