– Analyzing the effects of social media on teen depression, assessing the effect of local soil content on criminal forensics testing, and proposing environmentally-friendly lithium extraction techniques, are just a few of the unique student projects exhibited at the Riverside County Science and Engineering Fair.
A total of 519 students from 29 affiliate fairs representing public, charter, and private schools, presented their findings in 361 projects spanning 19 subject matter categories from Biochemistry and Electrical Engineering to Physics and Plant Science.
“Students who are observing their world and seeking ways to apply the scientific method to make it better, is what the Riverside County Science and Engineering Fair is all about,” said Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edwin Gomez. “We look forward to recognizing the fresh research and innovative thinking that will propel these students to represent Riverside County at state and international competitions.”
Within each of the 19 subject matter categories, students competed in the Grade 4/5 division, Junior division (grades 6-8), and Senior division (high school). Winners in the Junior and Senior division sdvanced to the California State Science and Engineering Fair to be held on April 16, 2024, and will be held entirely online. Sweepstakes awards will be presented to one project in Grades 4/5 division, one project in the Junior division, and one project in the Senior division. Three Senior division students will advance to the Regeneron International Science and Engineering (ISEF) Fair to be held May 11-17, 2024, in Los Angeles.
Participating districts and charter/private schools include:
Alvord USD, Banning USD, Beaumont USD, Chammakilawish, Pechanga School, Coachella Valley USD, Corona-Norco USD, Desert Center USD, Desert Sands USD, Hemet USD, Julia Lee Performing Arts Academy,· Jurupa USD, Lake Elsinore USD, Mission Vista Academy, Moreno Valley USD, Nuview Union SD, Palm Springs USD, Palo Verde USD, Rancho Christian School, REACH Leadership, STEAM Academy, Riverside USD, Romoland SD, Sacred Heart School, San Jacinto USD, River Springs Charter School, St. Catherine’s of Alexandria School, St. Edward’s School, Sycamore Academy,Temecula Preparatory School, Val Verde USD
2024 Riverside County Science and Engineering Fair by the numbers: · 519 – Total students participating
· 361 – Total projects
· 29 – Districts and/or charter/private schools participating
· 115 – Projects from students in Grade 4/5 division
· 142 – Projects from students in Junior division (Grades 6-8)
· 104 – Projects from students in Senior division (Grades 9-12)
· 19 – Categories of competition
· 40 – Entries in most popular category: Chemistry
Examples of entries from this year’s event include:
Project Title: Water Quality in High vs. Low Income Neighborhoods
Students: Keila Goodall, Sayaka Shigematsu
Grade: 10th and 11th
School/District: Centennial, Corona-Norco Unified School District
Project Description: Investigate and highlight the disparities in water quality between low and high-income communities while proposing a scalable and cost-effective solution through real-time water quality monitoring to address environmental issues and promote access to cleaner water.
Project Title: How Social Media Affects Teen Depression
Students: Scarlett Buffington, Audrey Niroumand
Grade: 9
School/District: Temescal Canyon High School, Lake Elsinore Unified School District
Project Description: How social media affects teens—positively or negatively. If teens are on social media more, are they more likely to have symptoms or signs of depression?
Project Title: Evolving an Epidemic: Optimizing Sialic Acid Receptor Configurations to Increase the Binding Affinity of Avian Influenza H5N1 to Human Cell Glycoproteins
Students: Andre Vo, Brian Ngo, Yoonchan Lee
Grade:11
School/District: Martin Luther King High, Riverside Unified School District
Project Description: The goal of the research is to bring light to how altering receptors can yield an increase in affinity between viruses and human cell glycoproteins; as well as, provide information and further the efforts to find drugs and vaccines that combat viral infections and diseases
Project Title: Which Tumbler Works Best?
Student: Julietta Marin
Grade: 5
School/District: Creekside Elementary School, Moreno Valley Unified School District
Project Description: Instead of using plastic water bottles, tumblers can be used because they are good for the environment. The purpose of the project is to provide information to help people choose the best tumbler that keeps drinks cold and hot.
Project Title: No Pain, Lots of Game!
Student: Logan Hafliger
Grade: 5
School/District: Ronald Reagan Elementary School, Desert Sands Unified School District
Project Description: Have you ever heard the expression, "Take two aspirin, and call me in the morning."? What if instead your doctor said, "Play two video games and call me in the morning"? Would you be shocked, or think it was time for a new doctor? This project investigates whether playing video games have the power to relieve pain.
Project Title: Digging Deeper: Riverside’s Soil Impact on the Reliability of Forensic Findings
Students: Yovana Zamohano, Natasha Todorovski
Grade: 12
School/District: Riverside STEM Academy, Riverside Unified School District
Project Description: Forensic science plays a pivotal role in solving crimes and unraveling mysteries through the analysis of physical evidence. The soil composition of a region can significantly impact the preservation or degradation of forensic evidence at crime scenes.
Project Title: Portable Bomb Shelter
Students: Lilyana Covington, Jennavieve Covington
Grade: 6
School/District: Vista Heights Middle School, Moreno Valley Unified School District
Project Description: Addresses a safety need that families, especially children, might need during emergencies, such as bombings or earthquakes, by developing a portable bomb shelter that combines advanced materials and engineering innovation to provide a practical and effective solution
Project Title: Poppin’ Boba
Students: Camilla Bracamonte, Alyson Melero, Yurey Zapata-Lopez
Grade: 5
School/District: Mecca Elementary School, Coachella Valley Unified School District
Project Description: Tested to see the effect of different liquids when making Boba by trying apple juice, Gatorade, tomato juice, and Coca-Cola. The hypothesis was that the boba would form into different shapes and be hard.
Project Title: Spinning Towards Sustainability: Revolutionizing the Salton Sea’s Direct Lithium Extraction With Novel Geothermal Brine CentrifugationStudent: Tenzing Carvalho
Grade: 10
School/District: Western Center Academy, Hemet Unified School District
Project Description: Traditional extraction methods, such as mining and evaporation, are time-consuming and environmentally harmful. Direct lithium extraction (DLE) with centrifugation protocols offers a promising approach for lithium extraction, characterized by selectivity and eco-friendliness.
Project Title: What Type of Liquid Cleans the Penny Better?
Student: Benjamin Thomas
Grade: 5
School/District: Palm Innovation Academy, Beaumont Unified School District
Project Description: Ten different liquids were used as acids or bases in order to identify what was most effective at cleaning a penny.
Project Title: Outlet Lock
Students: Nathan Martinez, Andrew Padilla, Adrian Hernandez
Grade: 11th, 11th, 12th
School/District: Jurupa Valley High School, Jurupa Unified School District
Project Description: Electrical outlets are prone to becoming loose over time, which leads plugs to not be secure and fall out at the slightest movement. This project designed a durable, user-friendly, and reliable 3-D printed solution. Additional details on this year’s Riverside County Science and Engineering Fair are available at https://www.rcoe.us/student-events/science-engineering-fair/.