Come support our budding scientists during the science fair!

More than 500 students from middle schools and high schools from across the county will present over 350 science projects in this year’s Monterey County Science and Engineering Fair Competition held from Friday, March 4 through Sunday, March 6.

The public is invited to view winning science projects at Cal State Monterey Bay University Center from 11:00 a.m. until the awards ceremony at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 6.

Fair participants are drawn from public, private, parochial and home-schools in Monterey County. This is a chance for student to demonstrate original research. They work independently or in teams to address questions in a wide-variety of scientific fields including Computer Science, Environmental Science, Medicine & Health, Chemistry, and Biology.

Students display their research projects and present their findings orally and through written journals to a team of 100 scientists who volunteer as judges.

Science Fair projects are awarded prizes with 22 top projects becoming eligible to participate in the California State Science Fair. The top three Senior Division projects may be eligible to participate in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, which will be held in Phoenix, Arizona in May.

Come take a look. You'll be impressed.

The Family Science, Health and Literacy Day is back at Hartnell

An educational and fun-filled day awaits Salinas parents this Saturday during the Ninth Annual Family Science, Health, and Literacy Day at Hartnell College.

The event is free and open to the public, and will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Hartnell College main campus, with free parking in the garage off of Central Avenue and food for the first 500 attendees.

The Family Science, Health, and Literacy Day will offer a wide range of activities and demonstrations for children of all ages, which include:

· Robotics, Chemistry, Physics, and Astronomy demonstrations
· Live Reptiles
· Planetarium shows
· NASA SEMAA and Coder Dojo
· Nutrition and Healthy Living activities
· Blood pressure screening
· Free children’s books
· Kids Play area
· Live Music and Theatre Arts
· Prizes and giveaways

The most amazing Kapil Sinha wins the science fair. Again.

For the third year in a row, Kapil Sinha, a junior at Salinas High School, earned top honors at the Monterey County Science and Engineering Fair, which was held this past weekend at CSUMB.

Sinha won with his Plant Biology project: "Characterization and Utility of Resistance Sources against Resistance-Breaking Rhizomania in Sugar Beet."

Second place went to Rohan Bhushan of Monterey High School, for his Environmental Science project: "Gravitactic Effects of Copper Pollution on Glucose Metabolism in Euglena gracilis."

Third place went to Chaitra Subbarao also of Salinas High School, for her Biochemistry/Molecular Biology project: "Molecular Detection of Spinach Downy Mildew before Symptom Appearance."

The three winners will advance to the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair, to be held in Pittsburgh, Penn., in May.

About 330 projects with nearly 500 student scientists from public and private schools across the county took part in this year's event.

Twenty-two  top projects will advance to participate in the California State Science Fair, May 18 and 19 in Los Angeles. They are, in alphabetical order:

• Isabella Allen, All Saints’ Day School
• Finn Barry, York School
• Nick Batterman, York School
• Rohan Bhushan, Monterey High School
• John Chapman Caddell, Stevenson School
• Grace Davis, All Saints’ Day School
• Fletcher Gaucher, International School of Monterey
• Caitlyn Giannini, All Saints’ Day School
• Kyle Groves, Salinas High School
• Gabriella Gutierrez, San Carlos School
• Jack Hayes, Carmel Middle School
• Edhel Marie Joseph, Salinas High School
• Magnus Lauer, International School of Monterey
• Molly Mancina, All Saints’ Day School
• Riley Mann, International School of Monterey
• Trinity Mobley, International School of Monterey
• Danya Novak, International School of Monterey
• Tyler Onciano, International School of Monterey
• Cherrie Mae Paghasian, International School of Monterey
• Nahomy Pinedo, Salinas High School
• Madeleine Powley, Salinas High School
• Maya Pruthi, All Saints’ Day School
• Rohan Sethi, International School of Monterey
• Kapil Sinha, Salinas High School
• Chaitra Subbarao, Salinas High School
• Eve Wharton, International School of Monterey
• Kyle Worcester-Moore, York School

Kapil, who's grown like a mile since I interviewed him eons ago, also took top honors at the 2014 Science Fair, and teamed with his sister, Aradhana, to win top project in 2013. Aradhana was top finisher in 2012.

Kapil Sinha, second from right, has won the science fair three times.

Amber Hess from Stevenson School was the only other student to have the top project two years, in 2004 and 2005, according to project coordinator Ginny Brown. She said she doesn't know if  any other student has garnered top honors more than three times.

Stevenson's John Chapman Caddell takes 1st place at international science fair

Big news to come out of the International Science and Engineering fair in Los Angeles. 

Caddell, a sophomore at Stevenson School, took top honors in the Physics and Astronomy category at the competition last week in Los Angeles.

He was one of three Monterey County students to take part on the event. Kapil Sinha, a sophomore at Salinas High School, Jennifer McDonnal, a senior at York School, also competed with more than 1,700 young scientists selected from 435 affiliate fairs in more than 70 countries, regions and territories. More than 500 finalists received awards and prizes for their innovative research, including 17 "Best of Category" winners, who each received a $5,000 prize.

The Intel Foundation, which sponsors the event, also awarded a $1,000 grant to each winner's school and to the affiliated fair they represent. Additionally, the Intel Foundation presented a select number of students with experiential awards, including an 11-day trip to China to attend the country's largest national science competition, speak with researchers at Intel's lab in Shanghai, and visit the Panda Research Base in Chengdu.

Caddell was also awarded "Best of Category" in Physics and Astronomy. In addition to earning $8,000 in prizes, he'll also travel to China. Stevenson School and the Monterey County Science & Engineering Fair will receive $1,000 grants as well.

Chapman's project, The Leidenpump: A Non-Mechanical Means of Fluid Delivery also earned him two additional special awards: $500 from the Patent and Trademark Office Society and a 4-year renewable scholarship, New American University Provost's Scholarship, at Arizona State University.

Sinha, a sophomore at Salinas High School was awarded $500 from the American Society for Horticultural Science for his project: Molecular Characterization of Wild Beet in the Imperial Valley's Commercial Sugar Beet Fields.

Caddell, Sinha and McDonnal earned the opportunity to compete at ISEF by taking top honors at the Monterey County Science & Engineering Fair held at CSUMB in March.

Hartnell hosts Family Science, Health and Literacy Day

There will be the "bed of nails" physics demonstration, free fruits and vegetables, free books and parent’s tips on helping their children to become better readers, free blood pressure screening, free lunchtime hotdogs, puppet shows and Banda music during the 8th annual Family Science, Health and Literacy Day from 11 a.m. to 3 pm. Saturday, May 3 at Hartnell College’s Alisal Campus, 1752 E. Alisal Street, Salinas.

Physics demonstration featuring “The Bed of Nails”
Soccer Fun with Hartnell College’s Championship Team
Silicon Valley Turtle and Tortoise Club
Diesel and Construction Technology Demonstrations
Hands-On Computer Workshops in the state-of-the-art Tech Mobile
Math Magic and Math Games
Free Books for All Ages and Reading Activities
Live Banda Music
Free Food -- while supplies last
Time to Read Puppet Show
Farm Stand for Kids
Astronomy, Biology, Nutrition, and Healthy Living Activities
Many Hands-On Science and Family Fun Activities

The Alisal Education Foundation will hold an awards ceremony to honor special teachers and staff of the Alisal Union School District.

Admission and parking for the event are free. The event is organized by Hartnell College, the Alisal Education Foundation and the Literacy Campaign for Monterey County.

Salinas High School student takes first prize in Monterey County Science Fair.

Kapil Sinha, a 10th grader at Salinas High School, took the Grand Prize this weekend at the Monterey County Science Fair, which took place at Cal State Monterey Bay. His project in the Plant Biology category was titled "Molecular Characterization of the Weed Beet in the Imperial Valley’s Commercial Sugar Beet Fields."

It is at least the second year in a row that Sinha earns a top spot on the science fair.

First runner up was John Chapman Caddell, a 10th grader at Stevenson School. His project in the Applied Mechanics category was titled "The Leidenpump: A Non-mechanical Means of Coolant Deliver."

Second runner up was Jennifer McDonnald, a senior at York School. Her project in the Behavioral Sciences category was titled "Testing Teaching Styles."

The top three projects will represent Monterey County at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair May 11-16 in Los Angeles, California.

Twenty three projects (some include teams of 2 students) will advance to the California State Science Fair April 28-29 in Los Angeles. They include the following students listed in alphabetical order. All winners may also be found here.

Andrea Alexander, York School
Christian Arnold, All Saints’ Day School
Finn Barry, International School of Monterey
Rohan Bushan, International School of Monterey
Nora Butler, International School of Monterey
John Chapman Caddell, Stevenson School
Kalee Choate, San Benancio Middle School
Carson Coppinger, All Saints’ Day School
Sophia Federico, Salinas High School
Elle Froistad, Salinas High School
Madeline Hoisington, International School of Monterey
Christopher How, International School of Monterey
Iona Joseph, San Benancio Middle School
Jackson Gobel, All Saints’ Day School
Mary Liu, Salinas High School
Billy Lynch, All Saints’ Day School
Mason McCollum, York School
Jennifer McDonnal, York School
Camryn More, San Benancio Middle School
Olivia Myers, All Saints’ Day School
Grace Niccum, All Saints’ Day School
Alyssa Pompan, York School
Aaron Ray, York School
Kapil Sinha, Salinas High School
Montana Sprague, York School
Chaitra Subbarao, Salinas High School
Megan Tang, York School
Anna Wheat, International School of Monterey
Kyle Worcester-Moore, International School of Monterey

Congratulations to all these bright students! Hard work pays off, right? 

Six Monterey County Students Take Honors at California State Science Fair

Rohan Bushan and Paul Kunz, 7th graders at the International School of Monterey; Ailis Dooner, a sophomore at Carmel High School; siblings Aradhana and Kapil Sinha, a senior and freshman at Salinas High School respectively; and Montana Sprague, an 8th grader at York School; shone with their projects at the 62nd annual California State Science Fair last week in Los Angeles. Over 1000 participants from 413 schools throughout California competed for top honors.

Bushan and Kunz took third place in the junior division, general microbiology, for their project “Nitrate: A Threat to Plankton.” Their lab research was conducted at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and they examined how nitrate in water sources affect aquatic microorganisms such as plankton.

 Dooner received honorable mention in the senior division, pharmacology/toxicology for her project “Targeting Lung Mutagenesis.” Ailis used laboratory equipment under supervision at University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

The Super Sinha Siblings took third place in the senior division, plant biology for their project “Evaluating Peronospora Presence in Salinas Valley & Analyzing DNA Similarity in Downy Mildew Pathogens Affecting Spinach." They discovered downy mildew is infecting Salinas Valley spinach and spreading by contaminated seed. They developed a way to identify the lethal pathogen, and proposed more effective seed screening methods to prevent further spread of Peronospora.

Sprague took second place in the junior division, zoology, for her project, “Can Fish Get Jet-Lagged?” She investigated the effects of circadian rhythm disruptions on the training and memory of common goldfish.

These students earned the opportunity to participate in the California State Science Fair by finishing first in their division and category at the Monterey County Science & Engineering Fair, sponsored by the Monterey County Office of Education, CSUMB, the Naval Postgraduate School, and many community partners, March 8-10, 2013. A total of 23 projects from Monterey County participated at the State Science Fair.

Dooner, and the Super Sinha Siblings will represent Monterey County at the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona, May 12-17.

Dan Soudran brought a 30-foot gray whale to Greenfield

Some days I get to meet amazing people. Today was one of those.

Dan Soudran, founder of Community Science Workshops, came to Greenfield to show students at Vista Verde Middle School the skeleton of a 30-ft whale that got beached on Half Moon Bay.

Soudran came up with the idea of starting community science workshops about two decades ago, and his network has nearly a dozen in rural areas like Greenfield and Watsonville. I've been wanting to interview him for a while, so today, even though I was supposed to be on vacation, I came in to talk to him.

It was a real treat. Dan's energy and enthusiasm for getting children inspired about science is contagious. The students really got into exploring the bones, even tried to use a cow hip like a mask.



Plus, he likes Antonio Machado, one of my favorite poets! In the middle of our interview, he quoted Machado's most famous poem, "Caminante, no hay camino. Se hace camino al andar."

There are no roads. We make the roads as we walk.

What a treat! Dan, come back soon!

A 30-foot gray whale is coming to Greenfield

Two weeks from now, students from Vista Verde Middle School in Greenfield will have the chance to view and touch a complete skeleton of a 30-foot gray whale.

The Greenfield Science Workshop program, which is part of a network of science workshops across California, will bring the whale exhibit.  The exhibit travels in a modified truck and is used as a natural science resource to engage students in science education.

Dan Sudran, founder of the network of workshops, salvaged the whale bones that make up the traveling exhibit.  The young gray whale first washed up on Pescadero Beach in June 2011. Sudran asked for permission to remove the dead whale’s remains, and with little time to act, he relied on a team of volunteers and friends to dig up the bones and carry them to his backyard in Pescadero. He  cleaned the bones and built a structure that would allow for the safe travel of the skeleton in a donated truck.  A real human skeleton, the rib of a blue whale, as well as cow, deer, and even gopher bones accompany the exhibit.

I've been to the workshop in Greenfield, which is truly magical. Being around the children and teachers you realize how much students gain when they receive an opportunity to explore. The whale exhibit sounds like another great opportunity.

The exhibit is scheduled to return during February 2013 to visit Oak Elementary School.

Salinas High School Aradhana Sinha continues to earn accolades

16-year-old Aradhana Sinha, a senior at Salinas High School, is one of three finalist for the Outstanding Young Scientist Award of the California Association of Professional Scientists. On Sept. 31, Aradhana will find out if she's the winner at a luncheon in Sacramento.

Aradhana's project “Triforine Sensitivity in Lettuce: Year Two” has idenfied a gene in lettuce that makes it sensitive to a popular chemical in fungicides. Sinha's project has been earning recognition everywhere: she won 1st place at the Monterey County Science Fair and 3rd place in the plant biology category at Intel's International Science & Engineering Fair.

The winner will receive a $1,000 cash award and the two runner-ups each receive a $500 cash award.

We keep getting good news about your good work, Aradhana, (and your brother Kapil). You both make Monterey County proud!

Greenfield's science garage founder profiled

When I wrote about the Greenfield science workshop last year, I really wanted to talk to its founder, Dan Soudran. A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Soudran's science workshops are filling a gap overburdened schools are less and less able to meet. NPR profiled Soudran, and Mari Lynch of Bicycling Monterey alerted me to it. Enjoy.

http://www.npr.org/2012/06/21/155519815/kids-get-hands-on-with-science-in-a-dream-garage

Buena Vista Middle School shines at California State Science Fair

Five Monterey County students -- including two current and one former from Buena Vista Middle School -- took honors at the 61st annual California State Science Fair held in the California Science Center in Los Angeles on April 30 - May 1.
The winners are:

Ailis C. Dooner from Carmel High School. 
Third Place in the environmental science division with her project: Endosymbiotic Sustainability: Effects of Ambient Nitrate and Phosphate on Zooxanthellae of Anthopleura elegantissima

 Chaitra S. Subbarao from Buena Vista Middle School
Third Place in the plant biology junior division with the project: An Elegant Test to Measure Post-Harvest Decay of Different Lettuce Cultivars

Aradhana Sinha from Salinas High School
Third Place in the plant biology, senior division with her project: Triforine Sensitivity in Lettuce: Year Two

Kapil Sinha, Buena Vista Middle School, 
Second place in the microbiology, junior division  with his project: Organic Remedy for Tomato Plants: Effects of Vicia sativa and Rye Secale cereale for Protection from Verticillium dahlia

Jenna Mazza from Santa Catalina Lower School
Special Award in the applied mechanics & structures junior division
Wave Bye Bye

These budding scientists competed with 993 participants from 421 schools throughout the state.

Ailis Dooner and Aradhana Sinha, along with Jimmy Lin from Stevenson School, will represent Monterey County at the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May 13-18.