Young Scientists Snag County Prizes

About 190 Ventura County students in grades 5 through 12 won awards at this year’s county science fair. The event, held this week at the county fairgrounds in Ventura, awarded prizes for students in grades 5-6, middle school and high school.

Following are the winners and the titles of their projects.

Applied Mechanics/Structures & Mechanisms/Manufacturing

Grade 5-6--1st Place: Travis Harmon, Las Colinas School (Is Your Roof a Fire Hazard?) Grade 5-6--2nd Place: Nicholas Bailey, Chaparral Middle School (All Surface Vehicle Concepts for the Design of a Prototype Vehicle). Grade 5-6--3rd Place: Ernest Oh, Colina Middle School (Weight on Fishing Line). Grade 5-6--Honorable Mention: Jason Martinez, Rose Avenue School (Unstable Ground). Junior--1st Place: Adam Borelli, Colina Middle School (Was This Babe Ruth’s Secret to Success?) Junior--2nd Place: Cindy Tolentino, Fremont Intermediate School (How Many Pennies Can a Paper Bridge Hold?) Junior--3rd Place: Kenny Klittich, Fillmore Middle School (Does Doubling Dimensions Double Strength?) Junior--Honorable Mention: Laura Bunker, La Reina High School (Which Packing Material Best Protects Its Contents?)

Behavioral Sciences

Grade 5-6--1st Place: Kelsea Turrow, Flory School (Why Do I Have to Do a Science Project?) Grade 5-6--2nd Place: Allison Kanny, Mesa Union School (Can’t You Remember?) Grade 5-6--3rd Place: Jenica Wallman, Mesa Verde Middle School (Seeing Stars). Grade 5-6--Honorable Mention: Katie Gose, Las Colinas School (What Is the Best Teaching Method?) Junior--1st Place: Mili Parikh, Mesa Verde Middle School (Teaching Methods: Do They Affect Student Performance?) Junior--2nd Place: Rasika Chakravarthy, Medea Creek Middle School (The Correlation Between Dominant Hemisphere of the Brain and Learning Rate). Junior--3rd Place: Jennifer Horan, La Reina High School (Deafness in Dogs). Junior--Honorable Mention: Anna Gohmann, Los Cerritos School (Effects of Compliments in an ESP Experiment). Junior--Honorable Mention: Klarissa Shipley, Mesa Verde Middle School (Can Imagery or Self-Esteem Indicate Decision-Making Better?) Junior--Honorable Mention: Courtney Austin, Colina Middle School (Do You Ever Read These?) Senior--1st Place: Julie Kessler, Calabasas High School (What Do More People Remember? Pictures or Words?) Senior--2nd Place: Kara Tredway, La Reina High School (Sweet Dreams?) Senior--3rd Place: Ashley Thompson, La Reina High School (How Gender Affects One’s Math and Verbal Skills). Senior--Honorable Mention: Jamie Pilloni, La Reina High School (Music: Enhance or Distract?!)

Biochemistry / Molecular Biology

Grade 5-6--1st Place: Courtney Wade, Colina Middle School (Fun in the Sun...Is It Worth It?) Grade 5-6--2nd Place: Eryn Denney, Meadows Elementary (How to Make a Mummy). Grade 5-6--3rd Place: Maleah Lopez, Doug Rasp and Tyler Perez, Las Colinas School (Stretchy). Junior--1st Place: Ricky Panaro, Mesa Verde Middle School (Can You Prevent Cancer?) Junior--2nd Place: Cassandra Ritsema, Fremont Intermediate School (Can Indigestion Be Neutralized Better with Herbal or Commercial Antacids?) Junior--3rd Place: Hannah Buchring, Mesa Verde Middle School (The Good, the Bad, and the Vitamin). Junior--Honorable Mention: Dana Walk, Rio del Valle School (Organic vs. Synthetic Motor Oil). Senior--1st Place: Brittany Bierman, Heather Hassan and Lindsay Tredent, Calabasas High School (How Does Aspirin Affect the Growth Rate of Endothelial Cells?) Senior--2nd Place: Thomas Wypych, Calabasas High School (Which Common Household Products Inhibit the Growth of Escherichia Coli?) Senior--3rd Place: Todd Griffiths and Manuel Martinez, Oxnard High School (Blocking Boat Bottom Growth). Senior--Honorable Mention: Navroop P.S. Mitter, Moorpark High School (Evolutionary Identity Between Different Species of Some Medicinal Plants) Senior--Honorable Mention: Casey Kohler, La Reina High School (Sex-linked Genes).

Chemistry

Grade 5-6--1st Place: Karissa Hookstadt, Camarillo Heights School (Stains-R-Us). Grade 5-6--2nd Place: Lisa Monreal, Mesa Verde Middle School (To Rust or Not to Rust). Grade 5-6--3rd Place: Michelle Lapp, Chaparral Middle School (Curing Split-Ends). Grade 5-6--Honorable Mention: Erin Prober and Lauren Pike, Colina Middle School (Nail Polish . . . The True Story). Junior--1st Place: Deanna Jean Sorreal, Ocean View Jr. High School (Which Glue From Milk is the Strongest, Nonfat Milk, 1% Fat Milk, or 2% Fat Milk?) Junior--2nd Place: Tara Barker, Chaparral Middle School (The Effect of Heat on Luminosity). Junior--3rd Place: Michael Celic, Las Colinas School (Kitchen Chemistry). Junior--Honorable Mention: Brocker Way, Colina Middle School (The Best Remover of Beach Tar From the Sole of a Human Foot). Senior--1st Place: Patrick Griffin, Westlake High School (What Are the Amounts of Bacteria and Heavy Metals From Sewage Before and After Treatment at a Sewage Plant?). Senior--2nd Place: Ailene Sankur and Nancy Tan, Ventura High School (Levels of Caffeine in Over-the-Counter Drugs). Senior--3rd Place: Gianna Benson, La Reina High School (What to Drink after an Earthquake) Senior--Honorable Mention: David Packard and Brent Laabs, Ventura High School (The Effects of Various Chemical Factors on Easter Egg Dyeing).

Earth Sciences / Planetary Sciences / Physical Environments

Grade 5-6--1st Place: Edward Otte, Hollywood Beach School (Cooking With the Sun) Grade 5-6--2nd Place: Michael Hakes, Mesa Union School (Erosion vs. Earth). Grade 5-6--3rd Place: Brando Pozzi, Mesa Union School (The Sky’s the Limit!) Grade 5-6--Honorable Mention: Kevin Hernandez, Mesa Verde Middle School (Comparative Composting) Junior--1st Place: Mary Schlegel, Santa Clara Elementary School (Earthquake). Junior--2nd Place: Christina Lee, Colina Middle School (Passive Solar Heating). Junior--3rd Place: Julie Bristol, Mesa Verde Middle School (Our Future With the Red Planet). Junior--Honorable Mention: Tyler Plant, Sequoia Intermediate School (Climatic Effects on Brassica Rapa) Senior--1st Place: Christine Canute, Hueneme High School (Have a Beach Blast, But Please Don’t Trash!) Senior--2nd Place: Kim Carswell and Grant Newman, Ventura High School (Chloride Loading of Household Wastewater). Senior--3rd Place: Perla Rivera, Hueneme High School (Sticky Business). Senior--Honorable Mention: Alissa Quigley, Calabasas High School (Do Humidity, Temperature and Clouds Have an Effect on Each Other?)

Electricity/Electronics

Grade 5-6--1st Place: Lauren Snyder, Pinecrest-Thousand Oaks (Bright Light). Grade 5-6--2nd Place: Peter Chyla, Mesa Verde Middle School (What Is the Most Cost-Effective Brand That Makes Batteries?) Grade 5-6--3rd Place: Brett Rehder, Mesa Verde Middle School (A Light Jog). Grade 5-6--Honorable Mention: Brandon Canterbury, Jessie Fidler and Brittany Denton, Las Colinas School (Magnetism). Junior--1st Place: Julie Sarto, Sequoia Intermediate School (Magnetic Fields). Junior--2nd Place: Hannah Faith, Fillmore Middle School (How Does Static Electricity Affect Different Types of Fabrics?) Junior--3rd Place: Rachel Murray, Colina Middle School (Drink Voltage).Junior--Honorable Mention: Marina Nazarbekian, La Reina High School (EMFs & Us).

Environmental Sciences

Grade 5-6--1st Place: Kendra Dority, Pinecrest School-Simi Valley (Chemicals and the Contamination of Aquatic Ecosystems).Grade 5-6--2nd Place: Brittany Rogers, Chaparral Middle School (Airborne Particles: the Other Kind of Air Pollution). Grade 5-6--3rd Place: Eric Johnson, Pinecrest-Thousand Oaks (Acid Rain and Oil are Some Pollutants that Affect Aquatic Plant Life). Grade 5-6--Honorable Mention: Mark Smith, Colina Middle School (Erosion and Its Effects). Junior--1st Place: Barbie Bruton, Ocean View Jr. High School (The Effects of Ultraviolet Light on Drosophila Melanogaster). Junior--2nd Place: Barbara Kane, La Reina High School (Increasing Efficiency of Solar Heating). Junior--3rd Place: Joey Lei, Mesa Verde Middle School (Warming Effects of Greenhouse Gases). Junior--Honorable Mention: Lauren Cable, Fremont Intermediate School (Is It Trash or Energy?)

Fluid Mechanics / Aerodynamics/Thermophysics

Grade 5-6--1st Place: Eric Jackson, Mesa Verde Middle School (Airplanes Are a Drag). Grade 5-6--2nd Place: Justin Eakins, Chaparral Middle School (Blowin’ in The Wind). Grade 5-6--3rd Place: David Havskjold, Pinecrest-Thousand Oaks (Aspect Ratios, Airfoils and Autogyros). Grade 5-6--Honorable Mention: Kyle Thurston, Mesa Verde Middle School (The Dimple Pattern Controversy). Junior--1st Place: Ian Whittinghill, Los Altos Intermediate School (The Effect of Air Density on Radio Frequency Energy Driven Plasma Engines). Junior--2nd Place: Lauren Midthun, La Reina High School (Science in Flight). Junior--3rd Place: Eric Lumsden, Colina Middle School (Lubrication). Junior--Honorable Mention: Janine Oliver, Ocean View Jr. High School (Potato Chip Calories: Fact or Fiction?)

Mathematics / Software

Grade 5-6--1st Place: Scott Boczek, Mesa Union School (16 MB to 48 MB, Is It Worth It?) Grade 5-6--2nd Place: Josh White, Colina Middle School (The Other Side of History). Grade 5-6--3rd Place: Allison Piehn, Chaparral Middle School (Digital Assistance for the Visually Impaired) Grade 5-6--Honorable Mention: Lance Newman, Mesa Verde Middle School (Man vs. Machine). Junior--1st Place: Stacy Starr, Mesa Verde Middle School (Computer Architecture). Junior--2nd Place: Nick Cross, Mesa Verde Middle School (Pattern Busters--With Detective Perl). Junior--3rd Place: Jonathan Plante, Mesa Verde Middle School (It Doesn’t Take a Doctor to Treat a Patient). Junior--Honorable Mention: Drew Matamales, Medea Creek Middle School (The Mazer 2001: Memory Test). Senior--1st Place: Taraneh Esmailpour and Natalie Nelson, La Reina High School (How Many Riffles Make a Deck Random?). Senior--2nd Place: Matt Koppel and Anthony Wu, Westlake High School (The Survey Machine).

Microbiology

Grade 5-6--1st Place: Zachary McVicker, Los Primeros Structured (The Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation) Grade 5-6--2nd Place: Jessine Johnson, Pinecrest-Thousand Oaks (Bac-Terminator). Grade 5-6--3rd Place: Daniel V. Suggs, Maple Elementary (What Kills Bacteria?) Grade 5-6--Honorable Mention: Dimitri Golpashin, Mesa Verde Middle School (D.N.A. Strand). Junior--1st Place: Tracey Nichols, Colina Middle School (Can You Prevent Mold From Growing on a Halloween Pumpkin?) Junior--2nd Place: Jess May, La Reina High School (The Effectiveness of Cleansing Agents on Serratia Marcescens). Junior--3rd Place: Lindsey Budny, La Reina High School (Can Oral Rinses Prevent the Growth of Bacteria in the Mouth?) Junior--Honorable Mention: Wilson Kam, Colina Middle School (Ultraviolet Light: Friend or Foe?)

Pharmacology / Toxicology

Grade 5-6--1st Place: Dayne Hinojosa, Chaparral Middle School (Tobacco: Do Plants Huff and Puff?) Grade 5-6--2nd Place: Kristine Viray, Chaparral Middle School (Soil pH Affects Plant Growth). Grade 5-6--3rd Place: Sean Gilson, Ocean View Jr. High School (Is Your Sunscreen as Powerful as You Think?) Grade 5-6--Honorable Mention: Roxanne Bristol, Mesa Verde Middle School (Tobacco: the Truth about Tar). Junior--1st Place: Tristan Ayson, Ocean View Jr. High School (The Effects of a Natural Antibacterial Agent). Junior--2nd Place: Shannon Wood, Ocean View Jr. High School (The Effect of Aspartame on the Learning Ability of Planaria). Junior--3rd Place: Jonathan Reed, Fremont Intermediate School (Caffeine: Its Real Effects). Junior--Honorable Mention: Nina Yaftali, Los Cerritos School (Estrogen in Plants). Senior--1st Place: Andy Keats, Ventura High School (Antacids and You). Senior--2nd Place: Brendon Maxwell, Ventura High School (The Silent Killer). Senior--3rd Place: Claire Weinstock, Sarah Gilman and Sara Osborn, Ventura High School (To Filter or Not to Filter? That is the Question). Senior--Honorable Mention: Oanh Nguyen, Star Bucay and Greg Starobin, Ventura High School (Fluoride and Tooth Decay).

Physics / Astronomy

Grade 5-6--1st Place: Kristen Bailey, Mesa Verde Middle School (Soapy Surfaces). Grade 5-6--2nd Place: Michael Mierzwa, Chaparral Middle School (Boats: Their Shape and Stability). Grade 5-6--3rd Place: Alex MacDonald, Colina Middle School (Wings and Wind Grade). 5-6--Honorable Mention: Jennifer Kort, Pinecrest-Thousand Oaks (Converting Light Into Energy Using Solar Cells). Junior--1st Place: Richard Liu, Mesa Verde Middle School (Gravitational Slingshot). Junior--2nd Place: Tommy Galtress, Las Colinas School (How Do Air Pressure, Materials and Construction of a Ball Affect Its Ability to Bounce?) Junior--3rd Place: Alice Usher, Los Cerritos School (The Brewster Angle). Junior--Honorable Mention: Chris Schlyer, Colina Middle School (Rocket Engine Performance--How Do Moisture and Temperature Affect the Performance of Black Powder Model Rocket Engines?) Senior--1st Place: Ivie Hanakawa, Hueneme High School (Thermal Threads: Which of Various Materials Best Insulates Within Clothing?) Senior--2nd Place: Holly Nguyen, Hueneme High School (Keeping Your Head in the Clouds). Senior--Honorable Mention: Laura Schweppe, La Reina High School (Do Hard, Old Shoes Give You the Blues?) Senior--3rd Place: Megan Holliday and Stephanie Beebe, Oxnard High School (Which Are More Accurate, Mercury or Alcohol Thermometers?)

Physiology

Grade 5-6--1st Place: Darcey Groden, Pinecrest-Thousand Oaks (Let’s Get Active!) Grade 5-6--2nd Place: Dhivya Reghunathan, Colina Middle School (Are You Heavy-Hearted? The Effects of Cholesterol). Grade 5-6--3rd Place: Kirsten Marie Sanchez, Maple Elementary (How Do Different Types of Music Affect Heart Rate?) Grade 5-6--Honorable Mention: Kathryn Sundling, Chaparral Middle School (The Relationship Between Smell and Taste). Junior--1st Place: Michelle McKinney, Mesa Union School (Non-Fat or Regular.) Junior--2nd Place: Eric Brin, Colina Middle School (Strength or Skill?) Junior--3rd Place: Clayton Marshall, Colina Middle School (Depth to Perceive or Not to Perceive? That is the Question). Junior--Honorable Mention: Greg Swiller, Colina Middle School (Who’s Full of Hot Air?) Senior--1st Place: Vinay Shah, Moorpark High School (Sleep and Memory). Senior--2nd Place: Jonny Ochoa, Hueneme High School (Athletes versus Nonathletes: How Does Exercise Affect Them?) Senior--3rd Place: Dominador Mendrez, Hueneme High School (Right on the Beat). Senior--Honorable Mention: Sarah Mahoney and Heather Clark, Oxnard High School (The Beat Goes On).

Plant Biology

Grade 5-6--1st Place: Rachael Tice, Mesa Verde Middle School (CO2 and Plants). Grade 5-6--2nd Place: Katie Rocklin, Mesa Union School (An Apple a Day Makes a Tomato Grow This Way). Grade 5-6--3rd Place: Christopher Courillion, Mesa Verde Middle School (Hey Gardeners, Listen Up!) Grade 5-6--Honorable Mention: Crissy Orr, Mar Vista Elementary School (Busy Bees--Are They Busy Enough?) Junior--1st Place: Nicole Jenkins, Ocean View Jr. High School (How Does Ultraviolet Radiation Affect the Growth of Freshwater Algae Spirogyra?) Junior--2nd Place: Crystal Russo, Mesa Verde Middle School (Light Up Your Life). Junior--3rd Place: Matt Mong, Mesa Verde Middle School (What Does Your Plant Want for Breakfast?) Junior--Honorable Mention: Jimmy Myers, Mesa Union School (Irrigation and Water Conservation). Senior--1st Place: Kathleen Ann Nava, Santa Paula High School (Is Ceanothus Ophiochilus Threatened With Extinction by Genetic Swamping?) Senior--2nd Place: Jennie Katz, Calabasas High School (Cloning Carrots). Senior--3rd Place: Jennifer Stinebaugh, Hueneme High School (Hydroponics, The Future of Gardening?) Senior--Honorable Mention: Alexis Tenner, Calabasas High School (Does the Use of Vitamin B1 Reduce the Risk of Root Shock in Plants?)

Social Sciences

Grade 5-6--1st Place: Meghann Scott, Mesa Verde Middle School (My Self-Esteem, Your Self-Esteem). Grade 5-6--2nd Place: Rebekah Bautista, Mesa Union School (Homemade or Store-Bought--Your Choice). Grade 5-6--3rd Place: Katherine Morton, Ocean View Jr. High School (Teenage Values: Do They Differ Between Girls and Boys?) Grade 5-6--Honorable Mention: Kate Barton, Las Colinas School (Are Cigarette Companies Buying You?) Junior--1st Place: Melissa Price, Mesa Verde Middle School (Your Body, Your Image). Junior--2nd Place: Tony Frahanne, Mesa Verde Middle School (Is There a Wrong Way To Punish a Child?) Junior--3rd Place: Evan Hess, Colina Middle School (TRUTH or D.A.R.E.--Do Drug Education Programs in Schools Have a Positive or Negative Effect on Student Use of Drugs?) Junior--Honorable Mention: Laura Crane and Molly Horan, La Reina High School (Is the Public Thoughtful or Impulsive with Regard to Basic Environmental Issues?)

Zoology

Grade 5-6--1st Place: Lauren Pratt, Mesa Union School (Can Different Colors Affect the Chick’s Growth?) Grade 5-6--2nd Place: Kristi Schattl, Colina Middle School (Snails). Grade 5-6--3rd Place: Pauline Miller, Ocean View Jr. High School (The Process of Training Planaria). Grade 5-6--Honorable Mention: Katie Christiansen, Colina Middle School (The Truth About Termites). Junior--1st Place: Nicole Morrison, Mesa Verde Middle School (Selective Versus Simultaneous Parasite Control in Horses). Junior--2nd Place: Kathleen Ritterbush, Los Cerritos School (Scaly Scalers--At What Angle Can the Green Anole Climb on Glass or Plastic?) Junior--3rd Place: Brennan Humes, Mesa Verde Middle School (To Boldly Go Where No Cockroach Has Gone Before . . .) Junior--Honorable Mention: Dustin Anderson, Fillmore Middle School (How Does the Amount of Protein Affect Chick Growth?) Senior--1st Place: Megan Pidduck, Santa Paula High School (The Effect of Caffeine and Tobacco on the Growth and Development of Mealworms.) Senior--2nd Place: Paul Kim, Oxnard High School (Do Earthworms Have a Preference for a Certain Moisture Content?) Senior--3rd Place: Sherron Wiggins, Oxnard High School (A Snail’s Diet). Senior--Honorable Mention: Juanita Ibarra, Santa Paula High School (Corn Oil as a Feed Supplement for Rabbits).