These kids have it down to a science

Marine Institute hosts the 29th annual Regional Science and Technology Fair

By Lucas Whelan - high school correspondent

Crossbow paintball launchers, hydro-electricity, anxiety disorders, and preventing germs were just some of the topics addressed at this year’s Eastern Newfoundland Regional Science and Technology Fair. Over 200 students aged 12 to 18 were chosen to represent their schools this past weekend at the Marine Institute to display their scientific abilities. The atmosphere at this year’s fair was one of anticipation, but the competition heated up as the event went on. Students from across Eastern Newfoundland hoped their projects would be selected to participate in the Canada Wide Science Fair, which will commence May 15 in Peterborough, ON.

Maybe it was because of all the awards up for grabs or simply the love of science, but everyone had their game faces on and were ready to battle once the judges hit the floor. Over 70 judges from various parts of the local scientific community were eager to see what the bright young minds had to offer.

“It has a possibility to improve the lives of people suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD],” said Zachary Quinlan and Andrew Lynch of Bishops College who examined the effects of rapamycin on PTSD.

Several other projects were related to the deadly outbreak earlier this year of the H1N1 virus. When you compare these projects to a crossbow paintball launcher it shows the variety of creative and inspired ideas from the up-and-coming scientists at this year’s fair.

The idea behind each of the 140 projects had a unique story. “I chose this project to [beat] my friend in a competition,” said a student from Holy Heart High School.

On Saturday, March 27, several awards were handed out to students in wide-ranging categories. Top honours for Best in Fair went to Avineet Sekhon, a grade 12 student at Holy Heart, for her project, The Great Weight Debate. She studied a compound found in fruits and vegetables called apigenin, which has the ability to reduce the risk of developing type II diabetes.

The idea for her project came from the Shad Valley internship she completed at Memorial University during the summer. Avineet’s project also earned a gold medal, a Memorial University Department of Biology award, a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada award, and a Women in Science and Engineering award.

Joining Avineet to represent Newfoundland in the Canada Wide competition in May are Kathryn Bowers from Villanova Junior High, Anna Gosine from MacDonald Drive Junior High, Timour Igamberdiev from Holy Heart High, and Caroline Molloy and Lauren Rolling from Bishops College.

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