Twenty-six students from Medomak Valley High School in Waldoboro participated in the Maine State Science Fair on Saturday, March 23. Five projects from MVHS students placed within the top three of their respective categories. From left: Medomak Valley High School students Lyra Puchalski, Anna Weber, Sam Parent, David Creamer, Jack Martin, Micaela Lorentzen, and Anna Possee. Not pictured: Ace Moberly and Elisah Stanton. (Photo courtesy Lisa Genthner Gunn)
On Saturday, March 23, 26 Medomak Valley High School students participated in the Maine State Science Fair, which was shifted at the last minute to a virtual setting with a single 10-15 minute Zoom interview with their judges.
MVHS students competed amongst approximately 250 students from 24 schools across the state. Approximately 40 category winners were awarded to the top three in each category. For the second year in a row, five Medomak students place in their category.
Sam Parent was awarded first place in the computer science category for his project on using drone and neural networks to detect crop disease
Ace Moberly was awarded second place in the plant science (agriculture) category for their project on using eel wastewater as a fertilizer treatment
Lyra Puchalski was awarded third for her animal science project looking at the impact of carbon dioxide on the ciliary function of blue mussels
Anna Weber and Micaela Lorentzen were awarded third place in the plant science category for their project on reducing eutrophication via arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
David Creamer placed third in biological sciences and engineering for his project on the impact of blue light on fruit flies.
Elisah Stanton was given the Reach Award, which is given to promising first-year students. Anna Possee was offered a scholarship to the University of New England of up to $20,000
Jack Martin was offered a full tuition, renewable scholarship – worth nearly $40,000 – to the University of Southern Maine.
