Students Impress with their Experiments, Research at the Science and Engineering Fair
On Wednesday, March 2, Newton Country Day held the 28th annual Science and Engineering Fair. Students in Grades 7 and 8, and Upper School students participating in Independent Research, presented their projects to over 50 judges. Both individual and group projects were exhibited. Seventh grade students focused their research on life science, while eighth grade students presented on engineering design. The judging panel was made up of members of the math and science community, including Newton Country Day parents, alumnae, teachers, and members of the Class of 2023.
Grade 7
For their projects, Grade 7 students followed the scientific method to complete experiments focused on Biology, Biochemistry, Environmental Science, Geology, and Psychology.
First place: R. Chen ’28 and C. Hoeneshied ’28: Stay Clean, Keep it Green
Second place: M. Condlin ’28 and J. Farmer ’28: Our Hungry, Hungry Caterpillars
Third place: H. Fornes ’28, A. Pierce ’28, and E. Wulff ’28: What Light is Right?
Fourth place: E. Culleton ’28, E. Murray ’28, and L. Piontek ’28: The Commotion with Lotion
Fifth place: I. Goncalves ’28 and N. Trull ’28: Do Something Drastic, Kill the Plastic
Grade 8
Grade 8 students followed the engineering design process, and the emphasis of each project was the evolution of a design through several iterations in an attempt to meet the project’s goal.
First place: S. Deane ’27, J. Jane-Leonardis ’27, and S. Sidhome ’27: Flare-Achute
Second place: C. Condon ’27 and C. McKeigue ’27: To Accuracy and Beyond
Third place: E. Bourque ’27 and R. Montague ’27: What a Banger
Fourth place: A. Hirsch ’27 and M. Spencer ’27: The Floodgate
Fifth place: E. Morey ’27, C. Ewald ’27, and M. Carroll ’27: What’s Cook’n
The first place winner in the 7th grade and the 8th grade will advance to the Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair on Saturday, May 20 at Worcester Technical High School.
Upper School
Ten Upper School Independent Research projects are registered for the Regional Fair at Bridgewater State University on Saturday, May 4. Additionally, the first and second place winners qualify to present their work at the Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair at MIT on Friday, May 5.
First place: I. Adarme ’24: Exposure of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria to combined treatment of antibiotics and antiseptics
Second place: A. Reddy ‘24: Does caffeine protect against oxidative stress in C.elegans?
Third place: A. Hennessey ’25 and E. Schlichtmann ’25: A National Study of Adolescent Girls and Their Math Teachers: Perspectives on Stereotypes of Girls in Math
Fourth place: C. Fujimoto ’25: The Female Teenage Brain: Sleep Deprivation, Cognitive Fatigue, and their Effect on Academic Performance Throughout the Day
Fifth place: S. Aljamal ’24: Comparing the Efficacy of Turmeric to Ascorbic Acid in Preventing Cell Death by Oxidative Stress in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae
Also advancing to the regional competition:
K. Gund ’23: Expanding Accessibility to Exercise for the Blind
E. Kfoury ’25: The Mortality Rates of Vanessa Cardui Butterflies When Exposed to BPA
L. Melodia ’25: A Traffic Light Model to Save Energy
J. Mulvey ’23: Cleat-ciate: Cleats to Reduce Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries
E. Zhang ’25: Attack and Defense: Gender Differences in Chess Strategy Preference and Correlation with Performance
“The last time we held our traditional fair was in early March of 2020,” said Science Department Chair Rebecca Sen. “Since then, we have taken a variety of creative approaches to support and celebrate our students as they have pursued their passions in scientific research and engineering design. But nothing is better than seeing our students excitedly and confidently engage in rich conversations about their science and engineering work with experts in the field, all together here on our beautiful campus. What a great moment for all of our students, and for all of us!”
Grade 7
For their projects, Grade 7 students followed the scientific method to complete experiments focused on Biology, Biochemistry, Environmental Science, Geology, and Psychology.
First place: R. Chen ’28 and C. Hoeneshied ’28: Stay Clean, Keep it Green
Second place: M. Condlin ’28 and J. Farmer ’28: Our Hungry, Hungry Caterpillars
Third place: H. Fornes ’28, A. Pierce ’28, and E. Wulff ’28: What Light is Right?
Fourth place: E. Culleton ’28, E. Murray ’28, and L. Piontek ’28: The Commotion with Lotion
Fifth place: I. Goncalves ’28 and N. Trull ’28: Do Something Drastic, Kill the Plastic
Grade 8
Grade 8 students followed the engineering design process, and the emphasis of each project was the evolution of a design through several iterations in an attempt to meet the project’s goal.
First place: S. Deane ’27, J. Jane-Leonardis ’27, and S. Sidhome ’27: Flare-Achute
Second place: C. Condon ’27 and C. McKeigue ’27: To Accuracy and Beyond
Third place: E. Bourque ’27 and R. Montague ’27: What a Banger
Fourth place: A. Hirsch ’27 and M. Spencer ’27: The Floodgate
Fifth place: E. Morey ’27, C. Ewald ’27, and M. Carroll ’27: What’s Cook’n
The first place winner in the 7th grade and the 8th grade will advance to the Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair on Saturday, May 20 at Worcester Technical High School.
Upper School
Ten Upper School Independent Research projects are registered for the Regional Fair at Bridgewater State University on Saturday, May 4. Additionally, the first and second place winners qualify to present their work at the Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair at MIT on Friday, May 5.
First place: I. Adarme ’24: Exposure of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria to combined treatment of antibiotics and antiseptics
Second place: A. Reddy ‘24: Does caffeine protect against oxidative stress in C.elegans?
Third place: A. Hennessey ’25 and E. Schlichtmann ’25: A National Study of Adolescent Girls and Their Math Teachers: Perspectives on Stereotypes of Girls in Math
Fourth place: C. Fujimoto ’25: The Female Teenage Brain: Sleep Deprivation, Cognitive Fatigue, and their Effect on Academic Performance Throughout the Day
Fifth place: S. Aljamal ’24: Comparing the Efficacy of Turmeric to Ascorbic Acid in Preventing Cell Death by Oxidative Stress in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae
Also advancing to the regional competition:
K. Gund ’23: Expanding Accessibility to Exercise for the Blind
E. Kfoury ’25: The Mortality Rates of Vanessa Cardui Butterflies When Exposed to BPA
L. Melodia ’25: A Traffic Light Model to Save Energy
J. Mulvey ’23: Cleat-ciate: Cleats to Reduce Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries
E. Zhang ’25: Attack and Defense: Gender Differences in Chess Strategy Preference and Correlation with Performance
“The last time we held our traditional fair was in early March of 2020,” said Science Department Chair Rebecca Sen. “Since then, we have taken a variety of creative approaches to support and celebrate our students as they have pursued their passions in scientific research and engineering design. But nothing is better than seeing our students excitedly and confidently engage in rich conversations about their science and engineering work with experts in the field, all together here on our beautiful campus. What a great moment for all of our students, and for all of us!”