In the Spotlight, Under the Microscope
At annual fair, DCPS students showcase scientific knowledge and skill
For her DC Science and Engineering Fair project, West Education Campus eighth grader Chioma Aneke experimented with a variety of materials to explore possible solutions to lightweight body armor for the military
Photo by Fred Lewis
Shu Yi Zhu, a 10th grader at Bell Multicultural High School (part of the Columbia Heights Education Campus), poses Saturday with her project for DC Science and Engineering Fair.
Photo by Fred Lewis
At Saturday’s DC Science and Engineering Fair, West Education Campus student Daniel Reid poses with his project that examines body temperature fluctuations among people of different ages.
Photo by Fred Lewis
Betlihem Ayalew, a senior at Banneker High School, discusses her project with a judge Saturday at the DC Science and Engineering Fair.
Photo by Fred Lewis
April 5, 2011 - Burroughs Education Campus student Naomi Standfield always had an interest in science. And her mother, Christine, did anything she could to foster her daughter’s curiosity and build her knowledge.
She tried different schools in DC and Maryland before choosing the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) program at Burroughs, a Ward 5 STEM integration school that has classrooms, lessons and a school culture designed to highlight STEM issues and skills as a theme within all core subjects.
At Burroughs, Naomi got the support she needed to pursue her interests and explore a range of scientific projects.
“My teacher got me interested and helped me get better,” said Naomi, who won an award at Saturday’s DC Science and Engineering Fair at the DC Armory from Dr. Tiffani Bailey Lash, CEO and polymer chemist with Tea and Honey Blends.
The fair, in its 65th year, gives students a chance to showcase their knowledge, connect with other young scientists, get feedback from expert judges and win awards. Naomi’s project, one of 357 projects submitted by 441 students in 64 DC schools, caught Lash’s eye because of its link to cosmetology and science.
“My project was on hair cells and, observing through a microscope, I compared and contrasted two strands of hair to see whose hair I had more in common with – my mother’s or my father’s,” she said. “It was even.”
Lash said it was important to show students a range of career prospects for students interested in science. As Naomi’s mother said, “Unfortunately, everyone thinks computers is the way to go, but they have to learn science and chemistry before they even get to computers.”
“This is the nation’s next workforce,” said Lash. “We try to show that even though we’re a beauty-care company, there is a lot of science behind it.”
At the high school level, students, such as last year’s second-place winner Betlihem Ayalew of Banneker High School, and Shu Yi Zhu, a 10th grader at Bell Multicultural High School, took on projects worthy of a college laboratory.
Ayalew, who is considering Johns Hopkins University or Columbia University for next fall, focused on the relationship between two genes in an ongoing cancer research project.
“I’m trying to clear-up the regulation of these two proteins that will determine how cancer develops and how it’s treated,” said Ayalew, who hopes to continue her research in college while working to become a doctor. “I want to be some sort of doctor, but I want to do a lot of research.”
Shu’s ongoing research project focused on factors that contribute to a person’s likelihood of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Shu said she was always interested in math but thought science was boring. It wasn’t until her mother began asking questions that connect science and math that Shu became fascinated.
“I really like to figure out what the answer is,” she said. “I worked harder to find evidence for what my mother was asking.”
Shu’s project gave her a chance to explore possible answers with the evidence she found. Judges helped her refine her focus as she continues to work on her project for next year.
James Rountree, curriculum specialist in the DCPS Office of Curriculum and Instruction, said judges also act as mentors for many students. Not only do students get to see what an actual scientist looks like, they also get tips for real world applications for their work and a chance to connect for possible laboratory internships.
“This is the powerful value of these types of relationships,” said Rountree.
Ayalew said she also gained valuable insights from judges at the fair, which will help direct her future research.
“The judging was intense. The judges asked a lot of good questions. They tell you ways to make your project better,” she said. “This is ongoing research, and this is really beneficial to get me to the next level.”
Fritz Scheuren, Ph.D., the vice president and senior fellow at the Center for Excellence in Survey research for the National Opinion Research Center of the University of Chicago, said the majority of projects he saw were in exploratory stage but some took the next step to more formal analysis. Scheuren said he attended the fair to observe as a judge but also to help students get to the next level.
“I’m really here to encourage students to stay the course,” he said, noting that events such as the DC Science and Engineering Fair also help experienced researchers and scientists tap into the enthusiasm that propels young scientists to explore the world around them.
“As you get older, you lose the curiosity that makes you a scientist,” Scheuren said. “I come here every year to remember why I love science. They [the student scientists] still have that joy, unadorned by skills but full of human curiosity.”
Winners of the Science and Engineering Fair
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