West Contra Costa Student Winners Head to San Francisco Science Fair

Students attaining fourth place and higher earned a valuable asset for their resumes, along with a certificate and ribbon. Those coming in third place or above, however, automatically qualify for the larger  — and even more revered — San Francisco Bay Area Science Fair.

A total of 47 students from schools across Contra Costa County have been invited to participate in the fair, which concludes at the end of this month. Students have just a couple of weeks to bring their projects up to par and prepare to compete with hundreds of schools spanning the Bay Area.

Projects entered into the San Francisco Bay Area Science Fair are due to be installed March 28, with a public viewing on March 29 from 10am to 4pm at the San Francisco County Fair Building (199 9th Ave). Judging will take place March 30, with an award ceremony on March 31 at 7pm. For more information, visit the San Francisco Bay Area Science Fair website.

Here is the list of winners from the West Contra Costa Science Fair who will go on to compete in the San Francisco Bay Area Science Fair:

Place Name School Grade Project 1st Alejandra Cuellar Helms Middle School 7 Does paper color affect reading comprehension? 1st Gerard Cabriola Mira Vista Elementary School 7 Does Temperature Affect the Growth of Aquatic Plants? 1st Timothy J. Smith Portola Middle School 7 What's for Launch 1st Aleksandor Fenczik Portola Middle School 8 Localization 1st Mark Ohlmann Pinole Valley High School 9 Does the use of color affect memory? 1st Joshua Goldwasser El Cerrito High School 12 A Study on Bases 1st Cooper Gates Frye El Cerrito High School 9 Step Dependent Recursive Functions 2nd Andrew Nguyen Elizabeth Stewart Middle School 7 Heat and Evaporation 2nd Brian Nguyen DeJean Middle School 7 Doodling for Memory 2nd Garrett Yakushiji Mira Vista Elementary School 7 How does temperature affect a glow stick? 2nd Celeste Furuya Portola Middle School 7 Which bridge hold the most weight? 2nd Madelyn Valdez Portola Middle School 7 Tap Water vs. Bottled Water 2nd Jshania Owens Elizabeth Stewart Middle School 8 The Similarities/Differences of Fingerprints Between Siblings and Non-family Members 2nd Arnim Barrett Portola Middle School 8 Separating Black Ink Using Paper Chromatography 2nd Gabriel Lee Portola Middle School 8 Are violent video games harmful? 2nd Jared Long Portola Middle School 8 Soapy Plants 2nd Christopher MacMaster Portola Middle School 8 DIY Solar Water Heater 2nd Monica Ramsey Portola Middle School 8 The Accuracy of Horoscopes 2nd Harry Swift Portola Middle School 8 Accuracy 2nd Annette Croda De Anza High School 11 Don't drink that! 2nd Wing Tung So Pinole Valley High School 11 Is beauty subjective? 2nd Chris Bennett El Cerrito High School 12 Solar Energy 2nd Martin Reimer El Cerrito High School 12 Magnetic Strength vs. Temperature 3rd Lauren Battas Juan Crespi Middle School 7 Dissolve the Pills 3rd Jonathan Brown Juan Crespi Middle School 7 The Solar Water Heater 3rd Michael Jason Flores Acevedo DeJean Middle School 7 The Courage Infection 3rd Jennifer Vanessa Martinez DeJean Middle School 7 Which will it be!  Rainbow or Black? 3rd Allyson Ko Portola Middle School 7 Soda or Juice? 3rd Kafele J. Marcelous Portola Middle School 7 Does an affordable electric toothbrush remove more plaque than a manual toothbrush? 3rd Stefan Moskowitz Portola Middle School 7 Are minerals your plants' friend or their enemy? 3rd Annie Sako Portola Middle School 7 What type of chocolate melts the fastest? 3rd Jessa Dee Carino Elizabeth Stewart Middle School 8 Cabbage Juice Indicator 3rd Kameron Carr Elizabeth Stewart Middle School 8 Does age make a difference in lung capacities? 3rd Logan Elmore Elizabeth Stewart Middle School 8 In Search of Vitamin C 3rd Jose Gutierrez DeJean Middle School 8 Which car makes more carbon? 3rd Arnie Co Portola Middle School 8 Is water magnetic? 3rd Phineas Crisp Portola Middle School 8 Stealthy Shapes 3rd Natalie Meacham Portola Middle School 8 Handstands 3rd Charlotte Pine Portola Middle School 8 The Memory Game 3rd Jessica Reed Portola Middle School 8 Stroop Test Among the Ages 3rd Anthony Wilson De Anza High School 9 The mystery of how an airplane flies 3rd Hannah Lee Pablo Pinole Valley High School 9 Just Chill 3rd Henry Pablo Pinole Valley High School 11 The Mind Game 3rd Ezekiel Starling Pinole Valley High School 11 Video Realities:  A Case Study 3rd Bryan Castro Pinole Valley High School 12 Magnets 3rd Austin Long Pinole Valley High School 12 The Power of Thinking

With thanks to Bob Fabini for providing winner information. If there are any inaccuracies please contact Emily.Henry@patch.com and corrections will be made as promptly as possible.