Douglas Students Impress Judges At Regional Science Fair

DOUGLAS COUNTY, GA — Over half of the projects selected to advance to state are products of Douglas County students.

At the West Georgia Regional Science & Engineering Fair on Feb. 15, judges selected 24 projects to advance to state competition. Sixteen of the projects are from students in Douglas County.

Of the twelve middle school projects selected to compete at state, 10 are from Douglas County. Of the 12 high school projects selected to compete at state, six are from Douglas County. Students in Douglas County competed at the regional level against students from Coweta, Troup, Carrollton City, and Oak Mountain Academy.

“The quality of science projects produced by our students is just amazing,” said Pam Walker, STEM coordinator for the Douglas County School System. “I can’t say enough about the work that our teachers and parents do to help our students. To compete at the state level will be an unforgettable experience for our kids.”

Middle school projects that were selected to advance to state competition in Athens, Ga., on March 28-30 include:

· Chapel Hill Middle School – “”War of the Poles” by Chase Curtis and Samuel White; “Is it ripe yet?” by Regis Harris; and “Data that Matters” by Kennedy Rogers

· Fairplay Middle School – “That’s One Bad Apple: Controlling the Rate of Ripening Fruit” by Zach Giddens

· Mason Creek Middle School -- “Sun Shield Harness” by Lilly Jaillet; “De-Pollunator2” by Meagan Greene; “Bird Seed Battle” by Caroline DePriest and Abigail Arnold; “Now You See It; Now You Don’t” by Larkin Anderson and Kayce Brown; and “How do you quantify burning calories?” by Christopher Manchiraju

· Turner Middle School – “Rise Up!” by Caylie Brennan

High School projects that were selected to advance to state competition include:

· Douglas County High School – “Renewable Space Cooling Technologies via Adiabatic Expansion” by Michael Manchiraju; and “Appley Ever After” by Sydney Roe;

· Lithia Springs High School – “Trim Radiation” by Binaya Timsina; “Peeping Plant” by Walter Hendrix IV and Cordell Palmer; “Brace Yourself” by Lawren-Chabad Francis; and “Effects of Heat on Battery Degradation” by Mark Phillips

The Georgia Science & Engineering Fair will take place in Athens, on March 28-30. It is the state’s premier forum for students to showcase their original research, compete for awards, and interact with top-level professional scientists.

Projects that placed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in “super categories” in the regional fair were selected to advance to state competition.