2025 Science Fair Results

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GRAND PRIZE – SWEEPSTAKES WINNER

BEST SENIOR HIGH PROJECT

FIRST IN DIVISION

Junior Behavioral, Cognitive and Social Sciences Division – Stella Heaton, Testing the Accuracy of Eyewitness Testimony  (Santa Barbara Junior High, mentor Marilyn Garza)

Junior Life Science Division – Rose Reece and Vanessa Reynoso, Effects of Facial Product’s pH Level on Skin (Santa Barbara Middle School, mentor Laurie Henry)

Junior Physical Science and Engineering Division – Ambika Mahto, Effects of a Possible Future Pathogen on Population Growth Rate and Trait  (Santa Barbara Junior High, mentor Marilyn Garza)

Senior Life Science Division – Lily Wallace, The Impacts of Local Aquatic Environmental Conditions and Surface Area-to-Volume Ratio on the Biodegradations of PHB Bioplastics (San Marcos High, mentor Kim Tilton)

Senior Physical Science and Engineering Division – Lucas Zhang   A Biomimetic Solar Energy-Enhanced Outdoors Research Platform Enabling Infinite UAV Endurance and Multi-Terrain Flexibility   (Cate School, mentor Craig Boumas)

BEST JUNIOR HIGH PROJECT   

Selected for the National Junior High Competition – Thermo-Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge:

Selected to be Eligible for CALIFORNIA STATE SCIENCE FAIR:

Medalists – Gold, Silver and Bronze

Will Winn Memorial Award   ($50 each) In honor of Will Winn, science teacher for 34 years at Goleta Valley Junior High. Recognizes students with exemplary enthusiasm, a cheerful attitude of exploration, and dedication to learning. Will had a winning personality and a terrific sense of humor.

• Jack Campbell  How do Different Water Sources Affect the Water pH Level, TDS (before and after), and Taste preference (scale) After Distillment?   (Dunn School, mentor Meghan West)
• Vivi Hanning-Yu Should D.P. Players Upgrade?  (Dos Pueblos High School, mentor Joshua LaForge)

Best in Innovation Award  ($50) Offered by the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.

• Lawrence Zhang Designing Laminar Flow Heat Exchangers for Sensible Heat Recycling in Membrane Distillation Module (Cate School, mentor Craig Boumas)

Climate and Interdisciplinary Science Award  ($50) Offered by the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

• Abby Uribe    Cuyama’s Water   (Cuyama Elementary, mentor Leah Bourgeois)

Improving the Environment Award  Offered by the County Air and Waste Management Board

• Karim Elkurjie   Nature’s Anti-Venom: How Honey Badgers Survive Deadly Snake Bites ($50)  (Dos Pueblos High School, mentor Joshua LaForge)
• Lucas Zhang   A Biomimetic Solar Energy-Enhanced Outdoors Research Platform Enabling Infinite UAV Endurance and Multi-Terrain Flexibility  ($50)  (Cate School, mentor Craig Boumas)
• Stella Bourgeois  Is My House Radioactive? ($150)   (Cuyama Elementary, mentor Leah Bourgeois)
• Lily Wallace  The Impacts of Local Aquatic Environmental Conditions and Surface Area-to-Volume Ratio on the Biodegradation of PHB Bioplastics ($150)  (San Marcos High School, mentor Kim Tilton)

Independent Scientist Award ($100)  Offered by Shea and Diane Lovan

• Stella Heaton  Testing the Accuracy of Eyewitness Testimony  (Santa Barbara Junior High, mentor Marilyn Garza)

Joy Parkinson Award   ($75, 1 year membership in the Audubon Society, and an Award Packet) Offered by the Santa Barbara Audubon Society 

• Lily Wallace  The Impacts of Local Aquatic Environmental Conditions and Surface Area-to-Volume Ratio on the Biodegradation of PHB Bioplastics   (San Marcos High School, mentor Kim Tilton)
• Lucas Zhang  A Biomimetic Solar Energy-Enhanced Outdoors Research Platform Enabling Infinite UAV Endurance and Multi-Terrain Flexibility   (Cate School, mentor Craig Boumas)

Young Engineers Award ($100) Offered by Santa Barbara Screen and Shade

• Lucas Zhang  A Biomimetic Solar Energy-Enhanced Outdoors Research Platform Enabling Infinite UAV Endurance and Multi-Terrain Flexibility   (Cate School, mentor Craig Boumas)

Water Awareness Special Award  ($200)  Offered by WaterWise

Abby Uribe  Cuyama’s Water  (Cuyama Elementary, mentor Leah Bourgeois)

Jack Campbell  How do Different Water Sources Affect the Water pH Level, TDS (before and after), and Taste preference (scale) After Distillment?   (Dunn School, mentor Meghan West)

TEACHER AWARD – OUTSTANDING RESEARCH MENTOR

This year we are especially honored to give tribute to MARILYN GARZA of Santa Barbara Junior High. This is the highest honor any teacher may receive from the Santa Barbara County Science and Engineering Fair. Over the past 20+ years she has mentored hundreds of students in scientific thinking with independent research projects. Many of her students have a successful and rewarding experience doing science and so move on to become scientists and engineers themselves. Her love of clear and rigorous thinking and high standards has elevated the experience of all her students whether they continue in scientific fields or not. The community is indebted to Ms. Garza for her leadership engaging teens in careful observation, creative questioning, thoughtful experimental design, precise data collection and rigorous analysis. 

Science is not a spectator sport of memorization. Only by DOING science is science learned. The Science and Engineering Council and Board of Trustees for the County Science and Engineering Fair are quite pleased to recognize Marilyn for her many years of exceptional service to the public school students of Santa Barbara.

After being judged in the morning, students toured laboratories involved with a variety of interesting topics such as field research at the Lagoon, the use of machine learning to combat diseases, the physics Makerspace and the Fygenson Lab (physics and quantitative biosciences), amphipod silk illustrations to study evolution, and the COMPASS group’s study of regenerative medicine.