County science fair results highlight skills of local students
The scientific method was on display through 215 projects at the 2020 Flathead County Science Fair.
About 250 third- through 12th-graders represented 19 area schools at the fair held Feb. 27 at the Flathead County Fairgrounds.
Middle and high school students may go on to compete at the Montana Tech Regional Science and Engineering Fair in Butte. High school students will compete on March 2 and middle school students on March 9, both days start at noon.
Following are Flathead County Science Fair results.
Special Awards
Flathead Electric Cooperative Best Energy-related Project Award: Jakoby Isles, Helena Flats School, “Beware, Beware — EMF Is Everywhere!”
Audubon Society Wildlife Conservation Award: Annabelle Church, Stillwater Christian School, “Bugs in a Cup: A Study of Insects that Live in My Yard.”
Glacier Institute Big Creek Environmental Science awards:
Haley Littlefield, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “Erratic Erosion.”
Henry Steurer, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “Microplastics in the Flathead Valley.”
Victoria White, Flathead High School, “RAD Radishes: The Effect of Microwaved Water on the Germination Rate of Radish Seeds.”
Flathead Lake Biological Station A Day at the Station Award:
Sarah Loran, Hedges Elementary, “The Effects of Carbon Dioxide on Water, Soil, and Plants.”
Morgan Flickinger, Columbia Falls Junior High, “Fire-n-Flora.”
Emily Cephers and Tatum Russell, Flathead High School, “Aquaponics: The Effect of Fish Waste on Plant Growth.”
Kalispell Regional Healthcare Health Care Project awards:
Hayden Ward, Elrod Elementary, “What is the Best Way to Clean our Hands?”
Emmery Schmidt, Kalispell Middle School, “Skin Moisturizer.”
Belle Schwantz and Laynae Vessar, Trinity Lutheran School, “Weak in the Knees.”
Derrick Neater, Flathead High School, “The Effect of Visual and Auditory Distractions on Productivity.”
Waterstreet Company Best Middle School Computer Programming Award: Cosley Payne, Columbia Falls Junior High School, “Pi Alarm.”
CATEGORY Awards
Third Grade
Biological Science
Grand: Maggie Fullerton, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “The Effects of Fertilizer on Aquatic Insects”; Boston Jackson, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “Owl Pellets: Big or Small.”
Reserve: Lexi Davis, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “Rabbit Maze 2020”; Connor Jordan, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “Heart Rate.”
Physical Science
Grand: Veda Rice-Blair, Kalispell Montessori, “Copper Cleaning”; Robby Burgi, Peterson Elementary, “Electromagnets”; Anthony Gairrett, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “Homopolar Motor”; Olive Scallen, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “Acids and Alkaline Solutions.”
Reserve: Issac Bertram, Hedges Elementary, “Cosmic Rays”; Natalie Hagreen, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “Slime Recipes”; Moses Holm , Edgerton Elementary, “Rover to the Rescue”; Cole Schettler, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “Pearly Whites Gone Wrong.”
Demonstration
Grand: Brielle Allan, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “How a Turbine Engine Works”; Brooks Munday, Peterson Elementary, “Which Bridge Takes the Quake?”
Reserve: Raelynn Keller, Edgerton, Elementary, “Rockin’ Around the Rock Cycle”; Camilla Olmsted, Peterson Elementary, “The Digestive System.”
Fourth Grade
Biological Science
Grand: Loren Connors, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “Color vs. Taste”; Evelynne Dorr, Deer Park School, “To Till or Not to Till Your Soil”; Jacob Linden, Hedges Elementary, “Slimy Seaweed.”
Reserve: Matthew Bliven, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “Don’t Bug Me”; Eleanor Cantrell, Hedges Elementary, “Does Green Make My Pudding Taste Funny?” Lexie Nash, Hedges Elementary, “This or That for Plant Growth.”
Physical Science
Grand: Brett Christiana and Max Young, Kalispell Montessori, “Which Brand of Batteries Last the Longest?” Will Rankin, Kalispell Montessori, “Forces of Nature”; Addison Craig and Bailey Elder, Stillwater Christian School, “Crazy Crystal!”
Reserve: Maxwell Jones, Kalispell Montessori, “Tachycardia Maxycardia”; Piper McElwain, Hedges Elementary, “Is your Snack Really Healthy?” Mia Kofal, Kalispell Montessori, “Colorful Feelings.”
Demonstration
Grand: Olivia Hook, Glacier Gateway Elementary, What Cereal Has the Most Sugar?
Airebella Hylton-Lewis, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “Rabbit Color Genetics.”
Reserve: Gabriella Gubits, Peterson Elementary, “How Much Water Am I Skiing On?” Cassius Keim, Edgerton Elementary, “The Appendix: What Happens in the Body When It Ruptures.”
Fifth Grade
Biological Science
Grand: Annabelle Church, Stillwater Christian School, “Bugs in a Cup: A Study of Insects that Live in My Yard”; Sarah Loran, Hedges Elementary, “The Effects of Carbon Dioxide on Water, Soil, and Plants”; Duncan Young, Edgerton Elementary, “Psychology: A Comparison of Risky Decision Making.”
Reserve: Jack Bowler, Ruder Elementary, “Rethink Your Drink”; Freya Grimm, Kalispell Montessori, “Plants have feelings too!” Hayden Ward, Elrod Elementary, “What is the Best Way to Clean our Hands?”
Physical Science
Grand: Payton Keibler, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “Magnetic Levitation”; Hailey Littlefield, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “Erratic Erosion”; Jubilee Rutz, Hedges Elementary, “Strength in Concrete.”
Reserve: Michael Miewes, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “Static Magic”; Kensington Sundberg, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “Fruit and Veggie Voltage”; Josephine Terrell, Glacier Gateway Elementary, “Potato Battery.”
Sixth Grade
Biological Science
Grand: Chase Chaffin, Helena Flats School, “Does The Temperature Of Water Given To Grass Affect It’s Growth Rate?” Caleb Mee and Bjorn Pederson, Deer Park School, “Classroom vs. Bathroom”; Tayvia Nelson, Helena Flats School, “Placebo — I Told You So.”
Reserve: Elaina Dorr, Deer Park School, “Is Peppermint Oil an Effective Disinfectant?” Marygrace Knuffke, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “Germ Warfare.”
Physical Science
Grand: Anya Denmark, Helena Flats School, “Are Your Sunscreens Really Protecting You and Your Family?”Jakoby Isles, Helena Flats School, “Beware, Beware — EMF Is Everywhere!” Oscar Metallo, Columbia Falls Junior High, “Let them Eat Snow.”
Reserve: Claire Bates, Columbia Falls Junior High School, “Splish Splash Sponge”; Thomas Bertram, Kalispell Middle School, “My Brother is Too loud”; Merell Cooley, Columbia Falls Junior High, “Note the Humidity”; Tyler Jorgenson, Helena Flats School, “Hydraulic.”
Seventh Grade
Biological Science
Grand: Breanna Barnes, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “What treats to horses like the best?” Emmery Schmidt, Kalispell Middle School, “Skin Moisturizer.”
Reserve: Bella Deda, Deer Park School, “Music to the Heart”; Claire Ennis, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “Are you seeing things.”
Physical Science
Grand: Mark Ahner, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “Lord of the Surfactants”; Ben Bliven, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “Electrolytes, which Sports Drink has the Most?” Henry Steurer, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “Microplastics in the Flathead Valley”; Anna Tretter, Trinity Lutheran School, Something in the Water.
Reserve: Lakotah Burkholder and Kason Fortuna, Trinity Lutheran School, “Slip n’ Slide”; Alyssa Conrad, Trinity Lutheran School, pH Power”; Cameron Tallman, Deer Park School, “Light vs. Angles”;
Eighth Grade
Biological Science
Grand Champions: Dyson Linden, Kalispell Middle School, “Pollution Effects on Nemostella”; Allie Pollan, Somers Middle School, “How does Gender Affect Learning in Mice?” Belle Schwartz and Laynee Vessar, Trinity Lutheran School, “Weak in the Knees”; Lauren Welch, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “What Paw is your Pup?”
Reserve: Brindelle Massie, Somers Middle School, “How Different Colors affect Heart Rate and Blood Pressure”; Sophia Neumann, Trinity Lutheran School, “Swimming in Acid”; Adi Seigel, Somers Middle School, “Seed, Germination after Exposure to no Gravity”; Machaela Unger, Trinity Lutheran School, “‘Bac’ to the Roots.”
Physical Science
Grand: Katy Bitney and Rylee Glimm, Trinity Lutheran, “Perilous Plastic”; Baylanna Brash and Lauryn Burke, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “‘C’ didn’t expect that”; Keanu Ng, Kalispell Middle School, “Microplastic Pollution”; Tyler Williams, Somers Middle School, “Wooden Baseball Bat Comparison”;
Reserve: Jenny Gillette, Somers Middle School, “Dissolving of Different Types of Tylenol”; Autumn Holste, Trinity Lutheran, “Potato, Potahto”; Alaura Olszewski, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “Chapped!” Rebecca Vosen, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “Salty Much?”
Engineering
Middle School (Grades 6-8)
Grand Champions: Jackson Heino, St. Matthew’s Catholic School, “Putting the work in!” Noah Kang and Jonah Wynne, Stillwater Christian School, “Bichromatic Brick Sorter”;
Reserve: Kai Lee Cole, Kalispell Middle School, “Water Purifier”; Cosley Payne, Columbia Falls Junior High School, “Pi Alarm.”
High School
Grand Champion: Lucas Ritzdorf, Glacier High School, “A Stochastic Computational Model for Dreissenid Mussel Invasion Risk in Montana’s Waterways: Year 3.”
Reserve: Derrick Neater, Flathead High School, “The Effect of Visual and Auditory Distractions on Productivity.”