Ten FCPS Projects Receive Grand Prize Awards at 2022 Regional Science and Engineering Fair

By Communication and Community Relations
FCPS News
March 23, 2022

The 67th annual Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair showcased over 200 high school science projects. Over 300 students presented their research projects in a wide variety of science and engineering fields. Projects were judged by over 150 professionals and 50 professional organizations and businesses. 

The Grand Prize Winners are eligible to compete in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May and the Grand Prize Nominees are eligible to compete in the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair to be held virtually in April.  

Ten FCPS projects received Grand Prize awards:

  • Animal Sciences: Colin Surabian, South Lakes High School, The Effect of Substrate Type on Black Soldier Fly Larvae Mass.
  • Behavioral and Translational Medical Sciences: Sohini Banerjee, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Biomarker Identification using Integrative Network Fusion and Deep Learning with Bayesian Hyperparameter Optimization.
  • Biochemistry: Aaron Kurtz, Edison High School, Determination of Feasibility of Maclura Pomifera for Commercial Pectin Production.
  • Biomedical and Health Sciences and Engineering: Ron Nachum, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, PANDwriting: An Accessible, High-Sensitivity Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Screening System Using Vision-Based Handwriting Kinematic Analysis and Machine Learning.
  • Energy: Sustainable Materials and Design: Shaunak Sinha, Marshall High School, PAMN: A Novel Cooperative Modular Neural Network to Predict and Optimize Electrical Energy within Heaving Point Absorbers. 
  • Mathematics and Computer Sciences: Seoyoung Jun, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Mind Beacon: A Portable Spatial Recognition Device for the Visually Impaired Using a 3D Depth Sensor and Custom Tactile Display. 
  • Microbiology: Fiona Dreesbach, Hayfield Secondary School, Changing the Martian Atmosphere: Examining Lichen’s Effect on Oxygen Percentage in a Simulated Martian Atmosphere.
  • Energy: Sustainable Materials and Design: Ben Mahdessian and Sam Troy, Langley High School, The Effectiveness of Various Hydroelectric Turbines. 
  • Engineering Technology: Statics and Dynamics: Eugene Choi, Raffu Khondaker, and Irfan Nafi, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Decentralized Shared Intelligence of Autonomous Vehicles with Real-Time Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning. 
  • Microbiology: Nicole Lee and Brianna Nguyen, Woodson High School, The Effect of Different Types of Masks on the Amount of Bacteria Spread. 

Complete results from the 2022 Regional Science and Engineering Fair, including a complete list of winners, are available online on the FCPS Science Fair website.

Organization awards are also available online.
 
The 2022 science fair was made possible by hundreds of students, teachers, and community members who dedicated their time and energy.

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