By Jane Amsden
 Jane Amsden/Town Crier Blach seventh-grader Adrianna Amsden poses with her science project on high anxiety. |
Four schools from the Los Altos School District participated in the Synopsys Silicon Valley Science and Technology Championship March 9, and students from all four received awards. Junior scientists from Egan Junior High, Blach Intermediate, Springer Elementary and Covington Elementary schools competed against students from Gilroy to Palo Alto.
Silicon Valley businesses and scientific groups sponsor the competition to encourage the study of science in Santa Clara County. Winners received tickets to Great America for the awards ceremony.
David Schuman from Covington was awarded first place in his category for his investigation, “Glucose and What It Does to Your Blood.” He also received three family memberships to the Tech Museum of Innovation.
Sixth-grade students at Springer are required to enter a science project for either the Springer Science Fair or the Synopsys Championship. Of the 60 students, 23 chose Synopsys. Springer school reaped the $50 Al Foster Award for the Most Creative Project in the sixth grade.
Springer students Bryan Daetz and Aubrey Myjer won first place in the Medicine/Health category. Their project, “Why Do Dentists Say No?” explored the effect of sweetened drinks on teeth. Bryan said he and Aubrey chose their project when they went to lunch to brainstorm and observed the drink choices at the restaurant.
Other Springer winners included Jake Bosset, who received second place in his category and a $50 Underwriter Laboratories award, and Addie Hill and Amanda Hirsch, who won honorable mentions.
“Hands-on is the way to go,” said Springer Principal Bob Celeste. “Being able to experience science instead of reading about it makes it real to the kids.”
Catherine Zhang, also from Springer, submitted her first science project. She was nervous, but her project on natural antifreeze won honorable mention.
“Just enjoy yourself, science is fun,” Catherine advised future sixth-grade scientists.
Egan Junior High School came away with two first-place winners. Sushmita Sridhar received first in her category. The $250 prize for Best Biological Science Project and the WhizKids Foundation Outstanding Young Scientist Award went to Tara Filsuf.
“(The fair) is fun, and I wanted to go again after going last year with Springer. Science is fun,” said Blach seventh-grader Adrianna Amsden, who received second place in the Behavioral Science category for her work on “High Anxiety.”
Jonathan Wilde’s “LEGOBot: Search and Rescue” received a first- place award
Blach students Zenia Kawas and Kara Trammell, working together on “Herbs Disturb,” earned second place in their category.
For more information, visit www.science-fair.org.
