Photos: Whiz-kids shine at the 50th annual Sudbury Regional Science Fair

Bristol board, wiring and bowties in hand, 76 students from 18 schools across the region gathered at Laurentian University’s Cliff Fielding, Research and Engineering Building last weekend for the 50th annual Sudbury Regional Science Fair.

The anniversary event hosted 52 unique projects created by students from grades 7 to 11, hoping to earn a spot at the Canada-Wide Science Fair taking place in Fredricton from May 15-17. The event was held in the lower portion of the building, where students lined the hall, ready to answer questions from the public as well as the fair’s 62 judges and chief judge, Dr. Helene Joly.

Students are invited to participate in the science fair every year by their teachers, who ask them to pick a topic they would be interested in exploring further, said Nicole Chaisson, chair of the science fair. At that point, teachers work with students to figure out what that experiment or study might be.

“In our community, we’re very lucky to have individuals that are willing to spend time with kids and enlighten them and inspire them, because they know that that can be a life-changing experience,” said Chaisson. “If you’re working with a mentor, you may become involved with an area that you didn’t know existed. In reality, you don’t know what you don’t know.”

Which is exactly what happened for one science fair participant, Jordan Fergani, who found a mentor of sorts in fellow student Edward Xiang, whose passion is graphic design, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering. While originally planning a career in politics or law, Fergani was surprised to develop an interest in science while working with Xiang and learning more code along the way.

The two young men earned first place in the Computer Science Junior Division for their project ‘At Last,’ an auto temperature live alert system thermometre created to detect dangerous temperatures in your car, home or otherwise. The device detects the ambient temperature in a space and if that temperature exceeds the maximum 35 degrees, a thermal camera detects whether there is a body present, while a standard camera captures the scene in real time.

If a living being is found within the dangerously warm space, the device sends an alert to your phone so that you can monitor the situation. The Regional Science Fair “is an opportunity to show how innovative we are and demonstrate how our ideas can solve real-world problems,” said Xiang.

Fergani and Xiang were not the only ones who utilized technology in their project, a growing trend, Chaisson said.
For Nethra Wickramasinghe of Lockerby High, the biggest challenge of her project “was interfacing all the sensors and making sure that they could all run efficiently, as well as be transmitted using bluetooth,” but that was nothing a future engineer can’t handle.

In an effort to tackle the treatment and stigma of neuropsychiatric disorders -- mainly depression and anxiety -- Wickramasinghe created a wearable that measures a user’s heart rate, skin tension and skin conductivity. By monitoring physical symptoms association with these conditions, Wickramasinghe’s device is able to offer a diagnosis and treatment plan based on cognitive behavioural therapy.

As part of this interactive treatment plan, users will receive notifications, texts and calls when they exhibit symptoms, based on their personalized diagnosis of anxiety or depression. “(Neuropsychiatric disorders) do have physical effects that can affect you long-term, that affect your life and it’s important that we recognize that and start treating it,” said Wickramasinghe.

Wickramasinghe won first place in the Engineering Intermediate Division.

Introducing their own unique treatment plans were the focus of Marymount's Sofya Mischenko and LoEllen's Kerry Yang, with surprisingly complimentary views on solving antibiotic resistance. Through her project the previous year, Yang found that heavy metals could induce antibiotic resistance, while dandelion root could reverse resistance.

Over the course of her assignment, Yang monitored the interaction of these two elements with enzymes found to cause antibiotic resistance, to determine whether an edible cure is possible. Yang's findings earned her first place in the Life Sciences Intermediate Division.

With the goal of becoming a surgeon, Yang says she was motivated to enter stem due to a lack of female representation within the field. “I wanted to step into the career to show that girls really can do this too,” said Yang.

Hoping to eliminate or reduce the use of antibiotics altogether, Mischenko set out to better understand the effect of sound frequencies and magnetic fields on E. Coli. Mischenko ended up disproving her hypothesis, finding that certain sound frequencies actually decreased bacteria growth rather than increase as expected, and magnets had almost no effect.

Far from a failure, Mischenko's project is a valuable example of how a ‘failed’ experiment can still significantly contribute to the field, claiming second place in the Life Sciences Intermediate Division.

As a scientist and educator at Science North, Chaisson believes in the importance of project-based science. Not only does it make science more interesting, she said, but it leaves the opportunity for things to go wrong.

Chaisson said one of the best things a young scientist can learn is that if a hypothesis fails, it doesn’t mean that your project is wrong, just that you determined an alternative outcome.

“That’s what makes science fairs exciting -- they get to pick what they want to work on so if they’re passionate about trying to solve a problem around them, they can explore subjects that they want,” said Chaisson.

“Make it fun, get out there, work with a partner and just discover - you never know where it’s going to take you.”

Sudbury Regional Science Fair awards:

Junior Division - Computer Sciences

First place: 1401 At Last, presented by Edward Xiong and Jordan Fergani of Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School
Third place: 1402 The Medi Talker, presented by Hayley Wood from Marymount Academy

Senior Division - Computer Sciences

First place: 3401 Improving Particle Classification in Dark Matter Experiments, presented by Brendon Matusch from Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School

Junior Division - Engineering

First place: 1303 Development of a Timed On-Demand Wireless Heated Washer Fluid System, presented by Trevor Meek of Carl A. Nesbitt Public School
Second place: 1305 Fintastic Backpack, presented by Madison Coutu from St. Anne Elementary School

Intermediate Division - Engineering

First place: 2301 Neuropsychiatric Interconnected Wearable System using CBT, presented by Nethra Wickramasinghe from Lockerby Composite School

Junior Division - Life Sciences

First place: 1119 Colour Influencing the Perception of Taste, presented by Luke Vrbanic from Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School
Second place: 1112 Cress Clickbait, presented by Brianna Smith and Mia Reich from Sudbury Christian Academy
Third place: 1116 Vers + Verres = Vert, presented by Cody Raymond and Branden LaFreniere from Ecole St-Antoine
Fourth place: 1105 Does Screen Time on Social Media Affect Teen's Mental Health, presented by Sophia Oommen and Samantha Bourdon from Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School

Intermediate Division - Life Sciences

First place: 2101 Weeding out the Secret to Antibiotic Resistance, presented by Kerry Yang from Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School
Second place: 2102 A New Approach to Reduce Bacterial Growth, presented by Sofya Mishchenko from Marymount Academy
Third place: 2104 Mastiquer pour memoriser, presented by Jordan Richard and Gabrielle Vaillancourt from College Notre Dame
Honourable mention: 2103 Une formule pour l'obesite, presented by Mia Binks and Gabrielle Tiangco from College Notre Dame

Junior Division - Physical Sciences

First place: 1201 It's Hip to be Square: Shaping a Solution to Waste Reduction, presented by Adam Selalmatzidis from Northeastern Public School
Second place: 1212 Lube G vs. Lube R, presented by Callum Baron from Alexander Public School
Third place: 1205 All Pumped Up, presented by Liam Binks and Matthias Siemann from Alexander Public School
Fourth place: 1208 Concussion Cap, presented by Drake Matthews and Liam Vallillee from St. John Elementary School
Honourable mention: 1202 Ice Melting Salts: Effectiveness and Impact, presented by R.J Douglas from Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School

Intermediate Division - Physical Sciences

First place: 2202 Effets des acides sur dent, presented by Alexandre Rheaume from College Notre Dame
Honourable mention: 2201 Peut-on recreer un dinosaure?, presented by Vyanna Messier and Chloe Rodrigue from College Notre Dame

Senior Division - Phsyical Sciences