The Central Texas Science and Engineering Fair was held Feb. 22-23 at Texas State Technical College. First-, second- and third-place regional winners advanced to the ExxonMobil State Engineering and Science Fair in San Antonio March 31-April 3.

Regional winners are listed by student(s), school and project title. Senior division denotes high school. Junior division denotes junior high.

JUNIOR DIVISION

Animal science — 1st, Ashley N. Anderson, Wortham Middle, “Which Household Substance Works the Best as a Pesticide to Ants?” 2nd, John Husler, China Spring Intermediate, “Run, Rodent, Run!” 3rd, Katie Alexandra Kalil, China Spring Middle, “Why Are Canines Not Feeling Fine?”

Behavioral/social sciences — 1st, Camille Roberts, Midway Middle, “Shop ‘Til You Drop: The Impact of Mood on Pre-Teen Shopping.” 2nd, Dustin Sanford, Midway Middle, “Mood Dependent Memory.” 3rd, Caroline Kutach, Midway Middle, “Does This Make Me Look Fat? Body Image Perception Difference Between Boys and Girls.”

Biochemistry — 1st, Benjamin Barker, Midway Middle, “Effect of Acid Rain on Building Materials.” 2nd, Drew Zacharias, McGregor Junior High, “The Variables of Decomposition.” 3rd, Ashley B. Johnson, McGregor Junior High, “Vitamins, Vitamins, Vitamins.”

Chemistry — 1st, Anthony Hejduk, Midway Middle, “Up, Down and All Around? A Study in Solutes and Temperature Differentials.” 2nd, Cassidy Mayfield, China Spring Intermediate, “Ready, Set, Drop!” 3rd, Joshua McKerall, Midway Middle, “Boiling Point!” Honorable mention, Samantha Hope Lenamon, McGregor Junior High, “Mentos Explosion.” Honorable mention, Andrew Roberts, China Spring Intermediate, “Stomach Acids.”

Computer science — 1st, Brendan Kearney, Midway Middle, “Can Unguided Robots Find Bombs?” 2nd, Jared Finazzo, China Spring Intermediate, “Paranormal Pursuit.”

Energy/Transportation — 1st, Jordan M. Stroope, McGregor Junior High, “Future Fuels.” 2nd, Dawson Bates, McGregor Junior High, “Wind Power.” 3rd, Sally Regian, China Spring Intermediate, “From Trash to Gas.” Honorable mention, Landon Lupfer, China Spring Intermediate, “Wind Energy.” Honorable mention, Christy McKern, China Spring Intermediate, “Rotor Speed in Windmill Electric Power Generation.”

Engineering: Electrical/Mechanical — 1st, William Ben Gorman, Waco Baptist Academy, “Cathodic Protection.” 2nd, Margaret Tippie, McGregor Junior High, “Icy Hot.” 3rd, Katy Wade, China Spring Intermediate, “A Bright Idea.” Honorable mention, Lee Klump, China Spring Intermediate, “Hovercraft Flying.” Honorable mention, Triston Rogers, McGregor Junior High, “Magnet Madness.”

Engineering: Material/Bioengineering —1st, Zane Johnson, China Spring Intermediate, “Wood, Aluminum or Composite?” 2nd, Leslie Harris, China Spring Intermediate, “Pinning It Down.” 3rd, Matthew Stevens, Waco Baptist Academy, “Weighing in on Racket Power!” Honorable mention, Zachary Burnett, China Spring Intermediate, “Baseballs in the Great Outdoors.” Honorable mention, Chandler Steinke, Waco Baptist Academy, “Military Detonation and Transport.”

Environmental analysis— 1st, Kassidy Buth, McGregor Junior High, “Are You Thirsty?” 2nd, Camryn Thane, McGregor Junior High, “The Ants Go Tunneling.” 3rd, Angela Rost, McGregor Junior High, “The Effects of Magnets on Radish.” Honorable mention, Hannah Back, Midway Middle, “A Comparison of Nutrient Excretion Rates of Mayflies.” Honorable mention, Jordan Back, Midway Middle, “Effects of Phosphorus on Daphnia Magna Growth.”

Environmental management — 1st, Blake Boles, McGregor Junior High, “Heat Blockers.” 2nd, Chance Cox, Waco Baptist Academy, “Natural Plastic.” 3rd, Kendle Rhodes, Wortham Middle, “Weather in the Classroom.”

Mathematical science — 1st, Makenzie Kuehn, China Spring Intermediate, “Bicycle Powers Unite!”

Medicine/Health — 1st, Mary Graves, McGregor Junior High, “Higher vs. Lower SPF.” 2nd, Chloe-Kate Copeland, Waco Baptist Academy, “Gum Digestion.”

Microbiology — 1st, Reilly Jones, Wortham Middle, “Does Dog Saliva Kill Bacteria?”

Physics/Astronomy — 1st, Robin Pounders, Rapoport Academy (Waco), “Translation by Levitation.” 2nd, Max Cool, Midway Middle, “How High Does a Tennis Bounce Under Certain Conditions?” 3rd, Sarah Tang, Midway Middle, “The Dark Side: How Shady Are Your Shades?” Honorable mention, Sarah LeMay, China Spring Intermediate, “Scientific Ice Cube.” Honorable mention, Shawn Cleaver, Midway Middle, “Communicating by Focused Light.”

Plant sciences — 1st, Daniel Bailey, Live Oak Classical School, “Little Water, Lotsa Water: Which One is Worst?” 2nd, Jessica Lammert, McGregor Junior High,”Seed Germination.” 3rd, Brooke Salisbury, Wortham Middle, “Plants. Magnets. What?” Honorable mention, Devon Patterson, McGregor Junior High, “Is There a Difference in Plant Growth When Using Different Potting Soils?”

Team entry — 1st, Mark Crittenden and Hunter Herbert, China Spring Intermediate, “Up, Up and Away.” 2nd, Sophia Vick and Haley Groves, Midway Middle, “Will This Powder Save Our World?” 3rd, Brandon Fajardo and Matthew Wilcox, China Spring Intermediate, “The Fast and the Furry.” Honorable mention, Sami Landon and Briana Zimmerman, Midway Middle, “Bye, Bye, Oil.” Honorable mention, Joshua Coffey and Zack Zajicek, McGregor Junior High, “Oil Spill Cleanup.”

SENIOR DIVISION

Animal science — 1st, Patrick Lloyd, C.H. Yoe High (Cameron), “An Analysis of Ursus Arctos at the McNeil River in Alaska.” 2nd, Madeline Kostroun, C.H. Yoe High (Cameron), “Effects of Exposure to Human Noise Pollution on Freshwater Fish.”

Behavioral/Social sciences — 1st, Jack Rhoades, C.H. Yoe High (Cameron), “The Effects of Attending Faith Based Meetings on Performance Anxiety.” 2nd, Jake Young, C.H. Yoe High (Cameron), “A Qualitative Approach: Triangulation of the Controlling Coach Behavior Scale.”

Biochemistry — 1st, Linda Ren, Midway High, “Supercritical C2H6 and CO2.”

Chemistry — 1st, Sandy Ren, Midway High, “Astrobiology: Life in the Universe Year, V.” 2nd, Sergio Herrera, Harmony Science Academy (Waco), “Energy Content of Fuels.”

Computer science — 1st, Mackenzie Love, Harmony Science Academy (Waco), “Wiped: Can Data Be Externally Removed From Memory Devices?”

Earth science — 1st, Megan Cullen, C.H. Yoe High (Cameron), “Effect of Natural Materials from Milam County on Nitrogen Fertilizer Content in Runoff Water.”

Energy/Transportation — 1st, Brian Lazarow, home school, “Compost Power.”

Engineering: Materials/Bioengineering — 1st, Cristian Lara, Harmony Science Academy (Waco), “Increasing the Producutivity of Fermentation with Enzymes.”

Medicine/Health — 1st, Jasmyn Hurt, Temple High, “High Blood Pressure Simulation.” 2nd, Sandi Lara, C.H. Yoe High (Cameron), “Effects of Choline and Panax Ginseng on Caenorhabditis Elegans.”

Microbiology — 1st, Nisha Pillai, Temple High, “The Antimicrobial Effects of Ginger on Escherichia Coli in Ground Beef.” 2nd, Renat Ahatov, Harmony Science Academy (Waco), “Natural Shield Against Bacteria.” 3rd, Schaedel Jarma, C.H. Yoe High (Cameron), “Characterization of Gut-Associated Bacteria in the Larvae of the Adult Darkling Beetles, Tenebiro Molitor.”

Physics/Astronomy — 1st, Brandon Schmidt, Temple High, “Head on a Root Beer.”

Plant sciences — 1st, Cedric Smith, Rockdale High, ”The Green Roofer.”

Team entry — 1st, Lorene Sugars and Kristen Lee, Temple High, “Groundwater Conservation.” 2nd, Missy McQuagge and Coltin Ayres, McGregor High, “Holographic Frequency Sports Bands: Mind over Matter?”

SPECIAL AWARDS

Baylor University biology department (2) — Schaedel Jarma, C.H. Yoe High (Cameron); Hannah Back, Midway Middle.

City of Waco Solid Waste Department (2) — Chance Cox, Waco Baptist Academy; Chris Curry and Blake Becker, Midway Middle, “Sticky Situation.”

Domelsmith Social Science Recitation — Caroline Kutach, Midway Middle.

McLennan County Medical Society (2) — Dustin Sanford, Midway Middle; Reilly Jones, Wortham Middle.

Todd Willis Memorial Award (1 senior, 1 junior division) — Patrick Lloyd, C.H. Yoe High (Cameron); Kelsey Slechta, Waco Baptist Academy, “Lettuce Compare Hydroponic and Aeroponic.”

TSTC - Chemical Technology (1 senior, 1 junior division) — Brian Lazarow, home school; Anthony Hejduk, Midway Middle.

Texas Water Utility Association (1 senior, 1 junior division) — Megan Cullen, C.H. Yoe High (Cameron); Jordan Back, Midway Middle.

U.S. Air Force (4) — Mackenzie Love, Harmony Science Academy (Waco); Megan Cullen, C.H. Yoe High (Cameron); Brendan Kearney, Midway Middle; William Ben Gorman, Waco Baptist Academy.

WEAT/TAWWA and the city of Waco Environmental (6) — Megan Cullen, C.H. Yoe High (Cameron); Brian Lazarow, home school; Benjamin Barker, Midway Middle; Sophia Garman, Harmony Science Academy (Waco), “Safe to Drink?” Jordan Back, Midway Middle.

Baylor University School of Education Sweepstakes Award, Glen VanZandt Memorial Award — Makenzie Kuehn, China Spring Intermediate.

Baylor University School of Education Sweepstakes Award, Raymond Biles Memorial Award — Brendan Kearney, Midway Middle.

Baylor University School of Education Sweepstakes Award, Chester Bryant Memorial Award — Reilly Jones, Wortham Middle.

Stockholm Junior Water Prize — Megan Cullen, C.H. Yoe High (Cameron).

Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering for Rising Stars) — Camille Roberts, Midway Middle; Anthony Hejduk, Midway Middle; Brendan Kearney, Midway Middle; William Ben Gorman, Waco Baptist Academy; Makenzie Kuehn, China Spring Intermediate; Reilly Jones, Wortham Middle; Robin Pounders, Rapoport Academy (Waco); Max Cool, Midway Middle; Daniel Bailey, Live Oak Classical School.

TSTC Scholarship — Sandy Ren, Midway High; Jasmyn Hurt, Temple High.

Bryce C. Brown Award for Most Promising Young Scientist — Linda Ren, Midway High.

STATE LEVEL

Three Central Texas students placed at the ExxonMobil State Engineering and Science Fair in San Antonio on March 31-April 3.

Rapoport Academy eighth-grader Robin Pounders, of Waco, placed second in the junior division physics and astronomy category with her project “Translation by Levitation.”

Midway Middle School seventh-grader Brendan Kearney, of Woodway, placed second in the junior division computer science category with his project “Can Unguided Robots Find Bombs?”

Waco Baptist Academy eighth-grader William Gorman, of Woodway, placed third in the junior division engineering: electrical/mechanical category with his project “Cathodic Protection.”

Three Waco-area students placed with their projects at the ExxonMobil State Engineering and Science Fair in San Antonio on March 31-April 3. Robin Pounders (far right), an eighth-grader at Rapoport Academy, was a junior division winner at state in the physics and astronomy category. Midway Middle School seventh-grader Brendan Kearney (center) placed second in junior division computer science, and Waco Baptist Academy eighth-grader William Gorman (left) placed third in the junior division engineering: electrical/mechanical category.

ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair photos — Darren Abate