Freeport students shine at 20th annual Science and Engineering Fair

Freeport High School students showcased their unique research projects during the 20th annual Science and Engineering Fair on April 24, touching on everything from forensic drug testing to soil remediation while displaying their curiosity, creativity and scientific rigor.

For this year’s fair, students from Dodd Middle School and Atkinson Intermediate School joined the high school’s robotics showcase.

“This is the first year we’ve invited the younger team up to do with them,” Kevin Harrison, head of the school’s award-winning robotics program, said. “Our president of the club, David De La Llera, did a great job. He led his team. He was part of the highest scoring team that we brought to state championships and to Iowa for a national championship.”

In one project, sophomore Andrew Reyes examined alternatives to antibiotics. “I wanted to test whether or not vitamin C would be better at containing bacteria compared to antibiotics,” he said.

He tested different antibiotics and doses of ascorbic acid against bacterial strains, including E. coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis.

Several of the students’ projects focused on psychology and behavior. In “Beyond the Screen: The Effect of Screen Time on Attention and Focus,” students measured how screen use affects concentration.

In still another research endeavor, Valentina Umana investigated gender and emotion in “Sex and the Expression of Frustration.”

Jelsy Claros Chavez and Nahomy Marquez tested memory bias in “The Reliability of Eyewitness Testimony,” showing how race and appearance may influence perceptions of guilt.

Seventh grader Sufiya Motamedi, a member of the honors science program, studied fabric waterproofing after she was inspired by boat trips that her family took, and sought clothing that stayed dry when splashed.

“I applied each protection to each type of fabric, and I let that sit overnight, and the next day, I applied 50 millimeters of water, and I let that stay for about one hour, and then I recorded the weight,” she said.

Environmental studies also maintained a strong presence at the Science and Engineering Fair. Dylan Marin’s and Nicolas Pereira’s “Rooted for Success” looked at soil microbes like Chlorella to improve radish growth.

Jamila Urena’s “Micro-Algae and Soil, It’s Complicated” examined how microalgae affect soil retention in wastewater. Oluwarotimi Fajolu and Antione Williams tested charcoal water filters.

Tackling the field of health and medicine, Valerie Aguilar and Andrea Xol examined sunflower seed germination after exposure to cleaning products. Joseph Rodesno and Emily Telon Jacinto aimed to develop a take-home Zika virus test.

“This experiment will use indirect ELISA to bring the test to life,” their abstract read, referring to a laboratory technique used to detect and quantify proteins, antibodies, or antigens in a sample.

In the field of chemistry, Jaelynn Lamour investigated drug residue on Long Island currency, finding a greater presence of cocaine on North Shore dollar bills than those on the South Shore.

Cristal Martinez tested whether hair type affects methamphetamine retention, while Aiden Sammy studied whether different currencies absorb drugs like fentanyl differently.

As for the areas of space and physics, Zachary George launched a high-altitude balloon to compare cosmic rays during and outside the Northern Lights. Jahzara Foster modeled atomic interactions in microscopy.

In addition, quantum computing made its debut at the fair, thanks to Freeport’s new course.

“We’re the first high school to run a quantum computing course,” teacher Travis Ortiz said, as students presented topics like wave-particle duality and quantum gates. “Kids are very, very taken to it, and just conversations itself about the topic is always something exciting, because it’s new,” Ortiz said.

“This is the first year, and the kids did really well with it, and so I’m proud of them and where they’ve come, and I’m looking forward to where they’re going to go,” Ortiz added.

Kasia Sawicka, who just began her first year at Freeport as a science research teacher, oversaw 24 projects from 31 students.

“We have a few in social behavioral sciences, and then we go all the way into physics, engineering and space science,” she said.

Sawicka noted that students led investigations into eyewitness bias, soil pre-treatment for agriculture, and even dye-sensitized solar panels. One team used spinach and blackberry pigments to enhance solar energy output.

“Spinach was definitely the best,” she said.

She also praised the Zika test and forensic currency studies, which involved partnerships with researchers at Hofstra University.

“I think these are just beginnings like, I don’t think there’s anything stopping us from pursuing these further and verifying our data to the point where it could be published,” she said.