826 Boston Science Fair Boot Camp students win BPS/Region VI STEM Fair awards

The 77th Annual Boston Public Schools (BPS)/Region VI Citywide Science and Engineering Fair recently announced the winners of this year’s competition. We are thrilled to announce that 14 out of the 16 students who attended 826 Boston’s Science Fair Boot Camp placed in the competition—and we’d like to extend a huge congratulations to all the middle school and high school winners! 

The projects of these talented middle and high schoolers tackled a wide range of topics, from cancer research and bioluminescence in algae, to pollution, object photogrammetry, and trace detection of pesticides. The students received prestigious awards for their innovative and insightful work, including the Sanofi Specialty Care Award, the U.S. Agency for International Development Award, and the Massachusetts Chemistry & Technology Alliance Award.

Here are some of the students who attended our program and placed in the fair:

Middle School:

• Chelsea Bateman, an eighth grader at Boston Latin School, won first place in the junior division, a Sanofi Specialty Care Award, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award, and was a Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge nominee for her project on the effects of pollution on vernal pools.
• Olivia Chen and Ada Zhao, eighth graders at Boston Latin School, won first place in the junior division, a Sanofi Specialty Care Award, and were Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge nominees for their project on bioluminescence in algae.
• Austin Xu, a sixth grader at Joyce Kilmer K-8 School, placed third in the junior division for his project on the effect of weight on speed.

High School:

• Janice Jonah, a twelfth grader at Boston Latin Academy, received an honorable mention in the senior division and earned the National Grid Engineering Excellence Award for designing a  nanobot prototype to detect and eliminate tumors to treat cancer.
• Alisha Kamara and Amir Rodrigues-Carbajal, ninth graders at Boston Latin School, won second place in the senior division and received the RICOH Sustainable Development Award for their project on modeling the effects of global warming on forest decomposition with pill bugs.
• Andy Yu and Lucy Zhang, ninth graders at Boston Latin Academy, won second place in the senior division and received the U.S. Agency for International Development Award for their project on using lichens as bioindicators of pollution in Boston neighborhoods.
• Caroline Song, a tenth grader at Boston Latin School, won second place in the senior division and received a Massachusetts Chemistry & Technology Alliance Award for her project on trace detection of thiabendazole on produce using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.
• Tim Nguyen, an eleventh grader at Boston Latin School, won first place in the senior division and received a Sanofi Specialty Care Award for his project on lightweight low-poly photogrammetry with objects.
• Angelina Wei, a ninth grader at Boston Latin School, won second place in the senior division for her project on the antimicrobial properties of natural agents, such as honey.
• Jessica Tao and Mary Deng, ninth graders at Boston Latin School, won second place in the senior division for their project on the invasion potential of English ivy.

Congratulations to all the winners and participants! We want to give a big thank you to all the teachers, STEM Fair organizers, STEM tutors, and families who helped make this an unforgettable experience for the students.