Science Fair Success: Fryeburg Academy Students Earn Statewide Recognition
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- Academics
Science Fair Success: Fryeburg Academy Students Earn Statewide Recognition
Fryeburg Academy student researchers earned impressive recognition this spring at both the Fryeburg Academy Science and Engineering Fair (FASEF) and the Maine State Science Fair (MSSF), showcasing innovative projects spanning microbiology, artificial intelligence, environmental science, and psychology.
Leading the way was An Nguyen '27, whose project, Mimicking Immune Priming: Stress Adaptation in Yeast, earned 1st Place in Microbiology at the Maine State Science Fair and 1st Place Overall in the High School Division at the MWV Youth STEM Expo.
Lilly Coriaty '28 was awarded 2nd Place in Microbiology at the Maine State Science Fair for her project, Biostimulation for Motor Oil Degradation with Pseudomonas Fluorescens and Bacillus Cereus Through Manipulation of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Nutrients. Both An and Lilly also served as student judges and presenters for FASEF.
At the Fryeburg Academy Science and Engineering Fair, the top overall honors went to:
- 1st Place Overall: Cal McNulty '29 and Soni Pan '29 for AI-Powered Auto-Correct Optimized for Dyslexic Users
- 2nd Place Overall: Joseph DellaValla '26 and John DellaValla '28 for Always Within Reach: A Nomophobia Survey
- 3rd Place Overall: Miles Davidson '28 and Reece McBride '28 for Testing Natural Materials to Find the Best One to Clean Up 5W-D30 Motor Oil Out of Water
The MESA Choice Awards, selected by visiting STEM professionals, recognized:
- 1st Place: Joseph DellaValla '26 & John DellaValla '28
- 2nd Place: Cal McNulty '29 & Soni Pan '29
- 3rd Place: Avery Turner '28 for Can Evidence-Based Horsemanship Work on a Rescue Horse?
In addition, several students received Emerging Scientists Grant Awards to support future research endeavors:
- Hana Lee '27: Effect of Storage Conditions on Microbial Growth in Dry Dog Food
- Mateusz Alek Jedrzejowski '28: Quantitative and Psychological Effects of Caffeine on Probability-Related Decision Making
- Gabriela Muniz Peixoto '28: Can a Fungus Clean Chernobyl Radiation?
- Ivan Aleman Rios '29: Impact of Angle on the Effectiveness of a Truck Emergency Escape Ramp
- Peter Priestman '29: Comparing Impregnations of Biomass to Remove Aqueous Phosphates in an Effort to Prevent Eutrophication and Promote Pond/Lake Health
Congratulations to all our students who participated in this year's science fairs for an outstanding year of research and discovery.