SPA Students win Awards at 2023 Twin Cities Regional Science Fair, Move on to State, National, and International Competitions

SPA student-scientists have once again earned multiple national, state, and local honors at the Twin Cities Regional Science Fair (TCRSF) for their original research in science, computer science, and engineering. Fourteen students competed in this year's TCRSF, which was held in person for the first time since February 2020.

For the sixth year in a row, SPA students competing at TCRSF were named Finalists in the Regeneron ISEF competition, the world’s largest international pre-college science competition. Henry Choi '24 will present his project entitled The Effect of Gefitinib on Cell Proliferation and Invasion in 2D and 3D Cultures of MDA-MB-231 Cells, during ISEF's finalist competition in early May. Additionally, Aaron Lindeman '23 and the team of Rishi Bhargava '24 and Humza Murad '24 were named ISEF alternates.

In addition, ten SPA student projects will move on to the Minnesota State Science and Engineering Fair (for poster projects), and William Richardson '24 will move on to the next phase of the Minnesota Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (for research papers) and present his research at the National JSHS Symposium in April. A total of 17 sponsored awards for excellence in specific research or disciplinary areas were also awarded to SPA students’ research or projects. See below for a full list of the students’ projects and awards.

Of the 14 TCRSF competitors, eleven were students in SPA's Advanced Science Research (ASR) course, taught by Karissa Baker; and three were students in Dr. Kate Lockwood’s Advanced Technology Projects (ATP) course. Both the ASR and ATP courses are designed for students who want to conduct independent original research in an area of their interest and choosing. “We’re really proud of our students’ projects, as they are completely of their own design," says ASR faculty Karissa Baker, who notes that the students go through the full scientific investigative process: selecting a topic, combing through the primary literature to find a "gap in knowledge" to investigate, designing the experiment, gathering and analyzing data, and then using their findings to create both a paper and a poster/presentation. "It is a challenging academic and scientific experience," Baker says, "but one that allows them to apply so much of what they’ve learned throughout their science coursework at SPA. It’s thrilling when their efforts are commended externally."

Student projects

• Gabriel Bangoura '23: The Effect of Electricity on Plant Growth
• Rishi Bhargava and Humza Murad [Paired Project]: Project WASP: Watering Atmospheric Self-Irrigating Planters
• Henry Choi: The Effect of Gefitinib on Cell Proliferation and Invasion in 2D and 3D Cultures of MDA-MB-231 Cells
• Julia Colbert '23: Teeth Cleaning Chewing Gum
• Maryeva Gonzalez '23: The Effect of Temperature on the Accuracy of Caffeine Extraction
• Calvin He '23: An Analysis of Saxophone Pad Degradation and Quality After Exposure to Human Saliva
• Yash Kshirsagar '23: The Effect of Varying Concentrations of Titanium dioxide on the Movement of Caenorhabditis elegans
• Rita Li '24: The Effects of Music Lyrics on Memory
• Aaron Lindeman: Creating an Environmentally-Friendly Dry-Erase Ink Composition
• Aryun Nemani '23: The Effect of Varying Solute Concentrations on Quorum Sensing and Bioluminescence within Vibrio fischeri
• William Richardson '24: Studying the Impact of Microplastics on Quinoa Growth
• Becca Richman '23: The Impact of Light Color on Variegation Quantity of Epripremnum Aureum
• Cassandra Zirps '23: The Effects of Education on Perception of Advertising

Competition Qualifications

Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF): Henry Choi: Finalist; Aaron Lindeman: First Alternate; Rishi Bhargava and Humza Murad: Second Alternates

Minnesota State Science and Engineering Fair qualification (poster project): Gabriel Bangoura; Rishi Bhargava/Humza Murad; Henry Choi; Julia Colbert; Calvin He; Yash Kshirsagar; Rita Li; Aaron Lindeman; William Richardson; Becca Richman 

Alternates: Maryeva Gonzalez; Aryun Nemani; Cassandra Zirps

National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium qualification: William Richardson

Regional Junior Science and Humanities Symposium qualification (research paper): Gabriel Bangoura; Henry Choi; Calvin He; Yash Kshirsagar; William Richardson

Sponsored Awards

• City of St. Paul Youth Fund Award: William Richardson
• 3M Display Materials and System Division: Julia Colbert
• 3M Specialty Materials Development Lab: Aaron Lindeman
• Genius Olympiad: Aaron Lindeman
• US Air Force Award: Rishi Bhargava and Humza Murad; Henry Choi; William Richardson
• American Psychological Association Award: Rita Li
• NASA Earth System Science Award: Rishi Bhargava and Humza Murad
• National Geographic Society: That’s Geography Award: Yash Kshirsagar
• Regeneron Biomedical Science Award: Henry Choi
• Ricoh Sustainable Development Award: Aaron Lindeman
• Society for In Vitro Biology Award: Henry Choi
• USAID US Agency for International Development Award: Rishi Bhargava and Humza Murad
• US Metric Association Award: William Richardson
• Stockholm Junior Water Prize: Rishi Bhargava and Humza Murad and Aryun Nemani