Spartan Snapshot: Student Scientists Take the Stage

From late nights to the bright lights of competition, SPA’s student-scientists brought curiosity, creativity, and great skill to the 2026 Minnesota State Science and Engineering Fair held on March 27, 2026.

Nineteen students earned their place at State after standout performances at the Twin Cities Regional Science Fair in February. Representing SPA were Zack Berchenko ‘27, Kaya Cayci ‘28, Dia Chaney ‘26, De-An Chen ‘28, Avital Coleman ‘27, Phillippe Cristobal ‘26, Ella England ‘26, Naomi Glozman ‘27 and Adonijah Johnson ‘26 (paired project), Mattias Halloran ‘27, Annika Kim ‘26, Lam Le ‘26, Evan Morris ‘26, Adi Narayan ‘27, Richard Romans ‘27, Isaak Senaratna ‘27, Nora Seifert ‘26 and James Welsh ‘26 (paired project), and Huxley Westemeier ‘26.

And they didn’t just show up — they delivered. SPA students earned an impressive array of honors, highlighted by Evan Morris securing a finalist spot at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) — the world’s largest pre-college science competition after originally being named an alternate at the Twin Cities Regional Science Fair back in February. Zack Berchenko was also named an alternate.

Across the board, students were recognized for excellence in research, innovation, and impact. Top honors included a Gold Grand Award (top 5%) for Mattias Halloran, Silver Awards for De-An Chen, Evan Morris, and Adi Narayan, and Bronze Awards for Dia Chaney and the team of Nora Seifert and James Welsh. Students also earned prestigious special awards from organizations including 3M, the American Chemical Society, Medtronic, and the Yale Science and Engineering Association.

Behind every project was a question, a challenge, and the drive to discover something new. Congratulations to all of our talented student-scientists for representing SPA!