Calaveras COunty, Ca…And the Grand Prize for the 2017 Calaveras County Science Fair goes to: sixth grader Joshua Brison from Mountain Oaks Charter School! Joshua’s project, “Terpines vs. Mold,” earned him a traveling trophy for his school and a place at the 2017 California State Science Fair. The Calaveras County Science Fair is made possible in part by a grant from the Teichert Foundation, which supports all Calaveras County Student Events.

2017 State Finalists

Emily Lickiss and Joshua Brison

Lucas Healy

Judges Don Maund and David Voit

2017 Science Fair

“Joshua’s passion for and interest in exploring the current bark beetle infestation in Calaveras County really hit home with the judges,” said Calaveras County Office of Education Student Events Coordinator Lauren Robinson.

Last year, fifth grader Cassidy Black from Valley Springs Elementary won the grand prize with her project “In the Line of Fire,” which measured the impact of forest fire on soil quality and plant growth.

“It’s great when students explore the resources in their area and try to advance upon them,” said David Voit, one of the Science Fair judges. “Since these students live in a more rural area, they have a different perspective that sets them apart from students in larger cities.”

More than 50 students across the county participated in the 32nd Annual Calaveras County Science Fair held Saturday, March 11, 2017 at the Calaveras River Academy/Mountain Oaks gymnasium in San Andreas. A public viewing of projects just before judging allowed families and community members a chance to support budding young scientists in Calaveras County.

Competitive projects were judged in four categories: Life Science, Behavioral and Cognitive Science, Physical Science and Engineering, and Math and Computer Science, and all students received ribbons based on the quality of their project.

The top projects in each category were:

·Life Science – A tie between “The Effects of Dietary Protein on Dog Urine” by Emily Lickiss, 6th grade, , Mountain Oaks Charter School

·Behavioral Science – “Pinocchio’s Arm” by Nina Hollars, 5th grade, Albert Michelson Elementary

·Physical Science and Engineering – A tie between “Environmentally Happier Meal” by Orion Walter, 7th grade, Mountain Oaks Charter School and “Quenching Low Carbon Steel” by Alexander Woodside, Mountain Oaks Charter School

·Math and Computer Science – “A Better CPU” by Aidan Garamendi, 9th grade, Laurel Springs Home School

Demonstration projects were judged by popular vote. “Water Generator” by Jesse Johnson, a sixth grader at Christian Family Learning Center, won the top award.

While the Calaveras County Science Fair accepts projects from students in grades 4-12, only students in grades 6-12 are eligible to compete in the state fair. Six projects were qualified by the judges to compete in the California State Science Fair in Los Angeles in April:

·“The Effects of Dietary Protein” by Emily Lickiss, 6th grade, Mountain Oaks Charter School “

·“Terpines vs. Mold” by Joshua Brison, 6th grade, Mountain Oaks Charter School

·“Environmentally Happier Meal” by Orion Walter, 7th grade, Mountain Oaks Charter School

·“Quenching Low Carbon Steel” by Alexander Woodside,12th grade, Mountain Oaks Charter School

·“A Better CPU” by Aidan Garamendi, 9th grade, Laurel Springs Home School

·“Just Keep Swimming” by Cassidy Black, 6th grade, Valley Springs Elementary

“We had some exceptional projects this year,” said Lauren Robinson. “Many judges were impressed by the level of student work, which made it very difficult to pick the winners.”

A list of all the winners of the 2017 Calaveras County Science Fair is posted at http://www.ccoe.k12.ca.us/Page/640.