Each year, thousands of thousands of students all across the United States participate in their school’s science fair. And each one of these projects involve a thorough amount of research, a hypothesis and the experiment the project is about itself. The winning projects always tend to have a strong purpose, most of the time having a purpose related to climate change or another issue that the entire world is suffering from. The presentation of this data, both visual and auditory, also plays an important role in who the judges select. 

Our school holds a science fair for middle school students every year, hosting the creative mindsets that will hopefully one day work together to take on real tasks and responsibilities. 

To invent and innovate and to endeavor through research and solve worldly problems. 

The Covid-19 pandemic did have an effect on the way the projects were being selected and presented during the science fair last year. Just a year or so after online school, the Jersey City Public Schools district decided for each of their schools to start working on their projects in the summer. They sent out packets encouraging students to learn about the key variables that are used in science experiments, conduct proper research with their sources and to finally form a strong hypothesis. During the first few months of the school year, students worked on actually conducting their experiments noting down their data and forming their conclusions. They eventually were able to form a slideshow with around ten slides and audio. Auditory presentations were optional in classes, but the winners were selected by teachers who endeavored the presentations themselves. They were then obligated to work on forming poster boards and actual presentations with memorized scripts to be presented at the Liberty Science Center. 

This year, students worked on all of the aspects of their projects in the second half of the past school year and over the summer. All of the planning was done in the second half of the previous school year, while the experimentation, data collection and conclusions itself was made over the summer. Students were also required to make a video presentation summarizing their procedure and mentioning their materials. When school started, students made their poster boards and dressed professionally to present their projects in front of their classes. They also made scripts to rehearse and later use during their presentations. About ten scholars from each grade level were able to participate in our school’s science fair, and three people out of each grade level were selected to go onto the district level science fair competition. 

At our school’s science fair, we were privileged enough to receive a visit from board president Natalia Ioffe and Assistant Superintendent-Curriculum and Instruction Ellen M. Ruane. They weren’t the ones judging the science fair contestentants’ projects to say who was going to be moving on to the district level competition, but they did listen to a couple of people’s presentations. 

Winners per grade level from this year’s science fair: 

• Sarakshi Vhotkar 
• Tomas Herrera
• Harsh Saini
• Aariz Zoheb 
• Logan Bergonio
• Nourai Fathy
• Isheeta Chandrasekhar
• Yuva Jagupilla 
• Adam Gad 
• Misheeta Thakral
• Nathaniel Villanueva 
• Ivan Sumulong 
• Kavin Kumarappan 
• Haazim Shaikh 
• Alexa Jadach 
• Catalia Cruz
• Vega Jagupilla
• Charlie Lloyd
• Hans Gabriel Olano 
• Daksh Sinha
• Rishank Prajapati
• Bassim Kicha
• Mohamed Abdelazim
• Nirvi Shah
• Kaili Rose
• Srishti Ranjan 
• Shukti Srivastava
• Kermeena Awad 
• Kabrel Ghaly

Eighth Grade building level winners: Sarakshi Vhotkar, Misheeta Thakral and Aariz Zoheb

• Sarakshi’s project was about identifying an more ethically sourced alternative to plastic spoons, and to do that she made edible spoons specifically. She conducted trials to see how strong the spoons she made were. 
• Misheeta Thakral’s project was about algae and sea life, how they relate and why the effects of climate change are important to be prevented. 
• Aariz Zoheb’s project was about brewing the perfect cup of coffee with chemistry. 

Seventh Grade building level winners: Nirvi Shah, Bassim Kicha and Rishank Prajapati

Sixth Grade building level winners: Hans Gabriel Olano and Daksh Sinha

Let’s wish these winners the best of luck for going onto the Jersey City Public Schools District Level Competition in January! We had some really innovative experiments done this year, and let’s hope that we have more experiments like that to come!