June 12, 2020
Each year, more than 1,800 ninth through twelfth graders worldwide are selected to compete at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (formerly Intel ISEF) by winning a top prize at a local, regional, state, or national science fair affiliated with Society for Science & the Public. Sigma Xi continued its support for these students as a Special Awards Organization as the 2020 event went virtual.
A group of Sigma Xi members volunteered to virtually judge 166 life sciences, physical sciences, and engineering student projects from May 27 to June 1. The judges evaluated projects to award the best demonstrations of team science, to reflect Sigma Xi's culture of bringing researchers from different disciplines together. This is the first year Sigma Xi designated an award category in engineering for this competition.
Judges
Sigma Xi thanks the following members who volunteered to judge projects virtually. Sigma Xi Manager of Programs Janelle Simmons coordinated the judging process.
Eman Ghanem, Sigma Xi
Vishal Shal, West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Howard Barth, Analytical Chemistry Consultants
Linda Mantel, Portland State University (retired)
Laura Kozell, Oregon Health & Science University
Larry Sherman, Oregon Health & Science University
Malgosia Wilk-Blaszcza, University of Texas at Arlington
Keivan Sadeghzadeh, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Alfred Cocanower, retired air traffic consultant
The 2020 Sigma Xi award winners are listed below. Congratulations to these students!
First Place
First place students will receive $150 and a nomination to associate membership in Sigma Xi with the first year of dues paid.
Life Sciences
ANIM024T The Lethal Weapon of Marine Flatworm-Breaking Findings of Autonomic Pharynges
Ying-Jung Su, Ching-Jung Teng, and Chih-Yu Yeh of National Experimental High School At Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan
Physical Sciences
CHEM005T ASA Treatment for Oil Spills
Paul Kunisch and Thomas Derra of Friedrich-Dessauer-Gymnasium, Aschaffenburg, Bayern, Germany
Engineering
SOFT010T Development of WALTER: A Route Planning System that Analyzes Accident Data to Determine Fast, Simple, and Safe Driving Routes
Mani Chadaga and Akshay Nambudiripad of St. Paul Central High School, St. Paul, Minnesota
Second Place
Second place students will receive $100 and a nomination to associate membership in Sigma Xi with the first year of dues paid.
Life Sciences
BMED011T The Deleterious Effect of Vaping Additives on the Motility of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Marie (Mimi) Papathanasopoulos and Cecilia Hua of Oregon Episcopal School, Portland, Oregon
Physical Sciences
CBIO012T Auditory Attention Decoding Approach to Cocktail Party Problem Using Deep Learning
Govardhan Poondi and John Rho-Plano West of Senior High School, Plano, Texas
Engineering
ENEV031T Constructing a Novel Multi-rotor Compatible Water Sampling Apparatus, Associated Water Quality Analysis System and Specialized Hexacopter
Jimin Ryu and Nicolas Medapalli of Timberline High School, Boise, Idaho
Honorable Mentions
Students with honorable mentions will receive a nomination to associate membership in Sigma Xi with the first year of dues paid.
Life Sciences
EAEV037T Investigating the Use of Ceratopteris richardii as a Model Plant for Phytoremediation of Cadmium
Blake Lippman and Tyler Bissoondial of John F. Kennedy High School, Bellmore, New York, and George W. Hewlett High School, Hewlett, New York
Physical Sciences
CBIO011T Understanding Schizophrenia: Changing the Game with the Oral Microbiome
Madeline Hace and Eliana Zubert of Chanhassen High School, Chanhassen, Minnesota
Engineering
ROBO002T A Bionic Study on the Legs of Insects with Applications in MEMs
Mihai Mitrea and Eric Drutu-Danciu of International Computer High School of Bucharest, Romania