CRMC rewards RI students for science fair projects

April 3, 2024, WAKEFIELD — The RI Coastal Resources Management Council has awarded gift cards to eight Rhode Island junior, middle and high school students for their winning projects in the 2024 Rhode Island Science and Engineering Fair.

This year’s science and engineering fair showcased engineering, science and environmental projects from students from grades 6 through 12. There was a total of 200 projects – 100 entered in the junior division and 100 in the senior division – and the CRMC awarded VISA gift cards for projects on solar energy/efficiency, micro plastics, water quality, and wind turbine technology.

The students were winners of the individual science fairs at their schools; teachers are allowed to send as many as 15 winners per school. The CRMC awarded prizes in the special awards category, which allows organizations and groups to set their own criteria and choose their own winners.

In the Senior Division, for students in grades 9-12, the first-place prize of a $100 gift card from the CRMC was awarded to Enyu (Alaina) Zhang, a junior at Portsmouth Abbey School, for her project, “The Application of Sugar Kelp as a Sustainable and Economic Biofilter for Wastewater Treatment,” where she studied the feasibility of the kelp as a natural filter in wastewater treatment systems.

Caden Ferns, a freshman at Bishop Hendricken High School, was awarded the second place prize of a $50 gift card for his project, “The Effect of Seawalls on Storm Surge Waves.”
The third-place prize of $25 was awarded to both Emma Coelho and Elena Olivera, juniors at Mount Hope High School, for their project, “The Effects of Spirodela polyrhiza and Lemna minor Duckweed on Anthropogenic Copper Pollution in Aquatic Ecosystems.”

The CRMC also awarded three gift cards in the Junior Division for students in grades 6-8. The winner of the first place $100 gift card was Bianca Abbott, an eighth grade student at Saint Philomena School, for her project, “Smooth Sailing: Testing Various Shape Sales for Efficiency.”

The second place gift card for $50 went to Elise Ahmed, a seventh grade student at Saint Luke’s School, for her project, “Rainwater Runoff from Different Surfaces,” where she tested a variety of materials to determine which best reduced runoff and increased absorption.

Arianna Botelho and Emma Olson, both sixth grade students at Saint Luke’s School, received third place and $25 for their project, “Erosion Rates and Base Materials.”

The Council has been giving out special awards for the science fair for 25 years. Special awards were established as a way for local businesses and organizations to promote what they do and get students interested in science and engineering-related research.