Top finishes in regionals send 26 students to state Science Fair

A project by Hayden Cauley, an eighth grader at Woodington Middle School, investigating the impact of slope on deposition is one by 20 by LCPS students that are competing in the 2022 Virtual NC Science and Engineering Fair after top finishes in regional competition.

Twenty-six LCPS students and their 20 projects are moving on the 2022 Virtual NC Science and Engineering Fair after top finishes in regional competition.

LCPS qualified students in the elementary, middle and high school divisions.

“We are ecstatic at the number of students who participated in the regional fair this year from Lenoir County Public Schools. Of the competing projects, about half of them were invited to compete at the state level this year,” Christel Carlyle, LCPS’s director of middle school education and organizer of the district’s science fair, said.

Because this year’s state event, like the regional, is virtual, online judging is spread over three days. It started Friday and runs through the weekend, with awards presentations beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday. The awards ceremony and Saturday events open to the public can be viewed online at https://symposium.foragerone.com/2022ncsef.

Except for the distance imposed by an online connection, a virtual science fair competition functions in the same way as an in-person event. The student explains his or her project and answers questions from the judges. Each project gets about 10 minutes in the spotlight.

For LCPS students headed to the state contest, the journey started with school-level competition. Success there set the list of LCPS entries for the regional contest, held Feb. 22. To earn an invitation to the state science fair, elementary students had to finish in the top three or earn an honorable mention and middle and high school students had to finish in the top two.

Of the 20 projects created by LCPS students, eight won first place in the regional event and eight won second place.

Hayden Cauley, an eighth grader at Woodington Middle, wanted to investigate how slope affected deposition, or the laying down of sediment carried by natural forces like wind or water – a concept that has application in areas like erosion prevention and construction techniques. The project won Hayden first place in the math category for the Junior Division.

“I thought that as the slope became steeper the amount of deposition would increase,” he said. To prove his hypothesis, he started with a baseline of no slope and measured the volume and square centimeter area of deposition that occurred. As he increased the slope, he did two trials at each stage.

What did he learn? “I learned that slope has a dramatic impact on the amount of deposition that occurs,” he said. “This would definitely have an effect on building structures on an incline.  I also learned that it is important to do more than one trial so that you can see how accurate your data is.”  

Hayden’s was one of six projects from Woodington invited to the state contest in the Junior Division. EB Frink and Rochelle were also represented among LCPS middle schools.

Here are the regional competition results for LCPS students advancing to the state contest in the Elementary Division:

Olivia Landry, Contentnea-Savannah K-8, second place; Gwyneth Juam & Nolan Juam, Northwest Elementary, and Tucker Harris, Trenton Nobel and Valeria Valdivia, all Moss Hill Elementary, honorable mention

Here are the regional competition results for LCPS students advancing to the state contest in the Junior Division:

Biological Science A – first place, Lexy Rouse, Woodington Middle; second place, Riley Evans, EB Frink Middle

Biological Science B – first place, Tyreeyona Vaughn, EB Frink Middle; second place, Logan Whitley, Eliza Rouse and Joshua Stroud, Woodington Middle

Earth and Environmental Science – second place, Riley Hughes, Woodington Middle

Physics – first place, Gage Howard and Noah Rouse, Woodington Middle; second place, Emma Harmon, Rochelle Middle

Engineering – first place, Kamryn Harrison and Ashlyn Pettry, EB Frink; second place, Coleman Taylor, Woodington Middle

Math – first place, Hayden Cauley, Woodington Middle

Technology – second place, Katelynn Hardison, EB Frink Middle

Here are the regional competition results for LCPS students advancing to the state contest in the Senior Division:

Biological Science A – first place, Cameron Cox Kinston High; second place, Trinity Beverly, South Lenoir High

Math – first place, Tyree Freeman and De’Zoria Sutton, Kinston High

Technology – first place, Amya Williams, Kinston High

“Our LCPS students continue to shine in local and regional competitions and we could not be prouder of their efforts,” Carlyle said. “Because of the support of amazing teachers and dedicated parents and guardians, these students have an opportunity to showcase their learning with other students from across our state.”