Pikes Peak area students win big at state science fair
Students from Pikes Peak area schools took half of the grand prize awards at the recent 54th Colorado Science and Engineering Fair, and six area students will go on to competition next month at the International Science Fair.
The state event, held April 9-11 at Colorado State University, drew about 250 projects that won at regional contests throughout Colorado.
George Matteson, director of the Pikes Peak Regional Science Fair, lauded the participants.
“We had depth, we had breadth with prizes in almost every category, and we had excellence by earning top awards in several different categories at the state fair,” he said. “This year’s fairs were the highest quality at both the local and state level that we have had in at least 10 years.”
Lorne Muir II and Nathan Weeks, freshmen at The Classical Academy, earned their trip to the International Science Fair in Reno, Nev., by taking the grand prize in the senior team division. The runners up in that division, Palmer High School sophomores Tonya Pavlenko and Laura Gudvangen, also will go to the competition in Reno.
Two other students who will attend the international fair are Ethan Hahn, a junior at The Classical Academy who took first place in the senior engineering division, and Aarthi Shankar, a junior at Rampart High School who took second place in the medicine and health division.
The international fair is May 10-15, and is expected to draw 1,600 competitors from more than 50 countries. They will compete for more than $4 million in prize money and other awards.
Classical Academy middle school teacher Candus Muir also was honored at the state event with a PACE teacher award that includes a one-week summer course at the Space Discovery Institute.
Other area winners in the senior division at the state competition were:
First place, physics, Layne Barrett, ninth grade, Classical Academy; third place, microbiology, Ryan Dewey, 10th grade, Palmer; honorable mention, behavioral, Alana Wilabee, 10th grade, Palmer; honorable mention, energy & transportation, Abbi Helfer, ninth grade, Palmer; honorable mention, environmental, Molly Graber, ninth grade, Palmer; and honorable mention, math & computer, Christopher Krause, 11th grade, Classical Academy.
In the junior division, Sara Volz, an eighth grader at Cheyenne Mountain Charter Academy, took the Grand Prize in the individual category, and took first place in the energy and transportation division.
A team from North Middle School, eighth graders Allison Gudvangen and Claire Derr, was runner-up for the Grand Prize in the team division.
Other area winners in the junior division at the state competition were:
First place, behavioral, Taylor Phelps, eighth grade, Classical Academy; first place, medicine & health, Quinte Mediate, eighth grade, Classical Academy; first place, plant sciences, Haley Matteson, seventh grade, North; first place, microbiology, Savannah Lyle, eighth grade, North; second place, engineering, Rachael Purswell, seventh grade, Classical Academy; second place, earth & space science, Sophie Schneider, seventh grade, North; second place, environmental sciences, Sydney Matteson, sixth grade, North; third place, animal sciences, Chandler Kolb, eighth grade, Challenger Middle School, and third place, microbiology, Dante Carter, seventh grade, North.
Honorable mentions went to: Nick Fallentine, seventh grade, Classical Academy, behavioral; Ryan Tustin, seventh grade, Classical Academy, environmental; Madison Dewey, seventh grade, North, medicine and health, and Christopher Weyer, eighth grade, Creekside Middle School, physics.
These special awards also were presented to:
• Pioneers of Science awards went to Jordan Bushnell, Irving Middle School, Dominic Carrese, North; Haley Foster, Classical Academy; Adian Mike, North, and Emma Reece, North.
• Jordan Bushnell, Air & Waste Management Association, Rocky Mountain States Section
• Molly Graber, Palmer, Colorado River Watch award,
• Ethan Hahn, Classical Academy, National Society of Professional Engineers award,
• Abbi Helfer, Palmer, Society of Women Engineers Rocky Mountain Section award.
• Christopher Krause, Classical Academy, and Caleb Kruse, home school, Colorado School of Mines 25% resident tuition four year scholarship; Kruse also won MWH Americas, Inc. Sustainable Future Award and Office of Naval Research Award.
• Quinte Mediate, Classical Academy, Hands & Minds Inc. award.
• Lorne Muir II and Nathan Weeks, Classical Academy, American Institute of Chemical Engineer Rocky Mountain Section and Colorado Environmental Health Association awards.
• Tonya Pavlenko and Laura Gudvangen, Palmer, Colorado Medical Society award.
• Rachel Purswell, Classical Academy, Office of Naval Research Award.
• Sophia Schneider, North, American Vacuum Society Rocky Mountain Chapter, Colorado Geological Survey & Division of Reclamation Mining & Safety awards.
• Aarthi Shankar, Rampart, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center award.
