On Wednesday April 22nd, twenty-six Woodgrove students traveled to Rock Ridge High School to participate in the Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Woodgrove fared well at the award ceremony, earning one first place, two seconds, two thirds, and two honorable mentions. Students also won an array of special awards from The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, United States Air Force, and other organizations.

The students spent all year creating and executing their projects in Independent Science Research, a Dual Enrollment class offered at Woodgrove. “I thought the quality and variety of our projects were really impressive this year. [We had] basically everything from the oceans, to computer coding, to washing machines and everything in between,” says ISR teacher Mr. Young.

First place winners in the biochemistry category Emma Vest and Braden Parsons project revolved around the correlation between BP-3, an ultraviolet light filter, and BPA in sunscreen. “Winning was so fulfilling because of how much work went into our project. I wasn’t expecting it, but I really enjoyed making it as far as we did,” said Vest.

Woodgrove Junior Prescott Noll’s project collected and analyzed microplastics in soil samples found on the Appalachian Trail. He enjoyed the science fair and loved talking to the judges.“The interviews went really well. I spent most of the time talking to the special judges.” Noll won four special awards, accumulating close to $1,000 in prize money.

“I’m very appreciative of Dr. Shipp and Ms. Fiore for their support in this program and allowing it to build and allow students to step out of their comfort zone,” says Young.