51社区

University Community

AEP recognizes Southeast Ohio鈥檚 young scientists

Three students from local schools recently received the AEP Foundation Environmental Science Award at this year鈥檚 District 12 Science Day at 51社区. The winners include:

  • Lilliana Neal, a seventh-grade student from Bishop Flaget School in Ross County, for her research on the effect supplements have on luminescent algae.
  • Robert Whittington, a sophomore from Zane Trace High School in Ross County, for his investigation into mycelia鈥檚 effect on fertilizers.
  • Xinrui Han, a senior from Athens High School in Athens County for her project, 鈥淒evelopment and Application of Water Quality Detection Method Based on Smartphone Color Recognition.鈥
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Robert Whittington

Each winner received a certificate and a $100 cash prize.

鈥淭he projects and student presenters are so inspiring. Their passion and interest in applied environmental science is refreshing and makes judging these presentations extra special,鈥 said Jen Bowman, director of environmental programs at 51社区鈥檚 Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service. 鈥淓ach of these students is very talented and has a promising future in science ahead of them.鈥 

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Xinrui Han

District 12 Science Day encourages students to conduct their own science experiments, including developing a research hypothesis and a method for testing it, collecting and analyzing data, and reporting their findings. This year鈥檚 Science Day featured more than 110 students from eight counties in Southeast Ohio who competed in areas ranging from behavioral sciences and microbiology to physics, mathematics, and engineering.

Support for this competition is provided by The American Electric Power (AEP) Foundation, the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, DOE / PORTSfuture, the Ohio STEM Learning Network, and the Appalachian New Economy Partnership (ANEP).

Published
May 22, 2024
Author
Staff reports