Six students to advance to State Science Fair

03/04/2015 - On Friday, February 27, over 150 middle and high school students from 20 schools converged at Sonoma State University to participate in the Synopsys-Sonoma County Science Fair. This event was sponsored by the Sonoma County Office of Education and Synopsys Outreach Foundation.

More than 100 student projects were on display, showcasing the results of research-based science investigations completed by individual students or student teams. Students explained their projects, presented their findings, and were interviewed by panels of judges during the event. Each project was granted points by the judges according to a specific scoring rubric.

Blue ribbons were awarded to the 37 student projects that received 90 percent or more of the possible points from the judging panels. Red ribbons were awarded to 33 projects scoring 80-89 percent, with white ribbons going to 18 projects scoring 70-79 percent.

Six top-scoring projects earned special recognition. The students completing these projects will receive financial support to present their projects at the California State Science Fair in Los Angeles. These accomplished students include:

Dante Cavaz, Grade 7, St. Francis Solano School
Ram Goli, Grade 11, Casa Grande High School
Savannah Hebert, Grade 6, Guerneville School
Alex Kirley, Grade 8, St. Francis Solano School
Noah Kovacs, Grade 8, The Presentation School
Austin Parlett, Grade 8, Adele Harrison Middle School

Students completing the next five top-scoring projects were named alternates for the California State Science Fair. The alternates are:

Olivia Boles, Grade 8, Adele Harrison Middle School
Marlen Chavez and Jessica Banuelos, Grade 8, Stony Point Academy
Julian Magdalenski, Grade 8, Hillcrest Middle School
Sebastian Silva, Grade 6, St. Francis Solano School
Olivia Rose Weisiger and Kayla Alcorcha, Grade 7, Adele Harrison Middle School

Thirty-six individuals—scientists, university professors, science enthusiasts, and others—served as judges for this annual event. Special thanks go to these committed volunteers who have helped to further science learning in Sonoma County.

See also | Press Democrat article/photos: Future scientists display talent at Science Fair
Press Democrat student interview videos: Video 1 | Video 2 | Video 3 | Video 4