(SitNews) - High school students from Fairbanks and Petersburg, Alaska, placed in the top 10 at a University of Alaska Fairbanks statewide competition for original research on March 28 and 29. Thirty-two high school students competed in Alaska Statewide High School Science Symposium, hosted by the College of Natural Science and Mathematics.

The Alaska event is one of 48 regional symposia where high school students complete original research in science, technology, engineering or mathematics with the help of a mentor. They then make oral and written presentations at the symposium to compete for scholarships and cash prizes.

The top ten winners are pictured with the Alaska High School Science Symposium director, associate director and the winning student’s high school science teacher. Back row: ASHSS associate director Denise Kind, West Valley High School teacher Gregory Kahoe (teacher of first-place student), Dawson Verley, Ian Flemming, Katherine Bates, Michael Kaden-Hoffman, Quetzal Luebke-Laroque, and ASHSS regional director Abel Bult-Ito. Front row: Summer Morton, Marlene Bond, Brooke Gottmeier and Angie Randall.
Photo by College of Natural Science and Mathematics staff

The winners are from West Valley High School in Fairbanks and Petersburg High School in Petersburg. They are: Katherine Bates (first, WVHS), Ian Fleming (second, PHS), Brooke Gottmeier (third, WVHS), Michael Kaden-Hoffman (fourth, WVHS), Quetzal Luebke-Laroque (fifth, WVHS), Marlene Bond (sixth, WVHS), Dawson Verley (seventh, WVHS), David Chen (eighth, WVHS), Angie Randall (ninth, WVHS), Summer Morton (10th, PHS).

All winners received plaques and cash prizes. The top four finalists will receive a $4,200 scholarship to UAF. The first-, second-, third- and fourth-place winners receive an additional $2,000, $1,500, $1,000 and $500 scholarship, respectively, to the school of their choice. The first five winners will travel to the 53rd National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium in Maryland, April 29-May 2, to compete for additional prizes and scholarship money of up to $12,000.

The research arm of the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force sponsors the award to encourage high school students to consider education and career paths in the sciences. The Academy of Applied Science, a nonprofit dedicated to inventive thinking and research, administers the award. The program also receives support from the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, the Alaska Science Consortium and the Usibelli Foundation.

Abel Bult-Ito, the symposium’s director and a UAF neurobiology professor, said the symposium has served 1,519 high school students during its 30 years of operation, and has awarded more than $1 million in cash awards, scholarships and travel funds.

He said while the symposium is a competition, students gain valuable skills, conduct college-level research and contribute knowledge to real research questions.

“All the students here are winners,” said Bult-Ito.

This column is Provided as a public service by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, College of Natural Science and Mathematics.

Contact MEGHAN MURPHY at mmmurphy3@alaska.edu

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