Los Alamos High School junior Brayden Allen. Courtesy/LAPS
Elementary Division. Courtesy/LAPS
LAPS News:
Barranca Mesa Elementary School hosted the 2024 Los Alamos County Science Fair where more than 100 students vied for top honors in the elementary, junior and senior divisions. Thirty-four students qualified for the 2024 Northeastern New Mexico Regional Science Fair which will be hosted by New Mexico Highlands University March 2.
Los Alamos High School junior Brayden Allen was awarded Best of Show for the Senior Division for his project in the Environmental Sciences category, “Reducing the Effect of Methane on Global Warming”.
Best of Show honors in the Junior Division in the Life Science category was awarded to Jane Smith, a 6th grader at Pinon Elementary School for her project, “Avocado Dye on Yarn”. Los Alamos Middle School 8th graders John Fung and Natan Svyatsky garnered Best of Show in the Junior Division Physical Science for their project, “Building a Better World”.
Best of Show honors in the Elementary Division were awarded to Walter Evans, a Mountain Elementary School 4th grader, in Earth Science for his project, “How Were the Trees Around My House Impacted By Fire?”; Evelyn Fobes, a Mountain Elementary 5th grader, in Life Science for her project, “Getting Whipped Into Shape”; and to Mason Garcia, another Mountain Elementary 5th grader, in Physical Science for his project, Paper Airplane Aerodynamics”.
Best of Show for Class Projects were both awarded to the Los Alamos Online Learning Academy. Mrs. Monteith’s 2nd grade class won for grades K-2; while Mrs. Griego’s 3rd/4th grade class won for grades 3 – 5.
Head judges for the Science Fair were Cathy Snelson and Jonas Kintner. County Science Fair Director Eva Abeyta and Assistant Director Pamela Miller “played a major role behind the success of the Science Fair,” said Assistant Superintendent Carter Payne during the elementary and junior/senior award ceremonies held in the Barranca Mesa school gym Saturday evening.
Assistant Superintendent Payne also thanked the members of the 2024 Science Fair committee: Amy Gilbert and Emily Christensen, Aspen Elementary; Stephanie Martinez, Barranca Mesa Elementary; Deidre Thorn, Chamisa Elementary; Mary Alice Hawkins, Mountain Elementary; Tera Deines, Piñon Elementary; Naomi Unger, Los Alamos Middle School; Jacqueline Griego, Los Alamos Online Learning Academy; and Michela Ombelli, Los Alamos High School. “Without your hard work and dedication, we would not have been able to put on a successful County Science Fair,” he said.
Over 80 students shared over $5,400 in cash and prizes provided by community sponsors including the AAUW Los Alamos, American Nuclear Society, Barranca Mesa PTO, Bradbury Museum, Cheryl Pongratz, Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos, Los Alamos ASM International, Los Alamos Elks Lodge BPOE 2083, Los Alamos Garden Club, Los Alamos Master Gardeners, Los Alamos Symphony Orchestra, Merrick and Co., New Mexico Consortium, Pajarito Astronomers, PEEC and an anonymous donor.
All participants received a t-shirt courtesy of the Barranca PTO, Bradbury Museum (BMSA), Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos, Longenecker Team, Los Alamos Elks Lodge BPOE 2083, Los Alamos Medical Center, Los Alamos Middle School PTO, Merrick and Co. and Zia Credit Union.
2024 Los Alamos County Science Fair Awards:
Best of Show for Elementary Division
Earth Science: Walter Evans, Mountain Elementary School
Life Science: Evelyn Fobes, Mountain Elementary School
Physical Science: Mason Garcia Mountain Elementary
Best of Show for Class Projects
Grades K – 2: Ms. Monteith’s 2nd Grade, Los Alamos Online Learning Academy
Grades 3 – 4: Ms. Griego’s 3rd/4th Grade, Los Alamos Online Learning Academy
Best of Show for Junior Division
Life Science: Jane Smith, Piñon Elementary School
Physical Science: John Fung and Natan Svyatsky, Los Alamos Middle School
Best of Show for Senior Division
Physical Science: Brayden Allen, Los Alamos High School
Elementary Division Awards
Elementary Class Projects K-2
1st Place: Ms. Monteith 2nd grade, Los Alamos Online Learning Academy
2nd Place: Ms. Monteith 1st Grade, Los Alamos Online Learning Academy
Elementary Class Projects 3-5
1st Place: Ms. Griego 3rd/4th Grade, Los Alamos Online Learning Academy
Earth Science
1st Place: Walter Evans, Mountain Elementary School
2nd Place: Eleanor Haaser, Mountain Elementary School
Life Science
1st Place: Evelyn Fobes, Mountain Elementary School
2nd Place: Daniel Yampolsky, Barranca Mesa Elementary School
3rd Place: Neal Somasekharan, Mountain Elementary School
Honorable Mention: Zora Allbach Los Alamos Online Learning Academy
Physical Science
1st Place: Mason Garcia, Mountain Elementary School
2nd Place: Henry Rodarte, Los Alamos Online Learning Academy
3rd Place: James Junghans, Barranca Mesa Elementary School
Honorable Mention: Renee Ramsey, Los Alamos Online Learning Academy
Honorable Mention: Dawson Belobrajdic, Chamisa Elementary School
Junior Division Awards
Animal Science
1st Place: Andres Trujillo, Los Alamos Online Learning Academy
2nd Place: Maliyah Vigil, Mountain Elementary School
3rd Place: Megan Martinez, Los Alamos Online Learning Academy
Cellular and Molecular Biology
1st Place: Jane Smith, Piñon Elementary School
Chemistry
1st Place: James Work, Barranca Mesa Elementary School
2nd Place: Ethan Mendez, Chamisa Elementary School
3rd Place: Nora Whitton, Piñon Elementary School
Honorable Mention: Ellen White, Piñon Elementary School
Honorable Mention: Javier Chacon, Mountain Elementary School
Computer Science
1st Place: Patrick Avery, Piñon Elementary School
Earth and Planetary Science
1st Place: Benjamin Minko, Mountain Elementary School
2nd Place: Lilyana Romero, Los Alamos Online Learning Academy
Energy and Transportation
1st Place: Audrey Deines, Piñon Elementary School
Engineering: Electrical & Mechanical
1st Place: John Fung and Natan Svyatsky, Los Alamos Middle School
2nd Place: Jase Storment and Ilamuhil Sasikumar, Los Alamos Online Learning Academy
3rd Place: Dante Lopez, Los Alamos Online Learning Academy
Honorable Mention: Julia Neale and Hau Nguyen, Los Alamos Middle School
Engineering: Materials and Bioengineering
1st Place: Maren Dixon and Lane Metcalf, Mountain Elementary School
Mathematical Science
1st Place – Linus Plohr, Los Alamos Middle School
Medicine and Health Science
1st Place: Mila Luchin, Los Alamos Online Learning Academy
Physics and Astronomy
1st Place: Fiona Smith, Mountain Elementary School
2nd Place: Rachel Bowlan, Mountain Elementary School
3rd Place: Bodie Holmes, Barranca Mesa Elementary School
Honorable Mention: Oli Saenz, Chamisa Elementary School
Honorable Mention: Kalliope Welch, Homeschool
Plant Sciences
1st Place: Yu-An Lin, Mountain Elementary School
Microbiology
1st Place: Alexander Hovey, Aspen Elementary School
Environmental Science
1st Place: Brandon Keller, Piñon Elementary School
2nd Place: Araba Atta-Fynn, Chamisa Elementary School
Senior Division Awards
Computer Science
1st Place: John Kang, Los Alamos High School
Environmental Management
1st Place: Hayden Kim, Los Alamos High School
Environmental Sciences
1st Place: Brayden Allen, Los Alamos High School
Mathematical Science
1st Place: Helena Welch, Los Alamos High School
Physics and Astronomy
1st Place: Tate Plohr, Los Alamos High School
Junior Division. Courtesy/LAPS
Senior Division. Courtesy/LAPS