Pair Awarded for State Science Fair Participation

Two Newark students were honored by the Alameda County Office of Education last week for their participation in the California State Science Fair in May.

Both students won awards with sixth grader Mahima S. Chillakanti placing fourth in the California State Science Fair and eighth grader Aniruddh Mandalapu being named grand prize runner up at the Alameda County science fair before competing in the state science fair. Both were enrolled at in Newark.

Here is more about the two and the other students honored as stated in a press release issued by the Alameda County Office of Education:

Our congratulations go out to the following students:

• Jessika Baral, 7th grader from Hopkins (William) Junior High in Fremont who won First Place at the CSSF in the Junior Division of Mammalian Biology for her project, A Novel Way to Strengthen Eye Muscles and Enhance Peripheral Vision.
• Winnie Chen, 8th grader from Sunol Glen School in Sunol who won First Place at the CSSF in the Junior Division of Product Science (Physical) for her project, Lead in Makeup.
• Mahima S. Chillakanti, 6th grader from Challenger School in Newark who won Fourth Place at the CSSF in the Junior Division of Applied Mechanics & Structures for her project, Tension on Knee Joint and Quadriceps Muscle.
• Moniyka Sachar 11th grader from Irvington High School in Fremont who won Second Place at the at the CSSF in the Senior Division of Plant Science for her project, DNA-Binding Protein in Xcv Bacteria Alters Plant bHLH Gene to Promote Pathogen Growth During Infection: A Genetic Study. Moniyka also was awarded a $1,000 CAPCA Agricultural Award from the California Association of Pest Control Advisors who recognized the future application of her project to the agricultural business in California. Moniyka was a senior division Grand Prize winner at ACSEF and moved on to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) where her project won 3rd place in the Plant Science Category ($2,500)  and first place ($3,000) from American Society of Horticultural Science and a third place ($500) from Monsanto Company for her work in genetic pest control.
• Kelly X. Zhang, 11th grader from The College Preparatory School in Oakland who received Honorable Mention at the CSSF in the Senior Division of Biochemistry/Molecular Biology for her project, Fluorescent Imaging for Nano-Detection (FIND) of Cancer Cells.
• Aditya Sinha, 11th grader from Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton who won Grand Prize at ACSEF and moved on to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for his project, Mantis: A Novel Symmetric-Key Block Cipher.
• Aniruddh Mandalapu, 8th grader from Challenger School in Newark who was a grand prize runner up at ACSEF in the middle school division and competed well at CSSF with his project, Dye Sensitized Solar Cells: Lighting the Path to Our Future
• William Du, 11th grader from Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland who was a grand prize runner up at ACSEF in the high school division and competed well at CSSF in the category of Biological Sciences with his project, Novel Insights into Ultraconservation in Human Genes.  
• Alice Chu, 11th grader from Mission San Jose High School in Fremont who was a first place winner at ACSEF in the high school division and competed well at CSSF in the category of Environmental Science with her project, Catalysts in Carbon Dioxide Capture.

Planning for ACSEF 2013 is underway with a Science Fair 101 series of workshops for students, teachers and parents. 

Interested groups can contact fair director Patti Carothers for more details at (925) 426-7879 or via email: alamedacountysef@gmail.com

ACOE is proud to support the ACSEF and is committed to making Science education engaging and meaningful while meeting State standards. ACOE's Integrated Middle School Science (IMSS) Partnership builds the capacity of science teachers to integrate practices and science content, to integrate the common core into science curriculum and instruction, and to expand the use of formative assessments to improve teaching and learning for middle school students. The IMSS Summer Science Institute for teachers from participating districts on July 16-July 27, 2012. For more information, visit our website.