Science Fair offers future hope

scifair092: 2009 Kern County Science Fair

Matthew Rodgers earned 2nd place in Plant Biology and Earth Science with his research on saving cotton from fungus disease.

scifair093: 2009 Kern County Science Fair

Desert High’s Kaitlin Wright and Lindsey Lewis' testing of “Wind Breakers” to save crops earned second place in Plant Biology and Earth Science.

scifair094: 2009 Kern County Science Fair

Burroughs High’s Tommy Wooding and Amy Lee researched how bullets were poisoning animals that had not been shot and earned second place honors in  Life Science.

scifair095: 2009 Kern County Science Fair

Thomas Jefferson Middle School’s Sarah Stauffer use of the “Stroop Effect” led to a third place finish in the Behavioral and Social Science category.

scifair096: 2009 Kern County Science Fair

Lakeside School’s Crystal Hammond and Issa Bizantioy and their “Can Smasher” project earned second place in the Structural Mechanics category.


Science Fair has come a long way from the days of a cardboard cone, some vinegar and baking soda to create a volcanic eruption. When the approximately 550 students from 140 schools competed in the 22nd annual Kern County Regional Science Fair on March 17 in Bakersfield, their experiments dealt with making life better.

Designing wind barriers to reduce soil erosion and measuring gender and the Stroop effect were just some of the subjects under scrutiny by dozens of students who entered projects.

Senior and Middle School Division students placing first, second, and in some cases, third in categories at Rabobank Convention Center knew they might be eligible to compete in the 58th annual California Science Fair to be held May 19 at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

Categories ranged from aerodynamics/hydrodynamics to thermochemistry. Entries were judged on scientific thought/engineering goals, creativity, organization, completeness, clarity, effort and motivation. Students had to explain their displays, log books and hypothesis to a panel of judges.

Judging this competition required more than a passing knowledge of science. Highland High senior Matthew “Dustin” Rodgers really immersed himself in research. He went so far as to get permission to do his study on the effects of fumigants on cotton root disease at the U.S. Agriculture Research Service in Shafter. All his hard work paid off with a second place finish tie in the Plant Biology and Earth Science category. Desert High’s Kaitlin Wright and Lindsey Lewis took the other share of the award with their project on “Wind Barriers.” Rodgers also was awarded two scholarships — the Dr. Vinod Kumar and U.S. Naval Science Awards.

“I’m really a big agriculture man, and it was fun to get involved in research that could be very beneficial to the environment and fun, too,” Rodgers said. “I tested expensive fumigants versus natural soilization to see which would have the greatest effect on fungal pathogens that mutate into cotton roots stunting plant growth and wilting. Good news is that soilization (watering soil, placing plastic over it and having it naturally baked by the sun) was as effective as the fumigants, but it was also labor intensive, making it very expensive.”

Burroughs High’s Tommy Wooding and Amy Lee discovered a published story detailing with how lead bullets may be poisoning animals that prey on animals that have been shot. They were “shocked” to learn that many condors and bears were dying as a result. Their project, “Lead Bullets Poisoned the Condor are Bears Next,” earned second place honors in the Life Science category.

“The article urged a ban on the use of lead bullets for hunting because they were poisoning condors,” Wooding said. “And then, we discovered another study that showed the same thing was happening to bears in Wyoming. We wanted to see if that could be proven.”

“So, we simulated a condor and bear stomach, used chemicals to show if poison was present after the introduction of lead and copper, allowed a digestion period of five hours and used filtering paper to determine the results,” Lee said.

Thomas Jefferson Middle School 8th-grader Sarah Stauffer took third place in the Behavioral and Social Sciences category with an interesting study on “The Effect of Gender on the Stroop Effect.” Stauffer explained that the Stroop effect has something to do with seeing a word for a color that is not that color.

“Science Fair is great,” Stauffer said. “It opens your eyes to things you don’t know. I always find something new to base my research on and even seeing the other exhibits gives me ideas for the future.”

The science fair is administered by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools with primary sponsorship provided by Aera Energy LLC. Additional sponsorship and support is offered by Chevron North America Exploration and Production, Occidental of Elk Hills, and Kern County Science Foundation.

2009 Kern County Regional Science Fair Awards

HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION – Grades 9-12

AERODYNAMICS/HYDRODYNAMICS
First Place — Leo Banuelos and Nicholas Ross – Desert High
Second Place — Maliha Ahmed – Stockdale High
Third Place — Trevor Fobel – Desert High
Honorable Mention — Erica Mimay and Emily Wright – Desert High
Honorable Mention – Bradley Reeves – Bakersfield Christian High

APPLIED MECHANICS
First Place — Brian Lee – Burroughs High
Second Place — Joshua Arreola – Frazier Mountain High
Third Place — Alyssa Arias – Desert High
Honorable Mention — Christopher Buchanan – Desert High

CHEMISTRY
First Place — Aurora Ostrom – Burroughs High
Second Place — Nicholas Okita – Stockdale High
Third Place — Joseph Stearns – Bakersfield Christian High

PLANT BIOLOGY and EARTH SCIENCE
First Place — Clayton Skousen – Desert High
Second Place Tie — Lindsey Lewis and Kaitlin Wright – Desert High
Second Place Tie — Matthew Rodgers – Highland High

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
First Place — Kirsten Albers and Caitlyn Krug and Yi-Ling Liu – Bakersfield Christian High
Second Place — Jennifer Hines – Desert High
Third Place — Nicole Foy – Bakersfield Christian High
Honorable Mention — Danielle Gregory – Bakersfield Christian High

LIFE SCIENCE
First Place — Aubryn Butterfield – Bakersfield Christian High
Second Place — Tommy Wooding and Amy Lee – Burroughs High
Third Place — Nathan Williams – Desert High
Honorable Mention — Jacob Brown – Liberty High
Honorable Mention – Elle Tanner – Desert High

PHYSICS and ASTRONOMY
First Place — Mark Canning – Desert High
Second Place — Aley Barnum – Desert High
Third Place — Zach Miller – Desert High
Honorable Mention — Heidi Yi – Burroughs High

MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION — Grades 6-8

AERODYNAMICS/HYDRODYNAMICS
First Place — Josh Dhaliwal – Reagan School
Second Place – Tanner DeWalt – Stockdale Christian School
Third Place — Samuel Nobles – Standard Middle

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE
First Place — Rohan Sharma – Warren Middle
Second Place — Leah Ostermann – St. Ann School
Third Place — Ali Vaughan – Stockdale Elementary School
Honorable Mention — Susan Nickell – Rio Bravo-Greeley

APPLIED MECHANICS
First Place — Michelle Stanley – Tevis Jr. High
Second Place — Nathan Behrens – Stockdale Christian School
Third Place — Dylan Young – Standard Middle
Honorable Mention — Nathan Esch – St. Francis Parish School

BEHAVIORAL and SOCIAL SCIENCES
First Place —Maribeth Villanueva – El Tejon School
Second Place — Madeline Atchison – St. Francis Parish School
Third Place — Sarah Stauffer- Thomas Jefferson Middle
Honorable Mention — Erika Cruz – Thomas Jefferson Middle
Honorable Mention – Selene Torres – Thomas Jefferson Middle
Honorable Mention – Britney Louey – Fruitvale Jr. High

CHEMISTRY
First Place — Danielle Behrens – Stockdale Christian School
Second Place — Le Cheng Tong – Stockdale Elementary
Third Place — Rachael Metzger – Edison Middle

EARTH and ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
First Place — Nathaniel Tweed – Valley School
Second Place —Roman Lara – Endeavour Elementary
Third Place — Chase May – La Vina Middle
Honorable Mention — Lilian Najera – Lakeside School
Honorable Mention – Gathenji Njoroge – Freedom Middle
Honorable Mention – Amigha Shukla – Warren Middle

ELECTRICITY and ELECTRONICS
First Place — Jacob Moe – Rio Bravo-Greeley
Second Place — Douglas Johnston – Chavez School
Third Place — Matthew Nickell – Rio Bravo-Greeley
Honorable Mention — Jessica Druey – Hart School

MAMMALIAN BIOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY
First Place — Shalin Shah – Warren Middle
Second Place — Joshua Bertey – Standard Middle
Third Place — Karren Stille – Standard Middle
Honorable Mention — Michael Dyar – Cecil Avenue Middle

MATERIALS SCIENCE
First Place — Claryce Lazerson – St. John’s Lutheran School
Second Place — Janel Self – Stockdale Christian School
Third Place — Anne Shambaugh – St. Francis Parish School
Honorable Mention — Caitlyn Murphy – Murray Middle
Honorable Mention – Caleb Quitoriano – LaVina Middle

CONSUMER SCIENCE
First Place — Rachel Andrews – Stockdale Christian School
Second Place — Olivia Lipco – Heritage Christian School
Third Place — Evan Amason – Columbia Elementary
Honorable Mention — Jonathan Salaz – La Vina Middle

FOOD CHEMISTRY
First Place — Shreya Banerjee – Reagan School
Second Place — Genevieve Edwards – St John’s Lutheran School
Third Place — Logan Wright – Old River Elementary
Honorable Mention — Samantha Harrison - St. Ann School

PHARMACOLOGY and BIOCHEMISTRY
First Place — Irfan Habib – Warren Middle
Second Place — Lauren O’Connell – St. John’s Lutheran School
Third Place — Evan Sanchez – Del Rio Elementary
Honorable Mention — Lacey Lindsey – St. Francis Parish School

PHYSICS and ASTRONOMY
First Place —Effie Striem – Freedom Middle
Second Place — Lilia Denesha – Standard Middle
Third Place — Noah Krocker – Owens Intermediate
Honorable Mention — Anthony Martin – Thomas Jefferson Middle
Honorable Mention –Alex Rinaldi – Our Lady of Perpetual Help School

PLANT BIOLOGY
First Place — Laura Jennings – El Tejon School
Second Place — Katie Helms – Stockdale Christian School
Third Place — Patricia Marinas – Fairfax Middle
Honorable Mention — Christian Verdugo and Shawn Chundagal– Cecil Avenue Middle

STRUCTURAL MECHANICS
First Place — Ali Champness – Our Lady of Perpetual Help School
Second Place — Issa Bizantioy and Crystal Hammond – Lakeside School
Third Place — Avery Andrew – St. Francis Parish School
Honorable Mention — Christopher Davison - Edison Middle

THERMOCHEMISTRY
First Place — Forrest Csulak – El Tejon School
Second Place – Suevana Ayala – Thomas Jefferson Middle
Third Place — Brian Bender – Patriot Elementary
Honorable Mention — Jenny Pratt – Del Rio Elementary

ZOOLOGY
First Place — Samuel Lang – Reagan School
Second Place — Rachael Oliver – El Tejon School
Third Place — Mariana Roldan – Our Lady of Perpetual Help School
Honorable Mention — Tab Rufing-Radney – Standard Middle
Special Recognition – Gage Harden – Rio Bravo-Greeley Middle

KINETIC ENERGY
First Place — Jamie Bizzini – El Tejon School
Second Place — Darby Adler – Independence Elementary
Third Place — Dev Madeka – McAuliffe School
Honorable Mention — Joshua Park – Fruitvale Jr. High

INTERMEDIATE DIVISION — 4th Grade
(Not Eligible for State Science Fair)

ASTRONOMY/EARTH and ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
First Place — Garrett Gwinn - Reagan School
Second Place — Brianna Edwards – El Tejon School
Third Place — Logan Lovett- Wingland Elementary
Honorable Mention — Dawson Pitcher - Buena Vista School

BEHAVIORAL/ANIMAL and FIELD STUDIES
First Place — Alexis Bustin – Granite Pointe Elementary
Second Place — Jada Blomberg – Harding School
Third Place — Carson Beckett – Highland Elementary

CHEMISTRY and CHEMICAL REACTIONS
First Place — Breanna Cervantes – Bill Williams School
Second Place — Emily Oliver – El Tejon School
Third Place — Jordan Dawson – Hacienda Elementary

ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS AND GAMES
First Place — Emma Stevulak – Westpark Elementary
Second Place — Brycen Jacobsen – Golden Hills Elementary
Third Place — Robert Pipkin – Laurelglen School
Honorable Mention — Caleb Melson – Highland Elementary

HEAT CHEMISTRY and HEAT PHYSICS
First Place — Ryan Wakefield – Patriot Elementary
Second Place — Madison Contreras – Almondale Elementary
Third Place — Noah Serda – Morningside School
Honorable Mention — Britt Chafin – Discovery Elementary

FOOD and HEALTH SCIENCE
First Place — Anselmo Arellano – Karl Clemens School
Second Place — Krystalmae Raynes – Berkshire Elementary
Third Place — Shikha Srinivas – McAuliffe School

MATERIALS and CONSUMER SCIENCE
First Place — Jason Abbott – Castle School
Second Place — MarcAnthony Myers – Rosedale North Elementary
Third Place — Chase Morales – Chavez School
Honorable Mention — Carlos Gonzalez – Fremont School

PHYSICS
First Place — Riku Koseki – Hart School
Second Place — Tommy Toretta – Centennial Elementary
Third Place — Andrew Ostrom – Saint Ann School

PLANT BIOLOGY
First Place — Lexi Hazelton – Pruiett Elementary
Second Place — Julia Montoya – Tompkins Elementary
Third Place — Christine Baal – Van Horn School

ELECTRICITY
First Place — Sebastian Gomez – Independence Elementary
Second Place — Jacob Bartel – American Elementary
Third Place — Jonathan Santiago – Fairview Elementary
Honorable Mention — Matthew Glasgow – St. John’s Lutheran School
Honorable Mention – Selene Orozco – Owens Intermediate

INTERMEDIATE DIVISION — 5th Grade
(Not Eligible for State Science Fair)

ASTRONOMY, EARTH and ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
First Place — Emily Haviland – Sing Lum School
Second Place — Nicholas Millan – Discovery Elementary
Third Place — Trey Schoenwetter – Downtown Elementary
Honorable Mention — Becca Jensen – Stine School

BEHAVIORAL, ANIMAL and FIELD STUDIES
First Place — Jordan Holmes – Owens Intermediate
Second Place — Claire Urata – Castle School
Third Place — Cassidy Elwell – Almondale Elementary

CHEMISTRY and CHEMICAL REACTIONS
First Place — Lizabeth Nunez – Fremont School
Second Place — Mykela Blanchard – Palm Avenue School
Third Place — Chandler Beck – St. John’s Lutheran School
Honorable Mention- Sayo Yamashita – Hart School

ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS and GAMES
First Place — Manooshree Patel – Reagan School
Second Place — Austin Palacios – Centennial Elementary
Third Place — Yannis Exarchoulakos – Kendrick School
Honorable Mention — Kazuya Fujita – Stine School
Honorable Mention –Cody Maynard – Quailwood Elementary

HEAT CHEMISTRY and HEAT PHYSICS
First Place — Kimberly Nelson – Harding School
Second Place — Jared Lampson – Endeavour Elementary
Third Place — Randeep Gill – Buena Vista School
Honorable Mention — Brenda Cortes – Fremont School

FOOD and HEALTH SCIENCE
First Place — Cameron Roberts – Independence Elementary
Second Place – Eric Beyer – Fremont School
Third Place — Delaney Beck – Berkshire Elementary
Honorable Mention — Garrison Lee – Owens Intermediate

MATERIALS and CONSUMER SCIENCE
First Place — Kathryn Piper – Stockdale Elementary
Second Place — Kaleb Kingston – Endeavour Elementary
Third Place — Xochitl Mireles – Alicante Avenue School
Honorable Mention — Vanessa Adams – Myrtle Avenue School

PHYSICS
First Place — Lily Hallmark – El Tejon School
Second Place — Jennifer Holmes – Old River Elementary
Third Place — Kyle Winchell – Tompkins Elementary
Honorable Mention — Janelle Estalio – Seibert School

PLANT BIOLOGY
First Place — Sarah Powell – St. John’s Lutheran School
Second Place — Matthew Chaffee – McAuliffe School
Third Place — Ashley Yasin – Wallace Elementary

ELECTRICITY
First Place — Madison Shannon – Downtown Elementary
Second Place — Jose Cervantes – Redwood Elementary
Third Place — Timothy Calderwood – Hacienda Elementary
Honorable Mention — Tanner Utt – Patriot Elementary
Honorable Mention – Ryan Chapman – Harding School

2009 Kern County Regional Science Fair Awards for Excellence

Kern County Science Foundation Scholarships (Grades 9-12)
Maliha Ahmed — Stockdale High
Christina Apple — North High
Brian Lee — Burroughs High
Lindsey Lewis — Desert High
Samuel Munoz — North High
Bretton Neville — North High
Nicholas Okita — Stockdale High
Aurora Ostrom — Burroughs High
Analiese Scrivano — Bakersfield High
Christopher Woodward — Kern Valley High

Dr. Vinod Kumar Award
Senior Award — Matthew Rodgers
Junior Awards — Andrew Wilbur
Lacey Lindsey

U.S. Naval Science Awards
Senior Awards — Aurora Ostrom
Matthew Rodgers
Aubryn Butterfield
Junior Awards — Josh Dhaliwal
Tanner DeWalt
Michelle Stanley
Danielle Behrens
Jacob Moe
Douglas Johnston
Forrest Csulak


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