Papermakers fare well at science fair

Camas High School senior Reesab Pathak is once again making waves with his research on HIV.

After being selected as one of 40 finalists for the Intel Science Talent Search 2015, he also won an invite to compete at Intel’s prestigious International Science and Engineering Fair for the second consecutive year.

Pathak was awarded this honor at the recent Washington State Science and Engineering Fair, where he presented his project, “Correlate with Protection Against AIDS Virus.”

ISEF will be held from Sunday until Friday, May 15.

“Reesab has been devoted to his research in the Sacha lab for more than two-and-half-years,” said coach Kim Newman. “It is an honor to present his work at ISEF and we at Camas High School are very proud of him.”

Other students from Dorothy Fox Elementary School, Skyridge Middle School and Camas High School also traveled to Bremerton, Washington on March 27 and 28 for the 58th annual fair.

There, they competed for more than $1 million in trophies, prizes and scholarships, as well as an opportunity to attend the Intel ISEF.

The state fair has been in existence since 1937 and is sponsored by several colleges and industries including Boeing, NASA, Bonneville Power, Helix, Go Daddy, Johns Hopkins, and the City of Bremerton. It is open to all students in first through 12th grade.

This year, more than 600 participants came from throughout the state, making it one of the largest in the fair’s 58-year history, according to a press release.

“I really believe that inquiry and process is the one thing students should learn,” said Lee Ellen Lawrence, fifth-grade science teacher and coach of the elementary and middle school team. “In an increasingly competitive global job market, hands-on experience and critical thinking in the areas of science and engineering are sought-after skills.”

This is the fourth year that Lawrence has coached students to move on from their local Dorothy Fox science fair to the state level.

“The experience instills a love of science and builds tremendous confidence,” Lawrence said.

This year there were nine students from Dorothy Fox Elementary that participated, including a first-grader, two fourth-graders, and six fifth-graders; along with a sixth-grader representing Skyridge Middle School.

Camas High School coaches Newman and Ron Wright brought 13 students to the state competition, some participating as individuals and some collaborating as teams. Camas students brought home eight, first-place trophies, nine second-place and one third-place award, along with several special awards.

Dorothy Fox student awards:

First in category: Nathan Chiu, first grade, “LEDs Save Christmas;” Ava Burton, fourth grade, (also won Pacific Science Center pass) “Biogas Balloons;” Vivek Joe, fifth grade, “Looping the Loops;” Natalie Ge, fifth grade, “Chameleon Rose!?”.

Second in category: Jamison Carlisle, fourth grade, “Hover Into The Future,” Brooklyn Chaney, fifth grade, (also won free pass to Bonneville Dam) “Light Em Up;”

Dorothy Franklin, fifth grade, “Fertilizer Frenzy;” Madi O’Neal, fifth grade, “Nail It On;” Melodie Chiu, fifth grade, “Water Cannon Range.”

Skyridge student award:

Second in category: Katie Chiu, sixth grade, “Solar Power.”

Camas High School student awards:

First in category: Pathak, 12th grade, “Correlate with Protection Against AIDS Virus;” Jon Bartlett, 12th grade, “Prostate Cancer Cell Lines;” Bilal Manzer, 10th grade, “Fungal Endophytes of Mahonia Species;” Maxine Hood, 12th grade, “Moss Bank: Drying and Freezing Moss for Conservation.”

Second in category: Brenton Riddle and Megan Chow, 10th grade, “Relative Abundance of Macro invertebrates in Fishless vs. Fish Stocked Lakes;” Gabe Mukobi and William Sun, ninth grade, “Graphene Sand Composite: The Future of the Filter (Salinity Filtration);” Noah Thompson and Daniel Fan, ninth grade, “Graphene Sand Composite: The Future of the Filter (Bacteria Filtration).”

Third in category: Alice Leask, Lindsey Leetham and Sarah Wells-Moran, ninth grade, “The Effects of Exercise on Memory.”