CHS students sweep state science fair

Anna Roche’s first showing at the recent Washington State Science and Engineering Fair netted big results.

The senior won a spot at Intel’s prestigious International Science and Engineering Fair for her research on the connection that herbal supplements have on hearing loss.

Roche has been working on her cellular biology project in Dr. Allison Coffin’s lab at WSU Vancouver for three years.

“I really enjoyed sharing my research with others and showing them how it impacts their lives,” she said. “I think the connection is really interesting.”

She was surprised and excited to earn a spot at ISEF, which is happening in Phoenix, Arizona, this week.

“I can’t wait to meet the people there and connect with others in high school doing research,” Roche said.

Roche plans to attend the University of Washington and major in a scientific field.

“I’m not 100 percent sure which one I am going to major in for sure,” she said. “It changes all of the time.”

Three CHS sophomores, Gabe Mukobi, Noah Thompson and Daniel Fan, also garnered high honors at the state fair. They earned first place in the plant science category for their research on reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

“My favorite part was the hands-on aspect of making the containers and planting the plants,” he said. “Next time I want to try to tweak the procedure for more accurate results.”

Kim Newman, CHS Math, Science and Technology magnet program teacher, noted that the school has a history of sending students to the international fair.

“I am so glad Anna has a chance to shine this year,” she said. “She’s a great kid and has worked hard.”

She continued, “All of our magnet kids did great at the state fair. All 10 earned state honors.”

In the Engineering Mechanics category, first-place went to sophomore Sarah Wells-Moran and second-place to freshman Rahul Ram; in Earth and Environmental Sciences, third-place went to freshmen Monica Chang and Jessica Bretz; Plant Sciences first-place went to sophomores Gabe Mukobi and Noah Thompson; in Environmental Engineering, first-place was awarded to freshmen Devank Shekhar, Shevank Shekhar, and Ashley Teng; in the Computational Biology and Bioinformatics. first-place went to freshman Daniela Smektala; and in Cellular and Molecular Biology, first-place honors went to Roche.