Local science fair winners honored

Students from schools throughout the San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley descended upon the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds as the scientists of tomorrow at the Santa Cruz County Science Fair on March 9 and 10.
While the overall age-group winners were from other areas, Scotts Valley and San Lorenzo Valley students took home a mighty haul of accolades and qualified many projects for the California State Science Fair.
Below is a listing of the awards won by local students. An asterisk indicates that the project was selected for the statewide fair, scheduled for April 30 through May 1 in Los Angeles.
San Lorenzo Valley High School
*Anna Maxwell and Adela Weigel, first place, senior Botany division: “Sudden Oak Death: Is it Progressing?”
*Russell Hofvendahl, first place, senior Microbiology division: “Something in the Water”
*Adrian Miller and Michaela Sanchez, second place, senior Microbiology division: “Fecal Coliform: A Study of Water Contamination in the San Lorenzo Valley”
*Johann Prambs, Loren Edwards and Daniel Genis, second place, senior Earth Science division: “Fall Creek: Stream Restoration or Stream Corruption?”
*Lauren Smith and Mikayla Peterson, second place, senior Zoology division: “Bird Biodiversity in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park”
*Robert Adams, James Spriggs and Zackary Wambaugh, third place, senior Zoology division: “Men with a lot of Mussels: Part 2: Revenge of the Turban Snails”
*Kiana Dao and Danielle Eames, fourth place, senior Zoology division: “Amphibian Adventures”
Scotts Valley Middle School
*Tristan Barca-Hall, first place, junior Behavioral Social Science division: “Touche or Not Touche”
*Kate Cellucci, second place, junior Cognitive Science division: “Shaping Your Thoughts: The Stroop Effect”
*Ian Gallagher, second place, junior Mathematics division: “Scouting vs. Sabermetrics”
Jonathon Granger-Jones, third place, junior Behavioral Social Science division: “Video Games: Does Playing on the Xbox Affect Concentration?”
Baymonte Christian School
*David Siemsen, second place, junior Chemistry division: “Temperature and Light Sticks: A Chemiluminescent Reaction”
*Josef von Haunalter, second place, junior Product Science division: “One Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch”
John Sosa-Guaita, third place, junior Health and Medicine division: “Video Games as Exercise”
Bonny Doon Elementary School
Anika Hayes, first place, elementary Physics and Astronomy division: “Balloons in Action”
Boulder Creek Elementary School
Juliana Garcia and Maddy Solve, third place, elementary Zoology division: “Beta Environment”
Josh Halper and Jadon Franco, third place, elementary Earth Science division: “Stopping Erosion”
Sean Dashiell, fourth place, elementary Botany division: “Bedtime Stories for Plants”
Boulder Creek Homeschool
Ayla Blackwolf, second place, primary Zoology division: “Chicken Genetics”
Noah True, second place, primary Health and Medicine division: “The Eye”
Brook Knoll Elementary School
Michelle Nazareth, first place, primary Chemistry division: “Dye Detective! How Colors React in a Gel Electrophoresis Chamber?”
Emma Schaefer-Whittall, first place, elementary Zoology division: “Hummingbird Preference: Color Or Taste?”
Rishi Chandiramani, first place, elementary Cognitive Science division: “The Effects of Texting on Concentration”
Bradley Vu, first place, elementary Product Science division: “What Sugar Combined with Yeast Makes Dough Rise Most?”
Andrew Nazareth, first place, elementary Electronics and Electromagnetics division: “Radiation Blues: Which is Safer — Your Cell Phone or your Blue Tooth?”
Linnea Jackson, second place, primary Botany division: “How Different Types of Soil Affect Seed Germination and Plant Growth”
Anika Mistry, third place, primary Behavioral Social Science division: “What? I taste with my eyes?”
Avi Weinstein, third place, elementary Product Science division: “Which Battery Lasts the Longest?”
San Lorenzo Valley Elementary School
Amory Gaylord, second place, primary Chemistry division: “Corroding Coins”
Rachel Davies and Tarynn Gibbs, third place, primary Zoology division: “Dolphin Echolocation”
Caroline Rolander, third place, primary Physics and Astronomy division: “How Does a Magnifying Glass Burn a Leaf?”
Cade Martin-Hansen, fourth place, primary Physics and Astronomy division: “CO2 Cork Shooter”
Vine Hill Elementary School
Naomi Licht, first place, primary Biochemistry division: “Pineapple Upside Down Sweetness”
Gabe Spitzer, first place, primary Physics and Astronomy division: “What is the Fastest Way to Run to First Base?”
Elleda Spitzer, second place, elementary Microbiology division: “Gum vs. Bacteria”
Solange Charlet and Hannah Shaffer, third place, elementary Botany division: “Raisin Making”
Nicole Amadia, fourth place, primary Behavioral Social Science division: “Basketball Manic”
Ryley Gauthier, project of merit, primary Cognitive Science division: “Mushy Brain Madness”
Kiernan Gill, project of merit, primary Environmental Engineering Division: “Is Our Water Safe To Drink?”