DMPS Students Among the Best at Iowa Middle School Science Fair

Dezell Turner, a 7th grade student at Cowles, explains his project “Mirror Mayhem,” which was the Grand Champion at this year’s State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa.

Des Moines Public Schools was well-represented at the recent State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa. In fact, a total of 50 DMPS middle school students qualified to compete at the event this year, up from 35 students just one year ago.

From the study of noise to the search for the perfect cookie, DMPS middle school students earned high marks for a diverse array of scientific experiments and presentations.

The State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa was held April 4-5 at Hilton Coliseum on the campus of Iowa State University.

Students presented their projects to groups of judges from a variety of scientific fields during the event. Among the students’ project titles were “Fluid Conductivity Relative to Viscosity,” “Synthetic vs Natural Antibiotics,” and “Detection and Removal of Contaminants from Bovine Milk.” Students from Brody, Callanan, Cowles, Harding, Merrill and Weeks schools participated at the state-wide event.

“Our science students are terrific representatives of Des Moines and our school district,” said Kimberly O’Donnell, science curriculum coordinator for the school district. “The curiosity and critical thinking of these students show what results from our STEM education efforts throughout the district.”

DMPS students earned more than 20 awards at the event, including two of the top honors.

Dezell Turner, a 7th grader at Cowles Montessori School, was the overall grand champion in the Junior High physical sciences division, and won a $500 scholarship from the University of Iowa College of Engineering. Eighth grade Ankita Chatterjee, who attends Callanan Middle School and Central Campus, was the reserve grand champion in the Junior High physical sciences division, and also received a $500 scholarship from the Univeristy of Iowa College of Engineering.

Over 650 students from across Iowa participated in this year’s science fair in the Junior and Senior High School divisions.

Des Moines middle school students who earned awards are: