Middle School Students Earn High Marks at State Science Fair

From the science of basketball shots to bacteria in the saliva of a family pet, Des Moines middle school students earned high marks for a diverse array of scientific experiments and presentations at the recent State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa.

Thirty-five Des Moines middle school students from six different schools – Brody, Cowles, Merrill, Meredith, Moulton, and Weeks – took part in the two day event 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.

“Our students did an outstanding job representing Des Moines Public Schools at this year’s state science fair,” said Kimberly O’Donnell, science curriculum coordinator for the school district. “These students combined curiosity and inquisitiveness with critical thinking skills to create some original scientific studies”

Among the award winning students from Des Moines was Anson Tonelli, an 8th grader at Cowles Montessori School. For his study comparing fake and real smiles, he earned at $2,500 scholarship from the Iowa State University College of Human Sciences.

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:

Student Names Project Title Award Received Grade School Teacher
Ellie Konfrst Which Age Group Can Walk the Farthest on a Straight Line While Dizzy? 6th Place, 6th Grade Individual Biological 6th Merrill Middle School Blake Hammond
Emma Hildebrandt Money for Nothing 7th Place, 6th Grade Individual Biological 6th Merrill Middle School Blake Hammond
Intisar Becic Dry Ice 6th Place, 6th Grade Individual Physical 6th Merrill Middle School Blake Hammond
Maggie Dunham Which Environment Grows Mold the Fastest? 12th Place, 6th Grade Individual Biological 6th Merrill Middle School Blake Hammond
Maya Miller Cell Phone Radiation Leakage 7th Place, 6th Grade Individual Physical 6th Merrill Middle School Blake Hammond
Rabsa Naseer Filtering Water 8th Place, 6th Grade Individual Physical 6th Merrill Middle School Blake Hammond
Rabsa Naseer Filtering Water US Stockholm Junior Water Prize Sponsored by the Iowa Water Environment Federation 6th Merrill Middle School Blake Hammond
Seth Kallestad Basketball Shots 2nd Place, 6th Grade Individual Physical 6th Merrill Middle School Blake Hammond
Seth Kallestad Basketball Shots BROADCOM MASTERS Junior High Finalists, 6th Grade 6th Merrill Middle School Blake Hammond
Daneil Edjang, Denzil Miller & Max Tensen Bacterial Colonies in Cannine and Feline Saliva vs. Commonly Touched Places BROADCOM MASTERS Junior High Finalists, 7th Grade Team 7th Meredith Middle School Gary Morris
Daneil Edjang, Denzil Miller & Max Tensen Bacterial Colonies in Cannine and Feline Saliva vs. Commonly Touched Places 2nd Place, 7th Grade Team Biological 7th Meredith Middle School Gary Morris
Jacob Thompson Falling Waters 7th Place, 7th Grade Individual Physical 7th Merrill Middle School Dinah Lockhart
Anson Tonelli Fake Vs. Real Smiles $2,500.00 Scholarship from Iowa State University College of Human Sciences 8th Cowles Montessori Heather Anderson
Benny Nielsen Cool Shades BROADCOM MASTERS Junior High Finalists, 8th grade 8th Merrill Middle School Scott Rosin
Yvonne San Elias LED – Tight Lights! 6th Place, 8th Grade Individual Physical 8th Moulton Extended Learning Center Neil Gilmore
Makayla Senecaut Are Fingerprint Patterns Inherited Through Your Family? 11th Place, 8th Grade Individual Biological 8th Weeks Middle School Tracy Cavalier
Makayla Senecaut Are Fingerprint Patterns Inherited Through Your Family? 8th Place, 8th Grade Individual Biological Seminar 8th Weeks Middle School Tracy Cavalier
Benny Nielsen Cool Shades 2nd Place, 8th Grade Individual Physical 8th Merrill Middle School Scott Rosin