Hauppauge Middle School students showcased their curiosity, creativity, and scientific thinking at the annual Middle School Science Fair, held on Wednesday, January 21. The event featured impressive projects across all three grade levels, highlighting students’ ability to explore real-world problems through research and experimentation.
Following the fair, Dr. Wankmuller, Director of Science and Research, selected the top 15 projects—five from each grade level. These students were invited to participate in individual interviews on Friday, where they discussed their research process, findings, and conclusions. Winners were officially announced on Friday, January 30.
Sixth Grade Winners
Honorable Mention: The Flavor of Colors – James Urbat
Honorable Mention: Aero-gami – Yusuf Idris
Third Place: Shell-Shocked: How Temperature and Humidity Affect the Birthrate of Bobwhite Quail – Lilly Muilenburg
Second Place: The Science of Hydration: A Comparative Efficacy Study – Daksh Manu
First Place: EcoShield: Which Plant Extract Protects Metals From Corrosion in Salt Water – Taran Sathish Kumar
Seventh Grade Winners
Honorable Mention: Microplastics – Elsie Bollag
Honorable Mention: Can Bacteria Be Used to Generate Electricity? – Esha Gade
Third Place: Tough Gels: Testing the Strength of Different Hydrogels – Khushi Shah
Second Place: Can You Grow Edible Plants on Mars? – Adithya Shastry
First Place: Stealthy Shapes: Which Shapes Reflect the Least Light Back? – Maxim Vetoshkin
Eighth Grade Winners
Honorable Mention: Plant Friendly or Plant Foe – Natalia Padilla
Honorable Mention: Healthy Gut, Happy Life – Olivia Pearl
Third Place: Analyzing Fermentation Efficiency Using Corn By-Products as Biofuel – Jesse Stone
Second Place: Orange Is the New Green – Aditri Arun
First Place: Tick Guard: Your First Aid in Assessing the Risk of Tick Diseases – Pranav Ramkumar
From the 15 finalists, eight students earned the highest overall scores and will advance to compete at the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair – ThermoFisher Scientific Junior Innovation Challenge, where they will represent Hauppauge against top student scientists from Nassau and Suffolk Counties:
Pranav Ramkumar
Aditri Arun
Jesse Stone
Olivia Pearl
Maxim Vetoshkin
Taran Sathish Kumar
Daksh Manu
Lilly Muilenburg
Congratulations to all participants for their outstanding work, and best of luck to our advancing students as they continue their scientific journeys.