The 69th annual Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair showcased more than 300 high school science projects. Roughly 400 students presented their research projects in a wide variety of science and engineering fields. Projects were judged by more than 150 professionals and 40 professional organizations and businesses. The Grand Prize winners are eligible to compete in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May. Many others are eligible to compete in the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair in April.  

Nine FCPS projects received Grand Prize awards:

• Animal and Behavioral Sciences: Cortical Connectivity Analysis in Pediatric ADHD: Integrating EEG Data, Deep Learning Models, and Reaction Times for a Novel Cognitive Assessment, Medha Pappula, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
• Animal and Behavioral Sciences: Effect of Absence of Select Languages on Reconstruction of Proto-Romance, Shua Michel, Chantilly High School.
• Earth and Environmental Sciences: A Novel Mathematical Model To Predict Wastewater Induced Earthquakes, Wesley Kang, Madison High School.
• Energy: Sustainable Materials and Design: Optimizing Graphitic Carbon Nitride to Create a Safe, Effective, and Economic form of Hydrogen Storage, Valeria Novoa, Madison High School.
• Engineering Technology: Designing an AI-Guided Ultra Versatile Unmanned Aircraft for Wartime Humanitarian Aid, Austin Cui, Benjamin Hall, Matthew Lee, Woodson High School.
• Environmental Engineering: A Novel Framework Using GANs to Create Land Resource Management Strategy, Sanchali Banerjee, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
• Environmental Engineering: Robee: A Novel Autonomous Pollinator, Isabel Aysa-Lastra, Danial Syed, Hayfield Secondary School.
• Materials Science: Using Chiral Carbon Nanotubes for Polarization in Memory-Based Spintronics
  Ryan Singh, Surbhi Singla, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
• Microbiology: Detecting and Degrading Formaldehyde using Synthetic Biology and Engineering Techniques, Shumvobi Mitra, Langley High School.

Complete results from the 2024 Regional Science and Engineering Fair, including a list of winners, are available online on the FCPS Science Fair website.

The 2024 science fair was made possible by hundreds of students, teachers, and community members who dedicated their time and energy.