Ten FCPS Projects Earn Grand Prize Award in 2023 Regional Science and Engineering Fair

The 68th annual Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair showcased over 300 high school science projects. Over 400 students presented their research projects in a wide variety of science and engineering fields. Projects were judged by over 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 and many others are eligible to compete in the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair to be held in April.  

Ten FCPS projects received Grand Prize awards:

• Animal Sciences: Elizaveta Plis, Falls Church High School, The Effect of Larval Crowding of the Zophobas morio Beetle on Consumption of Polystyrene Foam.
• Behavioral and Translational Medical Sciences: Omkar Kovyali, Sritan Motati, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, OtoScan: A Novel, Inexpensive System for Comprehensive Diagnosis of Middle Ear Infections with an Intelligent Mobile Otoscope.
• Behavioral and Translational Medical Sciences: Sara Becker, Kyan Yang, Madison High School, Diagnosing Monkeypox Via Deep Learning-Driven Primary Morphology Analysis. 
• Energy: Sustainable Materials and Design: Danial Syed, Hayfield Secondary School, Investigating the Efficacy of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Utilizing Multiple Sources of Anthocyanin.
• Environmental Engineering: Frank Chang, Stephen Tsai, Jason Yoo, Chantilly High School, ARM: Streamlining Recyclable Waste Identification with Highly Scalable Deep Learning Algorithms.
• Mathematics and Computer Sciences: Samuel Stankiewicz, West Springfield High School, Simulated Brokerage System for Novice Investors.
• Mathematics and Computer Sciences: Rohan Kalahasty, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Hybrid Plasticity: A Novel, Biologically Realistic Meta-Learning Algorithm to Increase the Adaptability and Efficiency of AI Systems.
• Physics and Astronomy: Ryan Kim, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Quantum-Classical Neural Network by Utilizing a Variational Quantum Circuit for Detection of Dementia.
• Physics and Astronomy: Ronit Kapur, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, The Effect of Gravity Darkening on the Atmospheric Dynamics of KELT-9b.
• Plant Sciences: Aayush Shivashankar, Chantilly High School, The Effect of Chlorine (ppm) on the Lead Phytoremediation Rate in Lemna minor.

Complete results from the 2023 Regional Science and Engineering Fair, including a list of winners, are available online on the FCPS Science Fair website.

The 2023 science fair was made possible by hundreds of students, teachers, and community members who dedicated their time and energy.