2020 Minnesota State Science & Engineering Fair Awards

By March 23, 2020, 369 students presented 162 middle school projects and 151 high school projects by submitting videos, instead of attending a live event on March 26 - 28. MAS congratulates all these students for their perseverance and flexibility in response to our current global health crisis.

This year, 35 companies and organizations, including Seagate, Ecolab, and 3M, have awarded $15,000 in cash prizes as well as other awards valued at more than $10,000. The most valuable prize remains the Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF) Award. See below for more information about each award and the 2020 award winners.

Scroll down to learn more about this year’s awards,

award winners, and winning projects.

winning projects for awards with multiple winners ARE LISTED in order

BY PROJECT NUMBER.

See Press Highlights

Minnesota Academy of Science Awards

Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) Award

The Regeneron ISEF Award recognizes up to five of the top high school projects. Winners typically receive an all-expense-paid trip to compete in ISEF. However, the 2020 ISEF scheduled to be held in Anaheim, California, May 10-15 is cancelled. ISEF is the world’s largest international pre-college science competition. More than 1,700 high school students from over 70 countries and territories showcase their research at ISEF. Students will still be named ISEF Finalists / Alumni this year.

2020 ISEF Finalists:

Christine Song, Mayo High School

2032 - Christine Song (Rochester), Cure of Breast Cancer (Year III): Discovering Inflammation Inhibitors as a Novel Approach to Treatment of Triple Negative Breast Cancer using 3D Organoid Culture System

“The beauty and passion and wholeness of your project literally made this middle-aged biologist burst into tears of awe of the science and how you presented it! You UNDERSTAND the science around the edges. “ —SSEF Judge

Benjamin Yan, Century High School

2038 - Benjamin Yan (Rochester), Reverse-Engineering Brain Structures in MRI With Deep Learning

“ . . . an interesting hypothesis with demonstrable application to medical diagnostics generally and oncological screening particularly — backed up with a thorough explanation of the project background and their experimental techniques.“ —SSEF Judge

John Cardwell & Byron Jia, Breck School

2116 - John Cardwell & Byron Jia (Minneapolis), Testing the Waters: Engineering an Innovative Method of Water Health Analysis

“Important real world topic to research. Innovative ways to use technology to gather data. Creative approach to address issues with current testing and data collection methods. Impressive design of your own unique system to collect water samples. “ — SSEF Judge

Mina Mandic, St. Paul Academy

2136 - Mina Mandic (Saint Paul), Exploring the Wonders of the Early Universe: Green Pea Galaxies and Light Flux

“Props to you for finding a way to contribute to the cutting edge of cosmology!! You are using the tools of observational cosmology pros, and I hope you continue to build on this!” —SSEF Judge

Anthony Chen, St. Paul Academy and Summit School

2152 - Anthony Chen (Saint Paul) , The Effects of Short Term Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Radiation on Diatom Photosynthetic Productivity

”You showed obvious comfort presenting and were quite knowledgeable on the subject. But you also made your presentation easy to follow and fun to listen to!” —SSEF Judge

Grand Awards

The Grand Awards recognize excellence in STEM research at the middle school and high school level. The top 5% of projects presented at SSEF receive the Gold Award. The next 10% of projects receive the Silver Award and the next 15% of projects receive the Bronze Award. Projects are ranked according to judge scores and the competitiveness of the category in which students present.

NOTE: We mistakenly announced the Bronze Award winners as Gold Award winners during the livestream awards ceremony. Our apologies to both the Gold and Bronze winners! All awards are listed correctly here.

Gold Award:

1025 - Misha Montgomery (Bemidji), Masculinity, Femininity, and Androgyny Associated with Musical Preference

1058 - Ella Lynn Holleran (Northfield), WISP - Wearable, Individualized, Sensory Product - A Therapy Tool for Those with Autism & Sensory Processing Challenges

1088 - Reed Johnson (Bemidji), Beauty is the Better Buffer

1092 - Lilly Timmerman & Emily West (Rochester), Does Oil Absorbing Powder Remove Enough Oil for Algae to Live?

1096 - Quinn Hughes & Tyler Clair (Burnsville), Fueling the Planet with Coffee: Engineering a Better Biofuel with Synergistic Enzymatic Compounds

1133 - Abdur-Rahman Lodhi (Blaine), ‘Tapping’ Clean Energy - One Step at a Time

1141 - John Attesey (Oronoco), Self-Sustaining Touchless Faucet

1150 - Maryam Shahkhan (Minneapolis), Pharma Pack: Engineering a Medicine Packaging Container using Insulation to Transport Medicines to Homes

2028 - Quentin Hughes (Excelsior), An Active Role for Machine Learning in the Diagnosis of Atrial Fibrillation

2032 - Christine Song (Rochester), Cure of Breast Cancer (Year III): Discovering Inflammation Inhibitors as a Novel Approach to Treatment of Triple Negative Breast Cancer using 3D Organoid Culture System

2036 - Levi Hoogendoorn (Eden Prairie), Improving fencing footwear for injury prevention through the analysis of biomechanical and preference data

2048 - Anindita Rajamani (Saint Paul), Privacy-Preserving Ubiquitous Activity Recognition with Wearable Sensors

2068 - Andrew Cao (Rochester), The Development of Neural Network Inversions on Synthetic MRI Data Masks to Accurately Estimate Brain Tissue Stiffness Indicative of Alzheimer’s Dementia

2130 - Aidan Lanz (Stillwater), Mycoremediation of Organic Environmental Contaminants

2146 - Grace Finnerty (Winona), Does Honeybee Hive Distance Affect Apple Quality as Measured by Seed Count?

2162 - Mani Chadaga & Akshay Nambudiripad (Saint Paul), Development of WALTER: A Route Planning System That Analyzes Accident Data to Determine Safer Driving Routes in Saint Paul, Minnesota

Silver Award:

1019 - Isha Kapoor (Rochester), Does personality type affect attention and short term memory in adults?

1036 - Josiah Butler (Chaska), Cellulosic Biofuel Production Via Acid Pretreatment and Enzymatic Hydrolysis

1042 - Sydney Klee (Rochester), Gene Editing and Anxiety

1052 - Linden Loos, Addison Short, & Janaea Bellingar (Rochester), The Power of Vegetables

1055 - Ashlee Modjeski (Winona), Don't Shatter Your Shins

1064 - Maggie Banks (Woodbury), Currently Knocking On Wood: Toward a Biodegradable Piezoelectric Transducer From Rochelle Salt and Wood

1070 - Milan Darji (Cloquet), Freezing Point Depression of Salt Water

1087 - Emaleigh Olesiak (La Crescent), Air Air Everywhere

1089 - Muhammad Ali Qureshi & Tarek Sid (Bemidji), Beware Of Radon Gas

1095 - Olivia Hamann (Burnsville), Fired Up!

1107 - Sriram Sureshkumar (Stillwater), Residual Pesticides on Produce

1108 - Grace Lavan (Cloquet), Seasonal movements of Canis lupus (gray wolf) in northeastern Minnesota

1111 - Regine Frederick (Duluth), The Dirt on Dirt

1142 - Noor Omar & Muminah Mohammed (Blaine, Fridley), The Invisible Carcinogen in Your Home

1171 - Isaac Rose (Victoria), How Does Temperature Affect Magnetic Force?

1184 - Elizabeth Levinshteyn (Blaine), Living in the Shadows: Can Plants Live Without Light?

2010 - James L. Kung (Rochester), I’ll Be There For You: Digital Assistants for Mental Health

2027 - Ava Raffel & Mary O'Grady (Wayzata, Maple Grove), A Not so Muscular, Muscular Dystrophy? Discovering abnormal neural differentiation in FSHD-affected stem cells

2035 - Rachel Gunderson & Boatemaa Agyeman-Mensah (Ham Lake, St. Louis Park), Healing a Broken Heart: Investigating Endoglin as a Novel Regulator of Heart Muscle Cell Regeneration

2038 - Benjamin Yan (Rochester), Reverse-Engineering Brain Structures in MRI With Deep Learning

2047 - Karsten Johnson (Chanhassen), Mircofluidic Sweat Biomoniters

2049 - Sahana Mangipudi (Minneapolis), The Missing Link: Glycoengineering MSCs for Targeted Cancer Drug Delivery

2055 - Ming Ying Yeoh (Chanhassen), Inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease: effects of tau protein hyperphosphorylation on microglial phagocytic behavior

2056 - Jack Peterson & William Bae (Edina), Looking Deeper Into Lyme Disease: Reclassifying post-treatment Lyme disease utilizing novel staining methods

2071 - Gautham Nair (Shakopee), Understanding the effects of disinhibition: Analyzing the impact of synaptic disinhibition on neural activities and patterns

2072 - Abirami Rajasekaran & Harini Senthilkumar (Eden Prairie), A computational analysis of the effects of Dreissena polymorpha on the ecological integrity of Minnesota Lakes

2084 - Jack Gootzeit (Waconia), Environmentally Friendly Alternatives to Standard Road Salts

2136 - Mina Mandic (Saint Paul), Exploring the Wonders of the Early Universe: Green Pea Galaxies and Light Flux

2145 - Elisa Guo (Shoreview), Creating Auto-luminescent Plants with Fungal Bioluminescence Pathway

2154 - Vaughn Hughes (Excelsior), Using Environmental Enhancements to Increase Vitamin-C Production in Spinacia oleracea in Varied Agricultural Environments

2155 - Emelyn Beaster (Duluth), Using Phytoaccumulation to End Mineral Deficiencies: Increasing the iron content of Brassica juncea

Bronze Award:

1028 - Patrick Morgan (Winona), Senior Assistance for Childproof Containers

1029 - Tristan Engelmann (Saint Paul), Speed Accuracy Tradeoff in Video Games

1038 - Paige Jacobson & Adam Jacobson (Grand Rapids), Are you a ticking Lyme Bomb?

1047 - James Mellen (Eden Prairie), Rough-Ruff Allergies

1050 - Azrianna Johnson (Cloquet), Tetrachromacy: What effect does gender and age have on the likelihood of a person having tetrachromacy?

1051 - Lyndsey Burke, Noah Winter, & Julia Sanchez (Rochester), The Long Term Effects of Vaping Essential Oils

1053 - Trever Nikolai, Jack Nagele, & Hayden Mathern (Rochester), What are the Best Non-Plastic Alternatives for Phthalates and Plastics

1056 - Adnaan Said (Roseville), Engineering New Transmitting Insulin Pen For Type 1 Diabetics.

1063 - Rachel Mohr (Jackson), Curds & Whey

1078 - Ellie Rogness (La Crescent), Light the Fire

1080 - Ginger Giddings (Apple Valley), The Effect of Betulinic Acid on Strawberry Mold Growth

1085 - Elizabeth Grace Smith (Crookston), What's With all These Dyes?

1112 - Emily Brenner (St. Paul), The ph of rain versus snow

1131 - Annika Bartucz (Rochester), Lift

1136 - David Hovey (Chaska), Coolest Color

1137 - Oskar Helgen (St. Paul), Drains on the Brain: How can we reduce the amount of water and contaminants entering our lakes and rivers through our storm drains, which are increasingly overloaded due to climate change?

1149 - Annika Clift (Carver), Making Paper and Testing Its Durability

1152 - Abby Loney (Fargo), What's the Pointe?

1159 - Emma Dempsey (Bloomington), How to keep our household drain tiles clear! Killing the Ochre!!

1164 - Catriona Formby (Stillwater), Color in the Darkness

1168 - Brennan Glawe (New Ulm), Growing Green on the Red Planet

1178 - Sophie Nolle (Duluth), How Does Coriandrum sativum Affect Lead Concentrated Soil?

1180 - Miret Anchamo Grant (Duluth), Does Coral in Soil Affect the Height, Sprouting and Biomass of Wheatgrass Plants?

1193 - Coolsjes B. Singhvi (Woodbury), What is in a Tone! Sentiment and Emotion Analysis of School Email Communication Using Artificial Intelligence

2026 - Simren Samba & Fiona Kinney (Minneapolis, Edina), A Biomarker for Brain Injury: Analyzing the correlation between concussions and car crashes using eye-tracking technology

2030 - Hubert He (Plymouth), Analysis of Protein Structural Changes Caused by Various Alzheimer’s Disease-associated Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms

2031 - Hemanth Asirvatham (Rochester), Analyzing Long-Term Behavioral Patterns in D. melanogaster Larvae

2040 - Aurora Sauer (Perham), Study of the Effects of Vaccine Preservatives on Cellular Development

2044 - Eric Feng (Centerville), The Time Course of Murine Cardiomyocyte Maturation

2045 - Ishan Nadkarni & Nathan DeMichaelis (Minneapolis), Therapy or Trauma? Examining the Drawbacks of PERK-Knockout as a Potential Treatment for Heart Rhythm Disorders

2050 - Molly Garber (Blaine), What You Knee'd to Know

2051 - Jacob Bridge (Excelsior), An analysis of TRF2 protein involvement in the telomere position effect over long distances

2065 - Sterre Hoogendoorn (Eden Prairie), Creating an algorithm to assist saber referees using biomechanical data

2088 - Tanmay Iyer (Rochester), Prediction Modeling and Longitudinal Trends to Assess for Residential Radon Exposure in Olmsted County

2089 - Abigail Roh & Samantha Detor (Wayzata, Edina), Searching the Shadows: Using shadows in aerial imagery to classify trees by genus for urban tree management, Year II

2096 - Rowan Rock (Cloquet), The use of mealworm guts (Tenebrio molitor) to biodegrade polystyrene

2099 - Richard Xiong (Rochester), Economical and renewable bioethanol production from waste banana peels

2104 - Kyle Ledermann (Remer), Custom Power Solutions: Exploring the efficiencies of a stackable 3-phase brushless motor design

2112 - Laura Johnson (Coon Rapids), Maglev Trains! Efficient or Not?

2122 - Trisha Samba & Amira Sinclair (Edina, Minneapolis), SCOBY-Dooby-Doo, Bioplastics Where Are You?

2123 - George Richards & William Sweeney (Minnetonka, Deephaven), The Polymer Problem: Creating an Accurate Model of Polymers Using Magnetic Polystyrene Microspheres and Lambda DNA

2127 - Maya Choi (Minnetonka), Degradation of Microplastics: The Efficacy of Various Bacteria in Breaking Down Microplastics in the Environment

2135 - Supriya Roy (Rochester), Evaluating the Stability of Resonance in Exoplanet Systems

2138 - Belinda Neset (Plymouth), Lights, Camera, Action! An Evaluation of Low Cost Infrared , UV, and Visible Light Detectors in the Stratosphere

2152 - Anthony Chen (Saint Paul), The Effects of Short Term Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Radiation on Diatom Photosynthetic Productivity

2156 - Pramod Anandarao (Rochester), A Deep Learning Approach for Diagnosing Diabetic Retinopathy Using Retinal Fundus Images

Seagate is pleased to sponsor the State Science and Engineering Fair’s 83rd Year. Our involvement in science fairs is an investment in hands-on science education and is intended to inspire students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). We know that participating in SSEF can be a valuable stepping stone to a future career in these important fields.

SEAGATE AWARDS

The premier sponsor of the Minnesota State Science & Engineering Fair, Seagate Technology, is the global leader in data storage solutions. Seagate develops products that enable people and businesses around the world to create, share, and preserve their most critical memories and business data.

Seagate Excellence in Science Mentoring Awards

These awards recognize two outstanding STEM teachers who find creative ways to nurture students’ interest in scientific research and discovery. These teachers go above and beyond the classroom to promote STEM education in their schools, inspire students to pursue their interests in STEM, and encourage students to engage in hands-on research and exploration. Teachers are nominated by students, parents, and school staff.

Seagate gives two awards – one for a teacher with 1-10 years of experience and another for a teacher with more than 10 years of experience. Award recipients receive a $1,000, a trophy and a Seagate hard drive. Each teacher’s school or science program also receives $1,000.

Mentoring Award (1 - 10 Years of Experience): Dustin Peyton, Bdote Learning Center, Minneapolis

“His love of the students and his ability to instill a sense of wonder into almost any topic has helped students to pursue questions beyond the scope of just the classroom."

—community member

Mentoring Award (10+ Years of Experience): Rawan Hamade, Al-Amal School, Fridley

"Ms. Rawan helps us look at everyday things and explain the science behind it. She sometimes takes us outside and explains the things around us. She’ll recommend science journals to us and show some in class, so that we have some idea of what’s going on in the world. She has always inspired us to be curious about what is going on around us." —student

I am honored to receive the 2020 Seagate Excellence in Science Mentoring Award. I have been accompanying my students to the Minnesota State Science and Engineering Fair for many years now. Year after year I have witnessed the great work that the MN Academy of Science staff and volunteers do, and the amazing effort put forth by Seagate and other organizations in volunteering at such events, and sponsoring them. As a science teacher, I would say that the one thing that excites me more than science is my students' excitement for it. That Seagate, and other organizations, recognize the importance of their passions, and support students and teachers accordingly, is admirable. To my students, it is a privilege to teach you, and I cherish it deeply. To every student in STEM, thank you for sharing your outstanding work. The world is better for it, and you are the stars. —Rawan Hamade

Seagate Rising Star AwardS

These awards recognize two emerging student scientists whose projects not only exemplify excellence in their category but also demonstrate high degrees of difficulty, thoroughness, complexity, creativity, innovation, and effective communication.

In addition to monetary awards, students will receive trophies and Seagate portable hard drives.

High School Rising Star ($2,000): 2084 - Jack Gootzeit (Waconia), Environmentally Friendly Alternatives to Standard Road Salts

“This project — from the topic to the display presentation and full analysis including sideline variables and greater societal concerns — was outstanding.” —SSEF Judge

“Great real world experiment and impact.” —SSEF Judge

Ella Holleran, Northfield Middle School

Middle School Rising Star ($1,500): 1058 - Ella Lynn Holleran (Northfield), WISP - Wearable, Individualized, Sensory Product - A Therapy Tool for Those with Autism & Sensory Processing Challenges

“This project has excellent applications in the real world and it was fantastic to see a student so driven to help individuals in her community.” —SSEF Judge

Seagate Emerging Scientist Awards

These awards recognize excellent STEM research conducted by students competing for the first time. The top 10% of first-year students receive trophies.