2005 New Mexico Science and Engineering Fair

by Kathleen Hedges

SOCORRO, N.M., April 9, 2005 – Students from Albuquerque, Los Lunas, and Las Cruces were named top winners at the 53rd Annual New Mexico Science and Engineering Fair.

Six senior division grand award winners will attend the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Ariz., on May 8-14. The grand award winners were chosen from among more than 500 middle school and high school student-scholars from throughout the state. All of the students in the state-wide competition had qualified by placing in one of six previously held regional science and engineering fairs.

The state-wide science fair is held every year on the campus of New Mexico Tech, the state's leading science and engineering university. Student exhibitors compete for more than $100,000 in awards. New Mexico Tech has been hosting the New Mexico Science and Engineering Fair since the science fair’s inception in 1953.

Grand Award winners are:

• Daniel C. Appel, Eldorado High School, Albuquerque. Exhibit: "Enzymatic Electrodes for Biofuel."
• Susannah L. Clary, Los Lunas High School, Los Lunas. Exhibit: "A Statistical Comparison of a New Morphological Characteristic of Male and Female Kokanees."
• Aditya K. Denduluri, St. Pius X High School, Albuquerque. Exhibit: "The Role of Arp8, a Chromatin Remodeling Protein, in DNA Repair and its Implications to Cancer."
• Laura M. Glass, Albuquerque High School, Albuquerque. Exhibit: "Modeling the Spread of Infectious Disease: Phase Two."
• Kyle N. Jaffa, Sandia High School, Albuquerque. Exhibit: "Scorched Earth-Toxic Water: An Investigation of Atmospheric Mercury Deposition and Wildfires."
• Ammad S. Manshad, Las Cruces High School, Las Cruces. Exhibit: "Braille-Accessible Learning System: A Distance-Learning Approach."

In addition, two students in the Junior Division (grades 6 through 9) won Grand Awards. They will receive a scientific calculator donated by The Braun Company (Socorro's Radio Shack dealer) and the New Mexico Tech Bookstore, a $100 cash award, and a subscription to Science News. They are:

• Katherine M. Sinclair, Our Lady of Annunciation, Albuquerque. Exhibit: "Good Vibrations."
• Katie Grandle, Sierra Middle School, Las Cruces. Exhibit: "Pungent pH."

A complete list of all winners (listed by city) is available at :http://infohost.nmt.edu/mainpage/news/2005/2005SFWinnerscity.pdf

The same complete list, organized alphabetically by winners' last names, is at http://infohost.nmt.edu/mainpage/news/2005/2005SFWinnersalpha.pdf

For more information, contact Kim Eiland at 505-835-5158.

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