POWER OUTAGE
The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts won first place overall for the fifth straight year at the Arkansas State Science and Engineering Fair, and five students earned a trip to this year’s Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.
Liam Johnson, a senior from Pearcy, won third place in the Best in State category and first place in the ISEF qualifying category at the state competition. Johnson finished in fourth place overall at the West Central Regional Science Fair held at ASMSA in February.
The State Science and Engineering Fair was held March 31 and April 1 at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. ASMSA students earned five of the six ISEF qualifying spots for all-expenses-paid trips to the largest international pre-college science com-
petition and program of the Society for Science and the Public.
The school’s other qualifiers were seniors Joe Sartini, of Benton, second place; Taylor Mosely, of Conway, fourth place; Rebecca Parham, of Alma, fifth place; and Tristan Tompkins, of Springdale, sixth place. They will join fellow seniors Martin Boerwinkle, of El Dorado; Carson Cato, of Bryant; and Krishna Patel, of Little Rock, at the international competition. Boerwinkle, Cato and Patel earned all-expenses-paid trips to ISEF by finishing first through third overall, respectively, at the West Central Regional Science Fair.
Eight qualifiers ties the school’s record for most students to qualify in one year. ASMSA sent eight students to ISEF in 2002. This year’s international competition will be held May 14-19 in Los Angeles.
ASMSA students earned 26 individual awards in the State Science and Engineering Fair categories. ASMSA swept the awards for the Computer Science category.
“The ASMSA delegation to the State Science Fair was very strong this year,” said Brian Monson, ASMSA’s Science Department chair, a physics instructor and director of the West Central Regional Science Fair.
“They brought home more first-place awards than any other school in the state and the trophy for the best performing school. This shows the strength of our research-based curriculum at preparing young scientists and engineers.”
The State Science Fair determines the overall winner based on the number of individual category awards earned by schools. The formula to determine how the overall winner was chosen changed in 2013. ASMSA has won the overall award at each State Science Fair since the change.
ASMSA students garnered nine first-place category awards, two second-place, seven thirdplace and eight honorable mentions, as well as 13 special awards. Students also competed in the State Junior Academy of Sciences competition. Competitors discussed their project in a short presentation followed by a short question and answer session.
Sartini won first place and Cato placed third. Sartini’s prize includes an all-expense-paid trip to present at the 2018 National American Junior Academy of Sciences in February. The school’s haul in the Junior Academy competition included nine first-place awards, five second-place and five third-place.
Two ASMSA teachers were also recognized at the Arkansas State Science and Engineering Fair. Nick Seward, a computer science instructor, received the annual teacher appreciation award presented to relatively new and upcoming teachers who send students to the state competition.
Monson received the Dennis Thurman Memorial Award for service to the fair. The Thurman Award is presented to a senior teacher who has been a long supporter of the event.