Durham Regional Science Fair hits record number of projects for 2018

A longstanding spring tradition at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, this year’s Durham Regional Science Fair (DRSF) reached another new record for participation.

Hosted by the university’s Faculty of Science, the DRSF featured 68 projects and more than 70 students from grades 4 to 12 representing more than 25 schools from across Durham Region (in Ajax, Oshawa, Pickering, Whitby and the townships of Brock, Scugog and Uxbridge). More than 350 visitors (family, teachers, media and general public) visited the fair during the public viewing on the afternoon of April 7 to support the young scientists of Durham Region.

The 2018 grand prize winners were Shiv Patel (Junior Division - Grade 8; Alexander Graham Bell Public School, Ajax) and Jordan MacKellar (Junior Division - Grade 7; Trafalgar Castle School, Whitby). Shiv investigated the effectiveness of a variety of food preservatives for his project entitled Natural vs Synthetic Preservatives. Jordan explored the growth of crystals for her project entitled Light It Up! The Effect of UV Light on the Growth of Crystals.

Shiv and Jordan will represent Durham Region at the Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) in Ottawa, Ontario, Saturday, May 12 through Friday, May 18. The CWSF features hundreds of top young scientists who have competed at regional science fairs across Canada.

Quote:

“On behalf of the Durham Regional Science Fair, thanks to all of the judges who gave generously of their time to evaluate the projects, which is increasingly challenging as the quality of the projects improves every year. A big thank-you also goes out to all of the volunteers who helped with the numerous organizational tasks as they arose during the Fair day. Special thanks to Elysabeth Reavell-Roy from Let’s Talk Science who presented a talk on the scientific research occurring at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.” 
- Mary Olaveson, Durham Regional Science Fair Co-ordinator and Associate Teaching Professor, Faculty of Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology

2018 Durham Regional Science Fair award winners

Senior (grades 11 and 12):

• First – Noor Al-Shabboot (Wali ul Asr East Campus, Scarborough)
• Second – Rida Ghani (Northview Heights Secondary School, North York)

Intermediate (grades 9 and 10):

• First – Dhrumil Patel (Pickering High School, Pickering)
• Second – Ammar Faridi (J. Clarke Richardson Collegiate, Ajax)

Junior (grades 7 and 8)

• First – Ayanna Jeyakanthan (Roland Michener P.S., Ajax)
• Second – Shiv Patel (Alexander Graham Bell P.S., Ajax)
• Third – Jordan MacKellar (Trafalgar Castle School, Whitby)
• Honourable Mentions: Aiman Nawaid (Roland Michener P.S., Ajax) and Meeraya Mathur (Trafalgar Castle School, Whitby) 

Elementary (grades 4 to 6)

• First – Calum Forrester (Norman Powers P.S., Oshawa)
• Second – Alisha Faridi (Roland Michener P.S., Ajax)
• Third – Mansha Manivannan and Subega Sivanenthira (Altona Forest P.S., Pickering)
• Honourable Mentions: Baasil Khan (Valley Farm P.S., Pickering), Shampavi Vijayakumar (Roland Michener P.S., Ajax), and Alize Mughal (Roland Michener P.S., Ajax)

Special awards

• Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority (LSRCA) Award – Eric Taipale (Chris Hadfield P.S., Brooklin)
• Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (OACETT) Awards – Elementary: Sayaani Konesapillai (Roland Michener P.S., Ajax); Junior: Brooklin Campbell (Trafalgar Castle School, Whitby) and Aaliya Moola (Sir William Stephenson P.S., Whitby)
• UOIT Innovation Awards – Dhrumil Patel (Pickering High School, Pickering) and Bhaveash Manoraj (Alexander Graham Bell P.S., Ajax)

Acknowledgements

The DRSF would not be possible without the generous support of the university’s Faculty of Science,

Communications and Marketing department, External Relations and Advancement office, Registrar’s office and Sustainability Committee.

Prizes were donated by many Durham Region businesses, including Best Buy, Mastermind Toys, Scholar’s Choice, and Urban Nature, as well as textbook publishers Macmillan and Pearson. The Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) and Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (OACETT) provided special awards.

DRSF 2019

The next DRSF will take place Saturday, April 6, 2019 at the university’s north Oshawa location. All students in grades 4 to 12 in Durham Region are welcome to participate. For additional details, registration and contact information, check out the DRSF website.