Students Excel in Winning Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair Recognition

Students from across Connecticut won awards at the 70^thConnecticut Science & Engineering Fair (CSEF) held this past weekend at Quinnipiac University.  Students were recognized for their achievement and innovation in a half dozen categories, including physical science, life science, biotechnology, and engineering.  Individual and team awards were presented, for grades 9-12 and grades 7-8.  There was also an Urban School Challenge category. The individual high school physical and life science first and second place winners, as well as the Alexion Biotechnology, CASE Urban School Challenge, and UTC Aerospace Engineering winners are packing their project boards to compete at the prestigious Intel International Science & Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF), to be held this week in Pittsburgh, PA.

Other CSEF winners will represent Connecticut and compete for cash and scholarships at other competitions, including the 2018 GENIUS Olympiad and the 2018 Broadcom MASTERS competition.

The Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair is a yearly, statewide science and engineering fair open to all students in grades 7-12 residing, or enrolled, in Connecticut and Fishers Island schools.

The primary objective of the fair is to attract young people to careers in mathematics, science, and engineering while developing critical thinking and public speaking skills. Through their participation in the fair, students are encouraged to pursue independent work using proper research methods.

The fair is supported by academic and industrial organizations through the state. The non-profit Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair is a volunteer organization fund that directs funds toward student awards, educational presentations, fair operations, and workshops.

Students from Bethany, Danbury, East Lyme, Greenwich, New Haven, West Hartford, Wilton, and Windsor earned top prizes at the 2018 event.

Individual winners in Grades 9-12 include:

Physical Science – Maya Geradi, Wilbur Cross High School, New Haven

Life Science – Emily Philippides, Greenwich High School

Biotechnology – Shobhita Sundaram, Greenwich High School

Engineering – Keshav Vedula, CREC Academy of Aerospace & Engineering High School, Windsor

Individual winners at the middle school level include:

Physical Science - Khushi Parikh, Westside Middle School Academy, Danbury (Grade 8)

Varun Vadhera, Middlebrook School, Wilton (Grade 7)

Life Sciences - Grace Flynn, St. Timothy Middle School, West Hartford (Grade 8)

Athena Brown, Worthington Hooker Middle School, New Haven (Grade 7)

Biotechnology - Paloma Lenz, Westside Middle School Academy, Danbury

Engineering - Timothy Chen, Westside Middle School Academy, Danbury

See the full list of winners here.