The State Science and Engineering Fair (SSEF) of Florida is a three-day display of science project exhibits prepared by aspiring scientists and engineers in grades 6-12. Every year, more than 900 finalists display projects, illustrating their research in competition for awards.
Last week, ten students represented the School District of Manatee County (SDMC) at the State Science and Engineering Fair in Lakeland, Florida (April 4-6, 2023). Five middle school students and five high school students were chosen in February during the SDMC STEM Competition at Manatee Technical College.
According to officials, competing at the state level equates to being in the top 0.004% of all students in their age group in the state of Florida. This is a huge honor and all of them share this success.
Six of the ten Manatee County students crossed the stage at the State Science and Engineering Fair Awards Ceremony to receive recognition for their research skills and quality projects.
Here are the winners:
Erick Enriquez-Vega – Southeast High School
University of Central Florida Pegasus Gold Scholarship
A scholarship of $14,000 is given to only 5 SSEF 12th grade students.
Shalalai Elswick – Manatee High School
Broward Regional Science and Engineering Fair Award
Cash award for research demonstrating outstanding scientific and creative thinking.
Drake Trombetta – Braden River Middle School
Florida Museum of Natural History Award
Cash award for projects demonstrating outstanding research in the biological sciences.
Caitlyn Cooke – Southeast High School
Florida Society of Environmental Analysts Award
Cash award for high school projects in the Environmental Sciences with research related to water, wastewater, soil, and/or air quality.
Malachi Summer – Martha B. King Middle School
Recognition in Category Microbiology
Kinley McCaw – Dr. Mona Jain Middle School
4th Place in Category Animal Sciences
Other scholars who represented Manatee County include: Amy Lu and John Gerber from Manatee High School; Erick Enriquez-Vega from Southeast High School; Riley Dotson from Braden River Middle School; and Miles Revis from Dr. Mona Jain Middle School.
Students who attended SSEF also enjoyed a trip to Busch Gardens.
These students can be very proud of their achievements last week and a special thank you goes to the parents and teachers of these students for their continued support and dedication to championing independent scientific research. This prestigious program is changing the lives of students each year and the School District of Manatee County is proud to foster the ingenuity and curiosity of its students.
In this spirit, the District has partnered with the Headwaters Science Institute to give students experience in ecology-based field studies and scientific research, in addition to supporting the development of a STEM Fair project. A Science Research Camp is scheduled for June 26-29, 2023, at Palmetto High School. This is a fabulous opportunity for rising 8th, 9th, and 10th graders, who would like to further their research skills and abilities.
Interested students can apply to the summer camp via the link below:
https://forms.office.com/r/4f2ucQeQ0J
Further information is available via the link below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Iu57l_xmZVoPF8y6WAzvPFgaoG0I0Apt/view?usp=sharing
Students who attended SSEF also enjoyed a trip to Busch Gardens.
Special thanks to Jennifer McManis, STEM Coordinator, and Brittany Devlin, Science Teacher, for sharing this Good News!