MCSF Students win awards at State FFA Competition!

Posted on May 5, 2025 by Registration

Several Mid-Columbia students recently won awards for their research projects at the WA State FFA Agriscience Fair that was held on April 12 in Puyallup. 1st place state winners are eligible to advance to the National Agriscience Fair, which will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana this fall. Best of luck to everyone competing at Nationals!

1st Place (National Qualifiers!)
Amanda Avina Lopez: Division 3 Plant Systems (Eisenhower HS)
Siena Emhoff: Division 5 Power, Structure, and Technology Systems (Eisenhower HS)
Joselyn Meija: Division 5 Animal Systems (Eisenhower HS)
Claire Sheehan: Division 5 Environmental and Natural Resources (Sunnyside HS)

2nd Place
Tamara Cabara Nava – Division 5 Power, Structure, and Technology Systems (Eisenhower HS)
Mercedez Garza: Division 5 Animal Systems (Eisenhower HS)
Emily Holtzinger – Division 5 Environmental and Natural Resources Systems (Eisenhower HS)
Jimena Reyna Cuevas – Division 5 Plant Systems (Eisenhower HS)

3rd Place
Joanna Lopez – Division 5 Environmental and Natural Resources Systems (Eisenhower HS)

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Mid-Columbia Students win Special Awards at the 2025 WSSEF!

Posted on April 22, 2025 by Registration

Congratulations to the following Mid-Columbia students who won Special Awards at the 2025 Washington State Science and Engineering Fair!

High School Special Awards

Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association PNW Chapter Excellence in Technology
Lila Rice

Navy League of the U.S. ~ Bremerton / Olympic Peninsula Council STEM Award
Sydney West

Norman E. Borlaug Excellence in Sustainability Award
Brianna Rios-Aguilar
Jimena Mondragon

Office of Naval Research ~ Naval Science Award
Sydney West

Ohio Wesleyen University ~ Outstanding Achievement in Science Scholarship
Isabella Pinto
Sonali Santhosh

Sigma Xi Award
Sydney West

U.S. Army Awards for Outstanding STEM Accomplishments
Sydney West

U.S. Metric Association Award
Isabella Pinto

Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture ~ Washington State University Scholarship
Isabella Pinto

Washington State Dental Association ~ Oral Health Award
Rohan Nune

Water Environment Federation Stockholm Junior Water Prize
Brisa Longoria-Sosa
Yadira Garibay
Zagidh Ruelas

Middle School Special Awards

Margaret I. Lugg Young Explorer Award
Samuel Wang

Museum of Flight ~ ‘Sights of Flight’ Award
Sophia Samaan

Navy League of the U.S. ~ Bremerton / Olympic Peninsula Council STEM Award
Samuel Wang

Office of Naval Research (ONR) ~ Junior Division
Samuel Wang

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Mid-Columbia Students 1st Place and Grand Champion Awards at WSSEF!

Posted on April 18, 2025 by Registration

Several Mid-Columbia students presented their projects at the Washington State Science and Engineering Fair March 28-29, 2025.

Isabella Pinto, from Hanford HS, was named WSSEF’s Silver Grand Champion, winning an all-expenses paid trip to present her project at ISEF!

Samuel Wang, from Enterprise MS, won the overall Best of Grade 8 Award!

Congratulations to the following students who won 1st place awards for their work:

High School

AashritaBhamidimarri11An AI Based Personalized Allergy
Alert System
DayanaraBracamontes10How does the amount of sugars vary in fallen leaves?
LeonardoCampos9How do environmental factors affect the physiology of crickets?
PrayronaChoudhury10AquaLink -Determining Freshwater Species Abundance Using the Multiscale Convergence of Chemical and Biological Processes
AngelJoshi11From Mutation to Malignancy: Informatic Investigation of Glioblastoma Protein Alterations
EthanLopez10What are the effects of mulch on different types of soil?
JimenaMondragon11Can fruit extracts from field waste be used to create a low-cost biofertilizer?
AdvaithaMotkuri12ASDetect: Detecting Early Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder Using AI-Based Facial Recognition Techniques
RohanNune9Bridging Health: Revealing the Connection Between Periodontal Disease and Diabetes
IsabellaPinto12How a High-Temperature Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage System Can Be Implemented in Vehicles as an Exceptionally Eco-Friendly Power Supply
SonaliSanthosh11Cracking the Seizure Code:​ A Deep Learning Approach to Neonatal Seizure Detection Utilizing Hybrid Architecture for Multi-Scale EEG Analysis
AaravShrivastava9Applying Deep Learning for Wildfire Identification: Economical and Accessible Solutions Leveraging Small Datasets
SydneyWest12The Design and Engineering of an Intelligent Remotely Operated Vehicle for Coral Reef Research and Monitoring

Middle School

ChloeCustodio8Creating a Fish Trap Structure to Capture Microplastics
SophiaSamaan7Wind Turbine Efficiency: How Does Shape and Angle of Wings Yield Maximum Power in Producing Green Hydrogen?
SamuelWang8Sonic Fire Suppression: Multimodal Acoustic Frequency Modulation and Fire Dynamics Analysis
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2025 Fair Photos

Posted on March 19, 2025 by Registration

Fair day and Awards ceremony photos are now available – click the following links to view and download pictures from the 70th Mid-Columbia Regional Science and Engineering Fair.

Fair Day Photos

Awards Ceremony Photos

Thank you to our photographers: Vaithi Shutthanandan, Daylin Olsen, Preston Oakes, Brian Palmer, Joyce Stark, and Jeff Brown.

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2025 Fair Awards

Posted on March 16, 2025 by Registration

Thank you to all the students who presented their research projects at this year’s fair! The list of MCSF Fair Awards and Special Awards is now posted at: https://midcolumbiasciencefair.org/2025-awards/. Congratulations to all the award winners! Thank you to MCSF’s many sponsors who make these awards possible!

If you received an award, please send a thank you note – addresses were included in the information sent to each school. If you don’t know where to send your letter, you can mail it c/o MCSF Association, 2530 Albemarle Ct., Richland WA 99354

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Awards Ceremony is Saturday, March 15

Posted on March 14, 2025 by Registration

The MCSF Awards Ceremony is Saturday March 15 from 1-4:30pm at the Chief Joseph MS Auditorium. The school is located at 504 Wilson St. in Richland. The year’s speaker is Dr. Manoj Karkee, from WSU – Prosser. His talk is titled “AI and Robotics for Specialty Crops”.

Students – remembers to wear the second name tag that you received yesterday.  

We hope you can join us to learn who has won awards at this year’s fair!

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Washington State Science and Engineering Fair (WSSEF)

Posted on March 10, 2025 by Registration

Students – you now have a new milestone on your STEM Wizard Dashboard – the “Promotion to WSSEF” milestone is how you let us know that you want to also participate in the Washington State Science and Engineering Fair (WSSEF).  Students who answer “yes” in this milestone will have their projects electronically promoted to WSSEF after the Mid-Columbia fair is done.

Here’s more information about WSSEF:

Competing at the Washington State Science and Engineering Fair
The 2025 WSSEF dates are:
Grades 1-8: March 28, 2025
Grades 9-12: March 29, 2025
See the full schedule at: http://wssef.org/

WSSEF is held in-person at Bremerton High School, Bremerton WA 
There is a $30 fee to participate.

Mid-Columbia Science and Engineering Fair Students who want to also present their project at the Washington State Science and Engineering Fair (WSSEF) must answer “yes” inside the “Promotion to WSSEF” milestone by 9pm on Tuesday, March 11. All students with eligible projects who fully participate in the Mid-Columbia Science and Engineering Fair can also compete at WSSEF. Once the Mid-Columbia Fair is complete, the fair director will electronically promote projects to the WSSEF STEM Wizard site. This will send your Research Plan, Forms, and Abstract directly to the WSSEF STEM Wizard site. DO NOT directly register on the WSSEF site, your project must be promoted from the Mid-Columbia Science and Engineering Fair. 

Once your project has been promoted from the Mid-Columbia Fair, you will receive an email from WSSEF which will give you further instructions on completing your WSSEF registration and paying your registration fees. Logging in to your student account after it has been uploaded to WSSEF will show “Washington State Science and Engineering Fair” at the top of the page. Contact registration@midcolumbiasciencefair.org with any questions about promoting your project to WSSEF.

After your project has been promoted, you must log into your account at: https://wssef.stemwizard.com and complete the following items by the stated deadline. NOTE: There is very short time this year between the Mid-Columbia Fair and WSSEF – please complete these items promptly once your project has been promoted!

Deadline: March 15, 2025 at 11:55 PM.
1. Pay the WSSEF Entry Fee by March 15, 2025. WSSEF Entry Fees are separate from any Regional Fair Entry Fees. You are responsible for paying the entry fee or checking with your school, fair or organization to make sure they have arranged for payment.
2. All WSSEF milestones must be completed including the “Additional Information” Milestone.
3. Optional Research Paper for Grade 9 – 12 can be submitted if desired
4. Any category changes can be requested from the WSSEF Registration Team. Send an email to registration@wssef.org with your request. If approved, the WSSEF Registration Team will contact you by email.

You can learn more about WSSEF at their website: https://wssef.org/

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2025 Fair Day Information

Posted on March 10, 2025 by Registration

Fair Day is almost here!  We look forward to seeing your projects on Thursday, March 13, at the CIC Building at WSU Tri-Cities.  See the schedules and maps page for maps and driving directions to the CIC Building at WSU. Here is some information about the fair:

  • Student Check-In is between 8-9am.  Projects need to be set up by 9am.
  • Enter through the main entrance for the CIC Building.
  • The project entry fee is $5.  If students are paying this individually at check-in, please bring exact change or a check made out to “Mid-Columbia Science Fair”.
  • Students will receive two nametags when they check in.  One needs to be worn for judging.  The second is for the student to wear at the awards ceremony on Saturday.
  • Each student will be interviewed by at least 3 judges.  Students should prepare a 3-5 minute talk about their project, then be ready to answer questions from their judges.  The judges are excited to learn about your projects!
  • Review the project display rules at: https://midcolumbiasciencefair.org/project-display-information/
  • Students with Informed Consent forms for their project should bring those to the fair so they can be reviewed by the SRC.
  • Students who completed 1C Forms (Regulated Research in an Institutional/Industrial Setting) should bring those to the fair.
  • Bring a book or homework to work on during any down time.
  • Lunch breaks will be staggered by division to reduce crowding.  You’ll receive this schedule at registration. Students can purchase lunch from the Food Trucks (tacos and hot dogs) that will be outside the CIC or bring food from home/school.
  • The awards ceremony will be on Saturday, March 15, from 1-4:30pm at Chief Joseph Middle School (504 Wilson St., Richland).
  • Project displays should remain up until 5 pm on Thursday, then be removed from WSU between 5-7pm.
  • Please email registration@midcolumbiasciencefair.org if you have any other questions.  See you at the fair!
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Project Display DOs and DONT’S

Posted on March 6, 2025 by Registration

We look forward to seeing your projects at the Mid-Columbia Science and Engineering Fair on Thursday, March 13.  Projects need to be checked in and set up at the CIC Building at WSU Tri-Cities between 8-9am.  Judge interviews begin at 9am.  See maps, driving directions, and the full fair schedule at: our schedules and maps page.

Projects need to be set up by 9am and remain on display until 5pm

  • Middle School Judge Interviews from 9am-2pm
  • High School Judge Interviews from 9am-4pm
  • Lunch breaks will be staggered between 11am-1pm – El Taccoriendo and Doggie Style Gourmet will be outside the CIC building with food for purchase!
  • Public Viewing of Projects: 2pm-5pm
  • Projects Need to be removed between 5-7pm.  Contact registration@midcolumbiasciencefair.org if you need to make alternate arrangements for project pick-up 

Judge Interviews – During the fair, everyone will have the chance to explain their project to at least 3 judges.  The Judges are local STEM professionals who are excited to hear about your work!  We suggest that you prepare a 3-5 minute explanation of your project.  The Judges will also ask you questions to learn more about your project.

We have a couple of reminders as you work on your projects for the fair:

Abstract and Project Board PDF/picture Milestones – these milestones inside STEM Wizard are due by 9pm on Monday, March 10.  These will be used for the judging of some Special Awards.  You can upload a picture of your Project Board or a PDF printout of the files used to make your display.

Display and Safety Review –  The Scientific Review Committee (SRC) will be checking display boards, reports / lab notebooks / journals during judging to ensure they follow the rules on the Project Display Information page.  The SRC will inspect projects and remove or tape over any items that are not to be displayed on your project.  These items can be picked up after judging at the Special Awards Table.  A sticker will be placed by your project if it is approved.

  • Projects with human participants need to bring their informed consent forms to the fair
  • Projects with 1C Forms need to bring these to the fair

Project Display DOs and DON’Ts:

1. DON’T Display the following:

  • containers of water/ chemicals/ any other liquids.
  • plants, animals, soil, food
  • petri dishes with bacteria, containers with soil, baggies with mold, lab equipment
  • containers with residues from experiments, explosives, corroded metals or batteries
  • flames or sharp objects

     DO Use photos of the above items instead

2. DO Focus on the hands of the student working on the experiment if you want to include pictures of the student experimenter.
     DON’T include photos with peoples’ faces on your display. 

3. DO Include credit lines: photo taken by student… or image from …  
DON’T Forget to credit photos and images.

4.  DO Plan on alternatives for the use of electricity.
     DON’T Plan on electrical outlets. They are not provided.  

5. DO make sure your display board can explain your project on its own.  
     DON’T include active internet connections in your display. 

6. DO Place names on back of display boards and on the inside of binders, journals and reports.
DON’T Write your name, school or other institutions on the front of display, binder, report or journal.

7.  DO Put acknowledgments in your report
 DON’T make references to mentors, social media, QR codes, contact information or display ribbons or awards from other fairs on your display.

8. DO Post abstract on your display board.
     DON’T Forget your abstract. 

9. DO Focus on the results and conclusion of your experiment on the display board.  
     DON’T Distribute give-away items such as printed paper info about your project or food samples

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Fair Updates and Upcoming Deadlines

Posted on February 26, 2025 by Registration

Here’s some important information about this year’s fair and reminders of upcoming deadlines:

We have a NEW LOCATION THIS YEAR!  The 2025 fair will be held in the CIC Building at WSU Tri-Cities (2770 Crimson Way, Richland WA).  Please see the schedules and maps page  for maps and driving directions.  

Lunch Options: Two food trucks (El Tacoriendo and Doggie Style Gourmet) will have food available for purchase just outside the CIC building during the lunch break.  Item prices range from $3 to $15.  There is a vending machine available in the CIC building.  Students may also bring their own lunch.

Project Display Information: As you prepare for the fair, please read through the rules for your project display: https://midcolumbiasciencefair.org/project-display-information/  Your project board should fully explain your project on its own – no active internet or email connections are allowed as part of your project display.

Fair Schedule:  See the full fair schedule at: https://midcolumbiasciencefair.org/students/schedule/  Projects need to be checked in and set up at the CIC Building at WSU Tri-Cities between 8-9am.  Judge interviews begin at 9am. 

  • Projects need to be set up by 9am and remain on display until 5pm
  • Middle School Judge Interviews are from 9am-2pm
  • High School Judge Interviews are from 9am-4pm
  • Public Viewing of Projects: 2pm-5pm
  • Projects Need to be removed between 5-7pm.  Contact registration@midcolumbiasciencefair.org if you need to make alternate arrangements for project pick-up 
  • Lunch breaks will be staggered between 11am-1pm.  You’ll receive this schedule at registration.

Upcoming Deadlines:

1) Research Plan and Form Corrections are due by 9pm March 4: The SRC is working to review your projects.  You can check on your project’s approval inside STEM Wizard – milestones turn green with a checkmark once they are approved.  The SRC is sending messages to students who need to make research plan corrections before their research plan can be approved.  Students can view these messages inside STEM Wizard and through the email address they registered in STEM Wizard. Be sure to click the blue SAVE RESEARCH PLAN button after you have made any corrections to your Research Plan.   

The SRC and IRB are also working on approving forms and sending messages about items that need to be corrected before the forms can be approved.  If you get a message that a form was rejected – DON’T PANIC!  A “rejected” form means you need to make corrections to the form – forms will be approved once you make these corrections!  Please make these corrections promptly.  Let us know if you have any questions or need help uploading forms.  You can upload corrected forms into STEM Wizard or email them to “registration@midcolumbiasciencefair.org“.  You can see which forms have been approved inside your STEM Wizard account.

2) Additional Information Milestone due by 9pm March 4: This milestone has some short (mostly yes/no) questions that may qualify your project for certain special awards.

3) Abstract and Project Board PDF (Picture) Milestones due by 9pm March 10:  The Project Board PDF milestone is for you to upload a picture of your project board.  This should be a picture of ONLY your board – you should NOT be in the picture.  These will be used for judging some Special Awards.

Good luck with your projects!  Let us know if you have any questions.

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