Over 100 Sophomore Researchers Display Projects at Science Fair

At the award ceremony, 20 research students took home trophies celebrating their achievements. Photo: Glenn Elert

By GAUTAM SAJI and ZONGLE YANG

The annex was alive with excitement as the Science Fair returned on May 23 in grand scale, welcoming over 100 sophomore research students displaying their projects, plus dozens of junior and senior judges and visitors who were there to assess the work of their younger peers.

“It was an exciting fair, as it was the first time since the pandemic started that we could have a lot of judges and many alumni,” said Ms. Stacy Goldstein, a long-time organizer and current research teacher. “The Science Fair is a very important event because it highlights the hard work, ingenuity, and creativity of the science students at Midwood.”

There were a wide variety of projects at the fair, with many focused on solving real-world problems. From innovative approaches to improving water quality, to research on renewable energy, the sophomore participants demonstrated a clear understanding of critical issues the world is facing today. Sustainability, environmental science, and energy efficiency were particularly prominent, reflecting the students’ awareness of the need for greener solutions to modern challenges.

“Initially, I had some trouble deciding the topic for my project,” said Vivian Li, one of the first place winners. “But as I looked around, I noticed a lot of people doing environment and climate related topics. As I did more research on this, I ended up on acid rocks.”

This year’s first place winners also included Akash Van Koert and Alexandra Rakhovski, who conducted research on how various environments, such as a fridge or a cardboard box, can impact bacterial growth on strawberries. 

“I spent a lot of time on [the project],” said Koert. “[Winning] is a really good feeling.”

Two teams tied for second place: Aziza Ziyadulloeva and Kathy Liang for their research on “Water Quality on Marine Life” and Han Xin Ou Yang and Abril Flores for their project “The investigation of amylase enzyme digestion time on the production of reduced sugar in various fruits and vegetables.”

“We wanted to find out which of the various fruits and vegetables would give the best feelings of satisfaction and fullness,” Ou Yang said. “We accomplished this by mixing the various groups with amylase enzyme powder. By adding iodine, we were able to identify the starch breakdown, and by pouring the mixture into Benedict’s solution, we could find the final colors of the mixture, which can present key information on the estimated sugar content in each group.” 

Ziyadulloeva of the other second place team said, “Through back and forth brainstorming about our project, we landed on a combination of ideas. Our main objective was to inform others about the importance of the health of the water that surrounds us.”

“Many people tend to overlook that, particularly here in New York, leading to neglect that harms aquatic ecosystems,”  Ziyadulloeva added. “That’s what we wanted to address with our project.”

Third place was awarded to Meerab Chishty and Mariam Gvasalia for their project “Investigating the Effect of Sucrose and Glucose on Tooth Enamel Decay.”

The structure of the fair is designed to encourage both academic growth and peer mentorship. The upperclassmen judges move from one project board to another, listening to presentations, asking questions, evaluating students’ research, and providing constructive feedback. The event helps prepare the sophomores for their junior and senior years, where they have to conduct individual research, often with a mentor, and present their findings in a consortium.

For many sophomores, this was their first time presenting in front of an audience, and some were nervous. Despite some setbacks, the young researchers showed great promise. Many of the judges remarked on how well-prepared the students were and how passionately they explained their findings.

“I really liked one of the projects I judged, which used coding and data to simulate something to do with solar power,” said Eric Lau ‘25. “The research students worked hard and were passionate about their work.”

Judge Aaron Deng ‘25 echoed this sentiment. “I think the Science Fair was great overall, and it definitely got better compared to last year,” he said.

The fair’s format not only provided an opportunity for the sophomores to showcase their hard work, it also allowed the juniors and seniors to develop their leadership and critical evaluation skills.

As Midwood continues to nurture its young researchers, this year’s fair stood as a reminder of the talent and potential within the student body. The future looks bright for these aspiring scientists, many of whom are already tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges with their research.