CB West Spotlight
April 8, 2019
STEM Research
On behalf of the CB West STEM Research Club under the direction of Mr. Mark Hayden, we are very pleased to share exciting results from the club’s most recent competition. Thirteen students earned awards at the prestigious Delaware Valley Science Fair (DVSF), one of the premier STEM competitions in the Northeast United States. Seven of the students earned first place awards, an unprecedented success for our club. This means that they were identified as the very best project in their respective category for their grade level out of all participating students in the entire state of Delaware, the lower-half of New Jersey, and all of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Congratulations to all award winners and much thanks to Mr. Hayden for his leadership and guidance of these students. All winners will be recognized by the CBSD Board of Directors on Tuesday, June 11.
FIRST PLACE HIGHLIGHTS
Grace Enright
Screening a Natural Products Library for Listeria Growth Inhibitors
Grace analyzed thousands of substances to search for potential natural alternatives to existing antibiotics.
Microbiology- Grade 12
Mentor: Dr. Matthew Todd, PA Biotechnology Center
Saikrishna Manojkumar
Understanding How Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Affects Phytoremediation of Lead in the Environment
Sai monitored the remediation of lead-contaminated soil using plants with and without fungi.
Environmental Science- Grade 11
Mentor: Dr. Adrienne Kleintop, Delaware Valley University
Nathan Nazareth
Environmentally Efficient Method of De-icing Railroads Using Biomimicry
Nathan sought to replicate a pattern found within the eye of a mosquito in order to exploit that pattern’s ability to prevent ice formation on railroad tracks.
Engineering- Grade 11
Mentor: Mr. Jonathan Taylor, Central Bucks High School West
Minseo Oh
Creating Fractals and Determining the Hausdorff Dimensions
Minseo generated shapes that resulted in fractals and proved that the Hausdorff dimension could not be used to identify natural objects.
Mathematics- Grade 10
Francis Peng
Relating Combinatoric Identities with Logical Inspection
Francis explored combinatorial identities using committee forming logic and attempted to categorize them based on certain criteria.
Mathematics- Grade 11
Cassidy Pitts
Bioremediation of Bitumen with Naturally Present Bacteria
Cassidy attempted to isolate bacteria in the environment that are capable of consuming bitumen, a component of tar sands.
Environmental Science- Grade 12
Mentor: Dr. Cynthia Keler, Delaware Valley University
Gabriel Wingert
The Effect of Different Metal Alloy Thin Films on the Thermal Conductivity of Germanium, Calcium, and Manganese
Gabe analyzed thin films made from atoms sprayed on top of substrates at a thickness of only several atoms.
Chemistry- Grade 12
Mentor: Dr. Steven May, Drexel University
ALL CB WEST STEM RESEARCH CLUB WINNERS
Many of these projects would not be possible without the steadfast support of mentors:
(*At least 5-years of mentorship for our STEM Research Club)
- Dr. Rebecca Bourgault, Delaware Valley University
- Dr. Cynthia Keler, Delaware Valley University*
- Dr. Adrienne Kleintop, Delaware Valley University
- Dr. Melissa Langston, Delaware Valley University
- Dr. John Kulp, PA Biotechnology Center*
- Dr. Steven May, Drexel University*
- Ms. Alison Stone, Central Bucks High School West
- Mr. Jonathan Taylor, Central Bucks High School West*
- Dr. Roshan Thapa, PA Biotechnology Center
- Dr. Matthew Todd, PA Biotechnology Center
This year our club nearly doubled in size, and it would not have been possible without the continued support from:
- Mr. Brian Hensel, Adviser
- Dr. Gerard Michaud, Consultant
- Ms. Leanne Jarrossy, Consultant
- Mr. Jonathan Taylor, Consultant
Congratulations and thank you for being West Proud#
CB West High School
Website: www.cbsd.org
Location: 375 W. Court Street, Doylestown, PA, United States
Phone: 267-893-2500
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cbschools
Twitter: @CBWestHS