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Good Hope Science Fair Announces Winners

March 18, 2005 – On Tuesday, nine St. Croix judges from the scientific and technical professions judged the scientific work of 123 Good Hope students in the upper and middle Schools for positions in the INTEL International Science and Engineering Fair. The Good Hope School is the only INTEL-affiliated science fair in the U.S. Virgin Islands. As an affiliated fair, Good Hope participants are eligible for awards from national scientific and mathematic organizations, and will be competing with over 1,300 young scientists from 40 countries in Phoenix, Ariz., in May.
In the Upper School Division, first place went to Paul Jacobs '05 whose original work on "Graph Isomorphic Lattice Paths" proposes a mathematical correlation for complex isomorphic graphs, such as DNA molecules, that would enable research scientists to track "where they are" with extraordinary accuracy. Paul has been accepted at The University of Chicago and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Second Place went to Laura Zimmerman '05 for her project "Natural and Harmful," isolating harmful chemicals that have been reported in the island's own bush tea. She conducted her experiments at the Forensics Institute of Puerto Rico. Laura will be attending West Virginia University's School of Forensic Science next fall.
Third Place honors went to Bobby Thompson '07 and Christian Bracy '10 for their local environmental concern project designing a safe system for constructing bricks from the "red dirt" at the old aluminum refinery.
Honorable Mentions went to Issa Ashwash '05 for his continuing work in redesigning cooling systems for computers; Leah Guthrie '08 for her work in locating the antibacterial properties of several indigenous plants; and to Aaron Gentilucci '06 and Paul Garza '06 for their work determining the comparative strengths of concrete made with glass or rock aggregate.
In the Middle School division First Place went to Julia Julien '09 for "The Nose Knows What the Mouth Tastes," defining the connection between sense of smell and taste; Second Place goes to Josh Brackett '10 for "Cheating in Baseball," comparing the strength and velocity capacity of bats made with different cork inserts; and Third Place goes to Lauren Lewis '09 for "Gone with the Particulates," comparing particulate pollution at various locations on St. Croix. Honorable Mentions went to Ashlee Douglas '10 for comparing crops planted at different phases of the moon; Adrian Blanco '10 for designing a "motorized" fishing tackle rig that is tied into a working treadmill.
The six top honored students will compete in the INTEL International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix. "Participation in the ISEF has significantly raised the bar for the quality of projects at the Good Hope Science Fair. Each year, as the students come back from the International Fair and share their experiences with their peers, they inspire their peers to put greater effort and imagination into their own projects. Each year I continue to be amazed at the quality of their work," observed Jane Coles, science department chair at Good Hope.
Wes Toller from DPNR Division of Fish and Wildlife, Michelle Peterson, a biologist at UVI, Liam Carr from the Virgin Island Marine Advisory Services, Dr. Charles Braslow, physician and Good Hope Trustee, Steve Garner of WIMARCS, Richard Goathe with Technical Services at Hovensa, Dr. Gloria Mendez, and Dr. Lucia MiMeo donated a day of their time to judge these projects.

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