Please note that not every grade or category has a place winner at every level (sometimes no First Place).

If you have been selected for the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (JIC) (formerly Broadcom MASTERS) or the California Science and Engineering Fair (CSEF), you will receive an email from SMCOE as well as those fairs with instructions for attending.

SMCOE STEM Fair award ribbons and Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge certificates will be sent directly to the schools.

Results

Below are the award winners of the 2023 STEM Fair. Individual students will be emailed with instructions on how to proceed to other fairs if they are eligible.

Student(s) Grade School and District Project Title and Category Award(s) CSEF JIC
Samantha Ehrlich
Quintin Muffly
5 Corte Madera
Portola Valley Elementary
Generative Artificial Intelligence
Behavioral Sciences
Second Place
Mirabelle Chao
Bendely Azar
Charles Diggans
5 Arroyo
San Carlos Elementary
Chicken Mind Maze
Behavioral Sciences
First Place
Justin Tha
Ansel Ma
5 Arroyo
San Carlos Elementary
What is the most popular social media platform and content among 4th and 5th graders
Behavioral Sciences
Honorable Mention
Natalie Yue 5 Arroyo
San Carlos Elementary
Effect of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate in Toothpaste on Mouth Sores
Biological Systems
First Place
Peter McLaughlin 5 Episcopal Day School of San Mateo Ban Bacteria
Biological Systems
Second Place
Emma Gregory 5 Episcopal Day School of San Mateo Do Plants Affect Fish?
Biological Systems
Honorable Mention
Ronav Bhattacharjee 5 La Entrada Middle
Las Lomitas Elementary
How to turn salt water into fresh water ?
Chemistry
Second Place
Katherine Roberts 5 Arroyo
San Carlos Elementary
Does the Butter Make it Better?
Chemistry
Honorable Mention
Eloise Ayson
Byanca Pires
Nathalia Lima
5 Margaret Pauline Brown Elementary
Jefferson Elementary
Potato Chips
Chemistry
Second Place
Josephine Song
Victoria Lopez
5 All Souls Catholic Elementary Lava Lamp
Chemistry
First Place
Collin James Dagandan 5 Portola Elementary
San Bruno Park Elementary
Seismic Building Designs: What's the best?
Engineering, Technology and Application of Science
IEEE Special AwardSecond Place
Avi Buxbaum 5 La Entrada Middle
Las Lomitas Elementary
Alleviating Tech Neck
Engineering, Technology and Application of Science
First Place
Hailey Chan 5 Thomas Edison Elementary
Jefferson Elementary
The Robotic Arm
Engineering, Technology and Application of Science
IEEE Special Award
Max Weiss 5 La Entrada Middle
Las Lomitas Elementary
How Smart Is ChatGPT Anyway?
Math and Software
Second Place
Coby Lee 5 Synapse School Motivating People to SavEnergy
Math and Software
First Place
Patrick Dournaee 5 College Park Elementary
San Mateo-Foster City
Sound in the Environment: Noise Pollution
Physics
Honorable Mention
Shakti Vinay
Annalise Kang
5 Mariposa Upper Elementary School
San Carlos Elementary
Does Color Matter
Physics
Second Place
Oscar Kimmell 5 John Muir Elementary
San Bruno Park Elementary
Does Color Affect Solar Oven Temperature?
Physics
First Place
Joey Guo 6 The Nueva School Does Handedness Affect Perception?
Behavioral Sciences
Second Place
Jill Fulton 6 Nativity Catholic School K-8 Friendship and Interests
Behavioral Sciences
IEEE Special AwardFirst Place Alt Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Michael Demchak 6 Good Shepherd Elementary Nightcrawlers
Biological Systems
Honorable Mention
Vera Hsu
Maria Pavlidou
6 Ralston Intermediate
Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary
Are Taller Swimmers Faster
Biological Systems
First Place Alt Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Sophia Narbut
Molly Sikorski
6 Woodside Elementary
Woodside School
Which Environment Best Slows the Rotting Process of Fruits
Biological Systems
Honorable Mention
Arman Zarrin 6 Hilldale School That Yogurt is so Basic
Biological Systems
Second Place
Evan Koo 6 Hilldale School How much fat are you eating?
Chemistry
Honorable Mention
Delainey Guenther 6 Crocker Middle
Hillsborough City Elementary
Interventions to protect hair from chlorine damage
Chemistry
First Place State Eligible Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Naya Sumetanon 6 Ralston Intermediate
Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary
Will Hot or Cold Batteries Fail?
Chemistry
Honorable Mention
Makena Bailey 6 Corte Madera
Portola Valley Elementary
Melting Ice Cream
Chemistry
Second Place
Jackson Ryan 6 Nativity Catholic School K-8 Sustainable Intergalactic Agriculture: A Comparison of Plant Growth in Different Planetary Soils
Earth, Space and Environmental Sciences
Honorable Mention
Ian Reading 6 Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School Hot or Not? Global Warming in a Bottle
Earth, Space and Environmental Sciences
First Place State Eligible Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Yuvan Subbiah 6 Terra Linda Middle School
San Carlos Elementary
Automatic Hamster Feeder and Water Dispenser
Engineering, Technology and Application of Science
Second Place
Abigail Sullivan
Raquel Gould
6 Central Middle
San Carlos Elementary
The GOAT; Grabber Of All Trash
Engineering, Technology and Application of Science
First Place State Eligible Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Laurent Dagenais 6 Nesbit Elementary
Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary
Spinning Super Brush Designing and building a brush that cleans 50 times better than a normal brush
Engineering, Technology and Application of Science
Second Place
Arda Yurek 6 Notre Dame Elementary Electricity Generating Shoes
Engineering, Technology and Application of Science
IEEE Special Award
Gianna Herden 6 Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton Keeping Hot Lunches Hot
Materials Science
Honorable Mention
Vera Li
Lillian Lockyer
6 Burlingame Intermediate
Burlingame Elementary
Which Purifies Water Better? Fabric Filter vs. P&G Purifying Packet
Materials Science
Second Place
Emily Coffee
Henry Van Horn
6 Corte Madera
Portola Valley Elementary
What Water Filters Work the Best?
Materials Science
First Place Alt Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Avi Davidovits 6 Terra Linda Middle School
San Carlos Elementary
What is the Strongest Infill for 3D Printed Objects?
Materials Science
Second Place
Vikram Fox 6 Corte Madera
Portola Valley Elementary
Secret Notes
Math and Software
First Place State Eligible Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Emma Terry 6 Burlingame Intermediate
Burlingame Elementary
Man or Machine? A Study on Distinguishing AI Writing from Human
Math and Software
Second Place
Harrison Blake
Leon Blaine
6 Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School Controlling Magnetism
Physics
Second Place
Lachlan Zhou 6 Sandpiper Elementary
Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary
Terminal Velocity
Physics
Honorable Mention
Derek (Hunter) Eglington 6 Hilldale School Spin-ergy
Physics
First Place State Eligible Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Charlotte Westervelt 7 Woodside Elementary
Woodside School
The Power of Lights
Behavioral Sciences
Honorable Mention
Nektarios Delis 7 St. Matthew Catholic In One Ear and Out the Other
Behavioral Sciences
First Place State Eligible Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Violette Vestner 7 Episcopal Day School of San Mateo Screens
Behavioral Sciences
Second Place
Aliya Fung
McKayla Ramos
7 Taylor Middle
Millbrae Elementary
Dog Saliva vs. Bacteria: Does Dog Saliva Reduce Growth of a Particular Type of Bacteria from Common Areas?
Biological Systems
First Place State Eligible Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Reese Wagner 7 St. Charles Elementary Vitamin C levels in Enzymatic Browning of Apples
Biological Systems
Second Place
Carl Achterkirchen 7 Corte Madera
Portola Valley Elementary
Does Heat and Light Affect the Metamorphosis of Butterflies?
Biological Systems
IEEE Special Award
Olivia Cantieri
Madeleine Miln
7 St. Charles Elementary Tigger Pod Activity Levels Compared to Salinity
Biological Systems
Honorable Mention
Sophie Xie 7 Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton What is a plant's favorite color of light?
Biological Systems
Second Place
Aarav Agrawal 7 All Souls Catholic Elementary
South San Francisco Unified
Curds Whey - How Do Curds Ferment
Chemistry
Honorable Mention
Camille Yung
Reagan Yang
7 Central Middle
San Carlos Elementary
The Scientific Scoop: Making the Best Vanilla Ice Cream
Chemistry
Second Place
Tyler Tan 7 Episcopal Day School of San Mateo Fog City
Chemistry
Honorable Mention
Jonah Hsu 7 North Star Academy
Redwood City Elementary
What's in Your Water?
Chemistry
First Place State Eligible Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Alexa Hengehold 7 Woodside Elementary
Woodside School
Reduce, Reuse, and RECYCLE!
Earth, Space and Environmental Sciences
Honorable Mention
Isabella Schrobsdorff 7 Woodside Elementary
Woodside School
Toxic Tides
Earth, Space and Environmental Sciences
Second Place
Emily Desrosiers 7 Episcopal Day School of San Mateo Bioluminescence and Pollution
Earth, Space and Environmental Sciences
First Place State Eligible Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Darren Tam 7 Burlingame Intermediate
Burlingame Elementary
Blade Runner
Engineering, Technology and Application of Science
Honorable Mention
Elisabeth Schor 7 The Nueva School SpiritSeat
Engineering, Technology and Application of Science
IEEE Special AwardFirst Place State Eligible Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Camilla Khiari 7 Corte Madera
Portola Valley Elementary
The Hermes Project: Testing the Fuel of the Future
Engineering, Technology and Application of Science
Second Place
Samuel Hwang 7 Taylor Middle
Millbrae Elementary
Which Moisturizer Works Best to Keep Skin Moist?
Materials Science
Second Place
Julia Ahn 7 Episcopal Day School of San Mateo
San Mateo-Foster City
Which Metal Conducts Heat the Fastest?
Materials Science
Honorable Mention
Arya Charati
Nanaha Mizoi
7 Sandpiper Elementary
Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary
Shaping Polymorphs
Materials Science
First Place State Eligible Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Brenden Yu 7 Episcopal Day School of San Mateo Best Singing...Where?
Materials Science
Second Place
Alexander Nemychenkov 7 Terra Linda Middle School
San Carlos Elementary
Analyzing NHL teams’ performance in a season, and how it relates to the Stanley Cup championship
Math and Software
First Place State Eligible Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Zeyuan Fang 7 Woodland School PathWays
Math and Software
Second Place
Conor Wall
Kai Cena
7 Woodside Elementary
Woodside School
does wind effect Evaporation
Physics
Honorable Mention
Suhani Bansal 7 Sandpiper Elementary
Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary
The Shocking Truth About Smartphones and Internet Routers
Physics
First Place State Eligible Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Julianne Miller 7 Lipman Middle
Brisbane Elementary
Aerodynamics in Flight
Physics
Second Place
Armaan Mishra 8 Crocker Middle
Hillsborough City Elementary
Humans vs AI: Is Music our Last Shred of Hope?
Behavioral Sciences
Honorable Mention
Anya Jain
Simran Thakur
8 Synapse School Impact of Attention on Visual Working Memory
Behavioral Sciences
Second Place
Alexandra Lu
Arav Ramchandran
8 Synapse School How Sleep Affects Memory
Behavioral Sciences
First Place State Eligible Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Aldrich Jay De Guzman 8 Lipman Middle
Brisbane Elementary
Fast-Paced Gaming and Equally-Fast Adaptations
Behavioral Sciences
Honorable Mention
Violet MacAvoy 8 Crocker Middle
Hillsborough City Elementary
Engineering Heat Resistant Strains of Zooxanthellae Algae with Mutagens to Prevent Coral Bleaching
Biological Systems
Honorable Mention
Jackson Rose
Caroline Walker
8 Synapse School Investigating the Relationship Between Audiovisual Integration and Dyslexia
Biological Systems
Second Place
Camille Chu 8 The Nueva School Identifying Novel Kinase Targets for Approved Drugs Using a Convolutional Neural Network Autoencoder
Biological Systems
First Place State Eligible Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Ela Viswanathan 8 Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton Which Vegetable Has the Most Hydration?
Chemistry
Second Place
Hannah Villareale 8 Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School Distance of Diffusion Through a Solution
Chemistry
Second Place
Giovanna Gasanyan 8 Good Shepherd Elementary Shine Bright Like a... Penny!
Chemistry
Honorable Mention
Simone Fisher 8 Manuel F. Cunha Intermediate
Cabrillo Unified
Best Soil Type For Growing Radishes
Earth, Space and Environmental Sciences
Honorable Mention
Ava Wong-Foy 8 Nativity Catholic School K-8 Which Materials are Best to Clean Up Oil Spills?
Earth, Space and Environmental Sciences
Second Place
Veronica Howard 8 Stanford Online High School Pesticide Residue On Organic Vs Conventional Produce and the Effect of Simple Washing Techniques
Earth, Space and Environmental Sciences
First Place State Eligible Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Dillon Yeh 8 Crocker Middle
Hillsborough City Elementary
Automatic Fish Feeding Mechanism
Engineering, Technology and Application of Science
Second Place
Vesta Kassayan 8 La Entrada Middle
Las Lomitas Elementary
Ultrasonic Identification of Object Direction and Distance with Applications for the Visually Impaired
Engineering, Technology and Application of Science
IEEE Special AwardHonorable Mention
Neethika Vijay 8 Synapse School Car-bionify: Biocomposite car parts
Engineering, Technology and Application of Science
Honorable Mention
Adam Cheong 8 Woodland School Cliffhanger: Dynamic Stability in a Mechanical Mountain Climbing Aid by Design
Engineering, Technology and Application of Science
First Place State Eligible Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Olivia Veroy 8 Hilldale School Don’t Hold Your Breath: How low-cost PM sensors measure up to commercial ones
Engineering, Technology and Application of Science
IEEE Special Award
Jackson Doren 8 Burlingame Intermediate
Burlingame Elementary
Decarbonizing the Concrete Industry: Sustainable & Effective Implementation Methods for Geopolymer Cements
Materials Science
First Place State Eligible Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Evyn Ellis
Nikhil Sivamurthy
8 Corte Madera
Portola Valley Elementary
How Radiation Impacts Metals in Aviation
Materials Science
Second Place
Jasmine Kaur 8 Sandpiper Elementary
Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary
eNutri : Your personal Nutritionist
Math and Software
Second Place
Katheryne Abramenko 8 Manuel F. Cunha Intermediate
Cabrillo Unified
When dealing with small flower datasets, what is the best method to use for transfer learning?
Math and Software
Honorable Mention
Aanya Gupta 8 Stanford Online High School From Ingredients to Inspiration: Using Web Scraping to Find Recipes for Leftover Ingredients
Math and Software
First Place State Eligible Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Connor Leong 8 Crocker Middle
Hillsborough City Elementary
The Brachistochrone
Physics
Honorable Mention
Victoria Murmann 8 Sandpiper Elementary
Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary
Measuring Lift on Airfoils
Physics
First Place State Eligible Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Eligible
Zoe Herman 8 Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School Mass and Motion
Physics
Honorable Mention
Allison Oh 8 Crocker Middle
Hillsborough City Elementary
Do You See What I See?
Physics
Second Place