School: Saint Mary Elementary School
Grade: 7
Category: BCHM
Abstract: The title of my science fair project is, “To Drink, or Not to Drink?” This project tests the effect of different sports drinks on a dehydrated cell. I am answering the question, “Which sports drink hydrates your cells the best over a 24 hour time period?” This project was done because I want to find out which sports drink is the best for athletes after workouts when cells are dehydrated. I used eggs, vinegar, honey, water, Powerade, Gatorade, and Redbull. First, I weighed the 4 eggs and recorded the weight. Next, I put the eggs in their own jar and added 1 cup of vinegar to each jar. They sat for 24 hours. This is to remove the shell. Next, I put each egg in 1 cup of honey for 24 hours. This is to dehydrate the egg. Finally, I put each egg in 1 of the sports drinks and left it for 24 hours. Weigh when finished, and calculate the percent increase in weight from after the 24 hours in the honey to after the 24 hours in the sports drink. The results did not support my hypothesis of the Powerade hydrating the cell the best, as the Redbull was the best option. Since the Redbull was the only drink with caffeine, I learned that the caffeine made the cell hydrate the best.
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School: Stonegate Elementary
Grade: 4
Category: EGSD
Abstract: I wanted to find out if water or wind makes more electricity. Fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas make most of our electricity, but they also make carbon dioxide, which is bad for the Earth. Water and wind are clean, renewable energy sources that don't pollute. If we use more clean energy, we won't need as much fossil fuel. My question was: Will a water turbine or wind turbine make more electricity? My hypothesis was that the water turbine would make more electricity. I built a water turbine and a wind turbine. I used the same template and materials to build the turbines. They both had the same number of blades. I used a 15W water pump to make the water flow and a 15W fan to make the wind. Both ran at full speed. The turbines connected to generators using the same pulley system. The only thing I changed was the source—water or wind. I measured each generator’s voltage with a multimeter. My hypothesis was right! The water turbine made more electricity. Both turbines worked by capturing the kinetic energy from the moving water or air and spinning the generator to make electricity. Since water has more mass than air, it has more energy when it moves. The heavier water pushed the turbine blades to spin faster. When the generator spins faster, it makes more electricity. Water power makes more electricity than wind power when both use the same amount of power to start.
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School: Saint Joseph School
Grade: 4
Category: PHYS
Abstract: For the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby, I wanted to find out what shapes and weight placement would give me the fastest car. I believe that the fastest shape of toy vehicle would be the car named "Streamline" and for weight placement, the car with the weight distributed in the back would be the fastest. I took three different cars with different shapes ("Bus", "Streamline", and "Griswold") and raced them down the track to determine which shape would be the fastest. I completed two different heats with three races a piece to allow each car to race within the three different lanes. These cars were different shapes, but I added weights to make sure they were the same weight. I then took three identical cars and placed weights in the front, middle, and back. I completed two different heats with three races a piece to allow each car to race within the three different lanes. For my results, in the "Shapes" race, the overall winner was the car labeled "Streamline". For the "Weights" race, Car #1 (with the weights in the back), won every single race of the two heats. I found that my hypothesis was correct for both the "Shapes" and "Weights" placement in the toy vehicles. When I help my dad cut my own Pinewood Derby car this year, we will make it short in the front and slowly increase in height and place the weights in the rear of the Pinewood Derby car.
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School: Zionsville Middle School
Grade: 5
Category: PHYS
Abstract: To understand why some karate kicks are stronger, I researched how the leg acts like a lever and how kinetic energy works. I learned that speed is the most important factor when determining the strength of a kick because doubling the speed quadruples the energy. The purpose of my project was to find which kick is the most powerful so I can use that information to help me win karate tournaments. My hypothesis was that the rear roundhouse would be the strongest because it uses the most body rotation. To test this, I set up a camera on a tripod and used a tape measure to record how far a kicking bag moved when hit. I performed three trials of each leg for the rear snap, rear roundhouse, and side thrust kicks. The data showed that the rear roundhouse was the strongest, moving the bag an average of 23.17 inches. The side thrust kick averaged 21.42 inches, and the rear snap kick averaged 19.42 inches. These results supported my hypothesis. The roundhouse was the most powerful because it uses the "kinetic linking principle" to coordinate body segments and maximize force. Even though I am left-footed, I was surprised to find my right leg was stronger in two of the three kick types. If I were to do this experiment again, I would have more people from my dojo participate and include other types of kicks.
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School: Frankfort Middle School
Grade: 5
Category: MATS
Abstract: The purpose of this project is to determine which produces the most sliding friction: aluminum foil, plastic wrap, felt, sandpaper, cotton fabric, or printer paper. I predicted sandpaper, cotton fabric, felt, and plastic wrap would produce the most friction because when you feel them, your hand is not sliding much over these surfaces. I think sandpaper will make the most friction because of its texture, which is rough and bumpy. In the same way, I predicted that felt, aluminum foil and paper printer will have the least friction. With those surfaces, your hand slides easily. Those surfaces are slick (if the aluminum foil is flat). The paper is the smoothest, so it should have the least friction. To do this experiment, I got a long wooden board, a protractor, and a heavy weight. For each material, I secured it on top of the board, using tape. Then I put the weight on top of the material. I slowly raised the board until the weight began to slide. When that happened, I stopped moving the board and measured its angle from the table with the protractor. I repeated this process so that each material was tested five times. My results show rougher surfaces produced the most friction, and smoother surfaces produced the least. Sandpaper had the highest friction, and it is the roughest surface I tested. Similarly, printer paper had the lowest friction, and it was the smoothest. In the case of sliding friction, the roughest item creates the most friction.
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School: Tri-State Region Home Schools
Grade: 5
Category: PHYS
Abstract: This project investigated the optimal brightness level for automatically detecting stars in an image from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). In some images from the space telescope, the regions appear dusty and complex, where bright illuminated dust clouds can look like faint stars and can cause counting errors. A computer program tested different brightness levels to identify which setting allows the most accurate automatic detection of stars from dust features. Accurate star counting is essential for scientists to assess star formation activity in nebulae and estimate how long such regions can continue producing new stars before depleting their gas reserves. The results showed the importance of carefully adjusting settings in image-processing programs to get better results when studying space images, especially when handling the large amounts of data that NASA collects.
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School: Marrs Elementary School
Grade: 5
Category: EGSD
Abstract: My project is about airplanes and I wanted to know which type would fly the farthest. I measured how long it was in the air and how far it flew. The final thing I did was make sure I got all of my tests right and found a winner for both types.
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School: Marrs Elementary School
Grade: 5
Category: EGSD
Abstract: My project is about which fishing line is the strongest. Also some of my materials are fishing line, and a bracket. Also all you do is attach the line on the bracket and put weights on the line.
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School: Trailside Elem School
Grade: 4
Category: EAEV
Abstract: In the summertime, blacktop is very hot. My feet would burn when walking from our pool across the asphalt driveway to the bathroom. I wanted to see what color would be cooler to walk on, and then use that color to paint a sidewalk across the asphalt. The goal of this project was to determine what paint color cools the driveway the best. I hypothesized white will be the coolest color because it reflects most of the sun’s rays. This was a 28-day, two part study measuring surface temperature various paint colors. In part 1, two sections of asphalt were painted with 12 different colors. Surface temperatures of each color were measured using an infrared thermometer three times a day for 14 days. For part 2, a white sidewalk was painted across the asphalt, as white was the coolest color from part 1. The temperature of this newly painted sidewalk was measured daily against the asphalt for 14 days. A total of 1036 temperature measurements were taken for my 28-day study. The average surface temperatures were: black asphalt 124.9F, sealant 124.4F, white 111.1F, topiary tint 114.5F, relish 119.0F, reseda green 120.1F, shamrock 123.0F, swimming 113.9F, ebbtide 117.4F, georgian bay 121.4F, grey screen 114.9F, and earl grey 120.7F. White had the greatest temperature reduction of 13.8F. For Part 2, the average temperature of the newly painted sidewalk was 93.3F compared to blacktop at 114.9F, for a temperature difference of 21.6F. White was the most effective color for reducing asphalt surface temperature.
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School: Eastern Hancock Elem School
Grade: 5
Category: BEHA
Abstract: Real or Fake: Identify the AI: The purpose of this study is to see which age group can identify AI images best. I think today's pre-teens and teenagers will know which image is AI because they grew up with social media and AI. I created an AI quiz with 10 AI images, and 10 real images. I surveyed 80 volunteers via e-mail. Volunteers provided age and gender anonymously. Volunteers were asked to identify the AI image. My control was the 10 images and the quiz. My independent variable is the volunteers age, and my dependent variable is the different age groups, and their ability to identify the AI images. I collected my data using Google Forms, to see which age group performed best. I collected my data, using spreadsheets and graphs to find all the averages for each age group. The teen group of 32 volunteers, ages 15-18, had an average score of 6.5 out of 10. The adult group of 32 volunteers, ages 20-49, had an average score of 6.7 out of 10. The senior group had sixteen volunteers, ages 50 plus, with an average score of 6.3 out of 10. Results show the adult group averaged better than the teen group. These findings do not support my hypothesis, and show the adult group averaged the highest. As technology and AI continue to grow, today’s youth would benefit from learning how to identify AI. This is important in maintaining credibility of information and identifying deceptive content.
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School: Ryan Park Elementary School
Grade: 5
Category: CHEM
Abstract: Objective: I chose this Project because I wanted to know why the cakes we enjoy are so delicious and fluffy. I also chose this project because I wanted to explore the effect that baking powder has on baked goods and how it changes their texture and taste. Research Questions: Does adding baking powder to cake batter cause a chemical reaction that helps the cake rise and become fluffy? Does adding more baking powder to cake batter make the cake rise even higher and become fluffier? Hypothesis: Adding baking powder to cake batter causes a chemical reaction that produces carbon dioxide gas, which gets trapped in the batter, resulting in the cake rising and becoming fluffy. Adding more baking powder to the cake batter will the cake rise higher but only up to a certain limit. After that limit, the baking powder will negatively affect the taste, height, and texture of the cake. Materials: Ingredients Control Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Baking Powder (Tbs) 0 ½ 1 2 4 Egg 3 3 3 3 3 Flour (Cup) 3 3 3 3 3 Vanilla powder (Tsp) ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ Sugar (Cup) 1 1 1 1 1 Oil (Cup) 1 1 1 1 1 Milk (Cup) 1 1 1 1 1 Procedure: In my experiment, I used the same ingredients for all five trials, and the only variable was the amount of baking powder used in each trial. The amounts of baking powder were as follows: Experiment Control Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Baking Powder Zero ½ Tbs 1 Tbs 2 Tbs 4 Tbs Making the Cake: My mom preheated the oven to 350F. I mixed the dry ingredients in a bowl, whisked together the flour, baking powder, and salt. I set them aside. In a large bowl, I used a handheld mixer to mix the oil and sugar. I then added the eggs one at a time, mixing them well after each addition. I mixed the vanilla powder. I combined the dry and wet ingredients. I gradually added the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredient mixture, alternating it with milk until the batter was smooth and slightly thick. I poured 1 inch of batter into a 2 inch deep small, clear, glass bowl My mom baked the batter in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. My mom removed the cake from the oven and let them cool for about 10 minutes. I measured the height of each cake using a ruler and a measuring tape. I logged my data into Google Sheets and created a graph to show the effect of baking powder on cake making. Average Cake Heights: I conducted three experiments using the same ingredients and recorded the measurements for each trial, including the control. I calculated the average heights of the cakes from each trial across three experiments. The average heights were as follows: Batter Control Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Experiment 1 (Inch) 1 1.1 2.7 3.3 3.05 2.85 Experiment 2 (Inch) 1 1 2.75 3.20 3 2.75 Experiment 3 (Inch) 1 1.2 2.8 3.25 2.95 2.65 Average height (Inch) 1 1.1 2.75 3.25 3 2.75 Results (Height): The first thing that I measured was the height of the cake. I used a ruler and a measuring tape to measure how tall each baked cake was compared to the raw batter. I made sure to use the same size glass bowls and measuring cups for each. The table below shows the starting height of each batter, the height of each baked cake, and the difference in height between the batter and the finished cake. Control Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Height of batter (Inch) 1 1 1 1 1 Height of baked cake (Inch) 1.1 2.75 3.25 3 2.75 Difference in height (Inch) 0.1 1.75 2.25 2 1.75 Scatter Chart showing height of each baked cake: Column Graph showing height of each baked cake: Results (Fluffiness and Taste): The second thing that I observed was the fluffiness and taste of each trial cake, including the control cake. Control (No Baking Powder): The cake without any baking powder was compacted and it tasted awful. It was almost inedible. Trial 1 (½ Tbs of Baking Powder): This cake was sticky and fluffy at the same time. It was hard to swallow, but it tasted okay. Trial 2 (1 Tbs of Baking Powder): This cake was super fluffy, light, and soft. It tasted absolutely delicious. Trial 3 (2 Tbs of Baking Powder): This cake was still fluffy, but it had a bitter taste and was also a little sticky. Trial 4 (4 Tbs of Baking Powder): This cake was sticky and crumbly, and the middle was almost hollow. The top of the cake was burnt, and it tasted bitter with a weird metallic flavor. Overall, adding little or too much baking powder instead of the amount I used in Trial 2 made the cake taste and feel bad. This is because the baking powder reacts with the batter up to a certain limit. If we add too much baking powder, it can stay in the cake and make it taste bitter and sticky. If we add too little baking powder, the cake will not rise enough and it will become sticky and compact, making it dense and not fun to eat. Conclusion: In this experiment, I learned that baking powder causes a chemical reaction that releases carbon dioxide. This gas forms bubbles that get trapped in the batter, making it inflate and expand. This is what makes the cake fluffy and soft. I also discovered that increasing the amount of baking powder in the cake batter will help it rise higher, but only up to a certain limit. After that limit is reached, the cake will not rise anymore, and the surface may burn while the middle becomes crumbly instead of fluffy. In addition, I learned that adding more baking powder changes the taste of the cake. The more baking powder I added, the more metallic and bitter the cake tasted. I discovered that baking is not just an art, but also a science-based chemical process. This experiment was very beneficial for me because I learned how to use Google Sheets, I learned about the chemistry of carbon dioxide, and I learned how to calculate the average in math terms. Both parts of my hypothesis were supported by the results of these experiments. This science fair project shows how chemical reactions can affect everyday lives.
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School: Carlin Park Elementary School
Grade: 4
Category: CHEM
Abstract: The purpose of this experiment was to determine which potion I could find around the house that cleans tarnished pennies most effectively. I researched this and found out that vinegar with salt should clean pennies best because it is acidic and can dissolve copper oxide which is what makes the pennies look brown. To test this, I soaked 25 total pennies in five different potions. This was five trials with five pennies in each trial. My five potions were Essence of Erosion (vinegar with salt), Sour Serum (lemon juice), Night Bubble Brew (RC Cola), Aqua Purificata (Dawn dish soap & and water), and Phoenix Ember Elixir (ketchup) and I soaked the pennies in them for five minutes. After soaking, I rinsed and dried the pennies and compared their brightness. The results showed that Essence of Erosion (vinegar with salt) cleaned the pennies most effectively. This experiment demonstrates how acids react with copper oxide to remove tarnish.
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School: Butler Elementary School
Grade: 5
Category: EAEV
Abstract: It’s important for people to know about my project because it’s so they know about the different stomata density on sun vs. shade because what if someone doesn’t know about the stomata density on plants leaves.In my procedure so first I labeled 20 cups 10 with shade and 10 with sun,then I put ½ in each cup, next I put 2 seeds in all the cups ¼ deep in each cup,then after that I gave each plant 1 tbsp, next I put 10 cups into the shade and 10 cups into the sun,then repeat giving it ¼ of water for 6 weeks then when I was done I record and measure the stomata density on each plant. The data I collected is all about the stomata density on plants leaves in different locations; some plants grew in the sun and some grew in the shade. My results for the sun was 6 as the average and the shade had 4 as its average. I was correct and my results show that I was correct shade and sun do affect the amount of stomata density sun had more stomata density than shade.I met where my design was I like to think that I could have done more but I did what I could do from it but if I had to do it again I definitely start sooner, water it more, and for sure do a different type of plant.
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School: NIRSEF
Grade: 4
Category: ENEV
Abstract: The purpose of this experiment was to determine how building structure and natural flame retardants affect how quickly a house burns. I compared two types of structures, regular walls and reinforced walls, and tested if borax, baking soda, or no flame retardant worked best. I wanted to find out which combination would make a house burn the slowest. To do this experiment, I built model houses using wooden dowel rods. Half of the houses were reinforced with popsicle sticks to make them stronger. Then I treated the houses by spraying them with a borax solution, a baking soda solution, or leaving them untreated (my control). After the houses dried, I tested them by placing a fire starter and paper towel inside each house in the same spot, lighting it with a fire torch, and measuring the time it took for the roof to begin to collapse using a stopwatch. Each type was tested three times to have enough data. The results showed that reinforced houses treated with baking soda burned the slowest, and the houses with no flame retardant and no reinforcement burned the fastest. This shows that both the reinforced structure and baking soda improved fire resistance. In conclusion, both building structure and the type of flame retardant affected how quickly the houses burned. My hypothesis was partially correct/supported because reinforced walls helped slow the fire and time it took to compromise the structure, but baking soda was more effective than borax.
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School: Concord Ox-Bow Elementary School
Grade: 4
Category: ENEV
Abstract: Wind energy is an important source of renewable power, and the design of wind turbine blades can impact how much electricity is produced. The purpose of my experiment was to determine which blade design generates the most power. I used 4 different blade shapes: blade 1 with four blades that rotated horizontally, blade 2 with four blades that rotated vertically, blade 3 with 11 blades that rotated horizontally, and blade 4 with 3 blades that rotated horizontally. Each blade type was attached to a small model wind turbine connected to a generator. A hair dryer was used to create consistent wind, and the voltage produced by the turbine was measured using a multimeter. Each blade design was tested multiple times to ensure accurate results. The results showed that blade 3 with the 11 blades that rotated horizontally produced the highest average voltage, meaning it generated the most power and the brightest light. Blade 4 with the three blades that rotated vertically produced the least power, while blade 1 and blade 2 produced a moderate amount. The results suggest that blade shape plays a significant role in wind turbine power generation. This experiment demonstrates that the amount of blades on a rotor and the direction it rotates will capture more wind energy and produce it into electrical power.
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School: NIRSEF
Grade: 5
Category: EAEV
Abstract: Macroinvertebrates can tell us about how healthy the water is in a stream. Macroinvertebrate numbers can change in the Fall due to piles of leaves gathering in streams. It was hypothesized that macroinvertebrate numbers would be low in the Fall because leaf litter piles can cause low oxygen. Dissolved oxygen readings were taken and macroinvertebrates were identified at 6 locations in Northwest Indiana. The dissolved oxygen was below normal at 2 sites and all of the pollution readings using macroinvertebrate data was either poor or fair. The data shows the water may have been polluted at some sites, but intolerant macroinvertebrates, like mayfly nyphs and riffle beetles, were present at all 6 sites indicating a healthy ecosystem. Dissolved oxygen and macroinvertebrate populations can change naturally in the Fall when there is a change in seasons. Leaf litter piles can also disrupt the flow of the stream and that may also alter dissolved oxygen and the abundance of macroinvertebrates.
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School: NIRSEF
Grade: 5
Category: BCHM
Abstract: Bioluminescent dinoflagellates are tiny ocean organisms that produce light when they are disturbed. I first became interested in them after visiting a bioluminescent bay in Puerto Rico and seeing the water glow around our kayak. This made me wonder if water temperature affects how brightly these algae glow. My hypothesis was that if the water temperature increased, then the algae would glow more brightly. To test this idea, I placed nine identical vials of dinoflagellates into three temperature groups. The control group was kept at 21°C, the warm group at 23°C, and the hot group at 26°C. Each group contained three vials. I measured the brightness of the glow once each night at 8:00 PM for one week using a digital light meter. A metronome was used to make sure each measurement lasted the same amount of time so the data would be consistent. At first, the brightness of the glow was similar in all three groups. After several days, the algae in the hottest water began to glow brighter than the other groups. These results suggest that warmer temperatures can increase bioluminescence over time. Bioluminescence happens when a chemical called luciferin reacts with oxygen with the help of an enzyme called luciferase. Warmer temperatures may allow this reaction to happen more often. This experiment helps show how temperature can affect living organisms and may help scientists better understand how warming oceans could impact bioluminescent ecosystems.
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School: NIRSEF
Grade: 5
Category: PHYS
Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this experiment was to investigate how different wheel materials affect the speed of a DC motorized toy car. When different materials contact a surface, they experience different amounts of rolling friction force. I wanted to test whether wheel material could change how fast a motorized toy car travels on a wood track. Methods: Three identical toy cars were built using the same design. The wheel diameter, rims, and axle length, were kept the same. The only difference between the cars were the wheel materials: steel, wood, or rubber. A straight track was built using a wooden board with guard rails. A starting line was marked to ensure four, consistent trials. Each car was raced individually, a stopwatch was used to record the time it took each car to reach the finish line. Results: The steel wheeled car was the fastest in all four trials, reaching the finish line in about 0.62 seconds. The wood wheeled car finished second, and the rubber wheeled car was the slowest at about 1.01 seconds. The rubber wheeled car took longer to pick up speed after it was dropped on the track. Conclusion: The results prove that wheel material does affect the speed of a motorized toy car. Materials that have lower rolling friction will allow the toy car to travel faster. This can be explained by the coefficient of rolling friction of each material against wood. The results can also be explained by the deformation of the materials on a hard surface. Steel wheels rolled the fastest because it deforms less than wood and rubber wheels. The steel wheels retained the most kinetic energy and was able to use it to travel faster. Real-World Application: Understanding rolling friction can help engineers design faster and more efficient vehicles, bicycles, and machines.
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School: Honey Creek Middle School
Grade: 6
Category: BEHA
Abstract: This experiment investigated what real time effects listening to different music genres has on the human brain, focusing on mindfulness, calmness, and stress reduction in school aged children. It was hypothesized that listening to a Sanskrit shloka would generate brain wave patterns associated with mindfulness similar to those observed during meditation, thereby reducing stress and anxiety. Participants listened to four auditory conditions—silence pop, classical music, and silence—for three minutes each, with one minute intervals between sessions. Brainwave activity (alpha, beta, gamma, delta and theta), which are associated with calmness and focus was measured using a SereniBrain headband. The instrument categoried brain activity as active, relaxed, or calm, with active states linked to higher stress and relaxed and calm states associated with increased alpha, theta, and sensorimonitor rhythm (SMR) brainwaves and lower stress. Music was delivered through Bose QuietComfort headphones. Results showed that listening to the Sanskrit shloka produced the greatest increase in brain waves associate with mindfulness, followed by classical music, pop music, and silence. These results suggest that incorporating music—especially Sanskrit shlokas—during the school day, particularly during high-stress periods such as midday, may help reduce stress and anxiety, while improving focus. Future studies can examine the effects of longer listing durations and different age groups.
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School: Zionsville Middle School
Grade: 6
Category: EAEV
Abstract: 2.1 billion people globally do not have access to clean drinking water, that is 26% of the world population. This experiment was done to find effective ways to purify water with simple materials that are easily obtainable. In this experiment I created simple homemade filters using simple materials and quick setup. I used a spectrophotometer to visualize the contaminants in the water that would be harmful to drink. In this case the carbon filter always removed more contaminants than sand. In total, the carbon filter had less contaminants in the water than the sand filter, and the absorbance followed a trend like high purity reverse osmosis water and ultra-pure lab-grade water. The “Pond Before” sample always was above all the other samples in contaminant levels, meaning that both filters worked. In the future, there should be more research and experimentation on the topic of filtering dirty water for people in need. This experiment shows that homemade carbon filtration is possibly a viable option, but it needs to be tested further in fields like bacteria and parasites. In conclusion, I learned that different filter types absolutely influences the effectiveness and quality of filtration.
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School: West Lafayette Intermediate School
Grade: 6
Category: EGSD
Abstract: The purpose of this experiment was to determine which household material design keeps an enclosed space the coolest over time without electricity. This project focuses on passive cooling, which reduces heat using natural materials instead of air conditioning. Four identical cardboard boxes were tested: a plain cardboard box, a reflective box covered in aluminum foil, an insulated box covered in Styrofoam, and an evaporative box covered in a wet paper towel. All boxes were placed in a 37°C heated environment, and temperatures were recorded after five minutes across three trials. The insulated box had the lowest average temperature at 24.3°C. The evaporative box averaged 25°C, the reflective box averaged 28.7°C, and the control box was the warmest at 30.5°C. These results show that insulation was the most effective for slowing heat transfer in this experiment. Although my hypothesis predicted that evaporative cooling would work best, insulation performed better in a closed heat environment. This experiment demonstrates that simple materials can significantly reduce heat gain without electricity and could help improve sustainable cooling methods in the future.
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School: Eastern Hancock Middle School
Grade: 6
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School: Westview Elementary School
Grade: 6
Category: BEHA
Abstract: We did this project because one of us wants to be a psychologist when she grows up due to her interest in the brain and how it works. Both of them want to have future reference for when they have to read material for school,that way they know the better way to read for maximum comprehension of the text. To complete this project, first we would take our test subject and sit them down in the quiet hallway. Our hypothesis was that people would remember a written piece better when reading it off of print rather than a screen. Due to the fact that when you read off print you are engaging more senses like vision, smell, and touch. By engaging these senses you are more likely to focus and remember the text better. For this project we needed several materials. The materials we needed were: 10 female test subjects, 4 poems by Shel Silverstein, 1 chromebook, 1 printer, 1 number 2 pencil, 1 stopwatch, 1 notebook, 1 quiet hallway, and 40 lined pieces of paper 11 inches by 8 ½ inches. To complete this project, first we would take our test subject and sit them down in the quiet hallway. Next, one of the conductors would give them the instructions and the rundown of what was about to happen. While this was going on the other conductor would set the stopwatch to one minute. Then we would show them a poem either on the chromebook screen or on paper depending on the trial, and start the timer. Once the timer was up we would take away the poem. Then we would give the subject a clipboard with blank, lined paper and a number two pencil. Also at this point we would tell the subject “to write the poem down word for word as best as they can”. Next we would give them time to follow the instructions. After we would send the subject away or back to their classroom. Once the subject was gone, one of the conductors would compare the subject’s written response to the actual poem. We would count them off if they left words out or switched words around. Once we had counted off all the mistakes, we would turn the fraction into percents.
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School: South Terrace Elem School
Grade: 6
Category: EGSD
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School: South Terrace Elem School
Grade: 6
Category: MCRO
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School: St John Lutheran School
Grade: 6
Category: PLNT
Abstract: Does storing bananas in different ways cause them to stay yellow longer? I tested whether storing bananas with their stems wrapped, hanging them up, or putting them in green bags helped them stay yellow the longest. I predicted that wrapping the bananas’ stems would enable them to have the highest percentage of yellow, as it may block the ethylene from reaching the banana more than the other variables. I ran two experiments with sixteen bananas each. There were four bananas in each group: stems wrapped, hanging, green bags, and control. I took pictures of the bananas before and after the experiment, then analyzed them using Fiji, a computer software that measured the percentages of yellow (white) to the amount of brown (black). My hypothesis was that the stems-wrapped bananas would have the highest percentage of yellow after 10 days. The data did not support my hypothesis. The average amount of yellow for the stems-wrapped bananas changed from 49-56% in both groups. This was hardly better than the control group, which changed from 56-65%. The hanging bananas did slightly better; they changed 41-52%. Surprisingly, the green bag bananas changed the least both times, only 2-6% from the beginning to the end. I inferred that the green bags contained a substance that was very effective at absorbing the bananas’ ethylene. Wrapping the stems and hanging the bananas did not stop ethylene’s basic effects. While keeping bananas from turning brown may be challenging, these results can help families enjoy their yellow bananas longer.
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School: Saint Mary Elementary School
Grade: 6
Category: CHEM
Abstract: The purpose of this experiment was to determine which type of wood burns the longest and is best for heating. Different types of wood are commonly used as fuel. Many kinds of wood vary density and moisture content which may affect how long they burn.The types of wood tested in this experience were oak, yellow pine, popular, ash, construction pine and western cedar. Each wood sample was cut the same size and weight to ensure a fair contest. The samples were burned individually under the same environmental conditions. A timer was used to measure how long each of the pieces burned from ignition until the flame completely stopped. The results showed that oak burned the longest, followed by pine and popular. Oak is hardwood and is denser and burns more slowly. In conclusion, the experiment demonstrated that wood type effects burn time,and hardwoods such as oak are more efficient for longer-lasting fires. Hardwood burns longer than soft woods making Oak a good choice for our heating and camping needs.
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School: West Lafayette Intermediate School
Grade: 6
Category: PLNT
Abstract: This science experiment proves that different types of fertilizer do affect how plants grow and their soil health. I tested what fertilizer (worm castings, manure, miracle gro) is most beneficial to soil and plant growth. For a short summary of what I did, I put different amounts of the three fertilizers in pots that have the same amount and type of soil, and watered them everyday. After four weeks I brought them to the Purdue Lab to run tests such as CO2 Respiration levels and Root Mass levels. After I tested them I found out that biofertilizers such as manure and worm castings had better results than the other fertilizers. This experiment can provide valuable guidance to agricultural workers worldwide, helping them make informed decisions when selecting fertilizers to improve crop and plant growth.
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School: West Lafayette Intermediate School
Grade: 6
Category: BMED
Abstract: I have always had chapped lips and was curious which one was the most sterile and which one had the most benefits. So I decided to test five different brands of lip balm to see which one has the most benefits. I tested the Sun Protectant Factor, moisture barrier, and if any of them grew bacteria. I tested if any of them grew bacteria by swabbing each lip balm brand new, used on silicone tape, and used once on my lip. I tested the moisture barrier by putting fabric on a tube and putting lip balm on the fabric.Then after three days I measured the distance from the beginning water level and the current water level. I tested the SPF effectiveness by putting beads in a 3D printed dish and putting a petri dish lid covered in the lip balm and taking it outside. Then I had some of my neighbors rate each one out of five, one being the lightest and five being the darkest.
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School: West Lafayette Intermediate School
Grade: 6
Category: BEHA
Abstract: This study examined whether different types of background sound affect verbal memory recall. This experiment is important because it will show if using a certain background noise can affect your studying productivity and/or accuracy. Forty-eight participants completed a word recall task under four conditions: instrumental music, music with lyrics, white noise, and silence. Participants were given 12 words in each condition and had 45 seconds to recall as many words as possible. After each condition, they rated their level of distraction on a scale from 1 (not distracted) to 5 (very distracted). Paired t-tests showed no statistically significant differences in recall between sound conditions. However, in the lyrics condition, distraction ratings were negatively correlated with recall (R² = 0.20), suggesting that participants who felt more distracted remembered fewer words. These findings suggest that individual differences in perceived distraction may influence memory performance more than sound type alone.
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School: West Lafayette Intermediate School
Grade: 6
Category: PHYS
Abstract: My science fair project is to see what I can do to keep a rubber band helicopter flying for the longest time. I attached the rubber band(s) to the plastic hook and the hook on the propeller on the 1.5”7 helicopter. I tested two variables: the first was the twisting amount of the rubber band, 20, 24, 28, 32, and 36 times, and recorded the times. The second variable was how many rubber bands I used, 1, 2, and 3 rubber bands, and recorded that time. The result was what I hypothesized, as the more I twisted and added rubber bands, the time of flight increased.
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School: West Lafayette Intermediate School
Grade: 6
Category: CHEM
Abstract: This student has not yet submitted an abstract.
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School: Walkerton Elementary School
Grade: 6
Category: CHEM
Abstract: Being born and raised in northern Indiana, I chose to conduct a project that applied to daily life during winter. I was seeking to find the best solution for ice management. Initially, my hypothesis was that combining salt types would make ice melt faster. To test this, I utilized the same amount of ice and introduced different salt types at the same measure and time frame. Course Kosher salt most efficiently produces the most ice melt. In conclusion, one salt type was the best option.
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School: NIRSEF
Grade: 6
Category: PHYS
Abstract: I started out doing a cardboard car and seeing the different distances it would track with weight but the wheels would not move or turn also the balloon would not propel it forward, so due to the failed test I tried something more impact without wheels. I used gravity with magnets as my weight and subject of my experiment, and the car floated but took wasn’t as good as I wanted my experiment. So now I am doing a new adaptation by different materials, that will make my car more stable when it floats.
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School: NIRSEF
Grade: 6
Category: MATS
Abstract: My Project is about Eco-friendly paints. Most people don't notice it but, a lot of people use paints that hurt the environment. So I made four paints each with different ingredients. One, (Paint A) Is made with the original homemade paint with the main ingredient being flour. Paint B Is made with green grapes. Paint C is made with maple syrup. And paint D is made with shaving cream. I have organized and taken notes from the past few days on how they were each day. They had better quality as they sat in containers wrapped in plastic wrap. I want to remind everyone that saving the environment is one of the top priorities and must be taken in special care. For an example; Acrylic, craft paint, window glass paint, spray paint, and another type of acrylic paint are very bad. The worst one is spray paint with 95% toxic chemicals inside. And people like to use that outside. This is why I made four safer paints that are harmless for the environment. I also compared the ingredients, and every paint has to have the binder, the solvent, the preservatives and stabilizers. The binder is the thickness, the solvent is the liquid, and the preservatives and stabilizers are the things that don't cause algae. The flour is the binder, the water is the solvent, and the preservatives and stabilizers are the vinegar and salt. I really hope people start to realize and use safer paints for the environment.
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School: Castle North Middle School
Grade: 7
Category: PLNT
Abstract: This experiment investigated whether the orientation of a bean seed affects its germination rate and early plant growth. The question was inspired by research on plant behavior in microgravity and by the agricultural importance of beans in Indiana. Three seed orientations were tested: traditional (radicle down), alternate (radicle up), and scar‑down (seed laid flat). Forty‑five pole bean seeds were planted in controlled conditions using identical soil, water, light, and container size. Over fifteen days, germination was recorded and plant height was measured at five intervals. The results showed that seed orientation had a clear impact on both germination and growth. The traditional group had the highest germination rate at 60%, while the alternate group produced the tallest plants, with an average height of 14.45 cm. The scar‑down group performed the worst, with only 20% germination and the lowest average height of 7.17 cm, and was the only group in which seed flipping occurred. These findings support the hypothesis that seeds oriented with the radicle facing downward grow more efficiently, and they demonstrate that proper seed placement can significantly influence early plant development. This information may be useful for gardeners and farmers seeking to improve germination success and crop performance.
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School: Honey Creek Middle School
Grade: 7
Category: EAEV
Abstract: For my project, I decided to look at the severe weather in my area. I wanted to look into this because I have had a lot of storms that have taken the power out in my area and that have damaged a lot of trees. This made me wonder if there is a trend going on that has an increase of storms or if this is a couple of outlier events. I gathered my data on the storms from the NOAA severe storm database and then entered the data into an excel spreadsheet. After this, I analyzed it by running a two tailed t-test which is how I got my results.
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School: Frankfort Middle School
Grade: 7
Category: MATH
Abstract: The purpose of this project is to see if altitude affects the aspects of athletic performance related to fatigue in the NBA. When you are higher in the Earth's atmosphere, the air is thinner and contains less oxygen. That means an athlete’s body has to work harder to maintain performance and get the oxygen it needs through its red blood cells. When you are tired, you make mistakes and have a harder time putting effort into the game. I analyzed results from every game when the Oklahoma City Thunder went to Salt Lake City and Denver. I chose Oklahoma City because it is geographically close to the other two cities, is in the same time zone, and does not require as much air travel (reducing any jet lag and travel fatigue). I chose Salt Lake City and Denver because they are the two highest elevation areas in the NBA. I took three stats from the games starting in 2008: shots attempted, turnovers, and free throw percentage. I decided on these three stats because I think they could all be impacted by fatigue. I found that playing in an elevated arena did produce more turnovers from the team than what was usual. It also led to more shots. However, free throw percentage was not affected. Overall, this project shows that altitude does affect athletic performance in some aspects for teams that are not used to it. That could be a significant advantage if you play at a high altitude frequently.
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School: Frankfort Middle School
Grade: 7
Category: CHEM
Abstract: The purpose of this project is to determine how pressure affects the rate off a Briggs-Rauscher oscillating chemical reaction. I believed that added pressure would speed up the cycle because the pressure will push the chemicals closer together, speeding up the rate of the mixing process. For each test, I would add hydrogen peroxide to a test tube, then starch solution, and finally potassium iodate. That starts the reaction, so I would immediately screw on the cap on the test tube. I quickly added pressure to the test tube to the desired amount using the air compressor through a secure tube in the lid. I held the tube by clamping it with my fingers to sustain the pressure. I waited one cycle of the reaction while adding the pressure and then counted ten cycles from that point forward. I timed this with a stopwatch. I repeated the test multiple times for each pressure amount. My results show my hypothesis is correct. As pressure increases, the cycles’ rate changes and speeds up. Although, within the experiment, I believe that it will eventually stop speeding up when you add too much pressure. The reaction will eventually stop gaining in rate when you add to much pressure because of the principle of diminishing returns. This principle explains that the benefits gained from something will eventually have a smaller gain as more is invested in it. So, pressure in a chemical reaction matters. The greater the pressure, the more the reactants mix and interact.
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School: Fishers Junior High School
Grade: 7
Category: PLNT
Abstract: How do people that live in small suburban areas with almost no fertile soil to grow plants? Turns out most places with limited access to fertile soil don’t have access to homemade plants, so research was conducted to answer that specific question. Before that research, this essay will discuss how this conclusion was reached. In social studies class, the topic was Egypt and its fertile soil. The class also learned about its surplus of water from sources like the Nile. With that in consideration the leading question was created; If the Coriandrum sativum is grown in water instead of soil then the cilantro's growth rate will increase because the roots of Coriandrum sativum will have easier access to water, oxygen, and nutrients therefore enhancing the Coriandrum sativums growth rate.” At first none of the plants grew, not the plants with soil, nor the plants without soil, which caused the question, “Was there too much water or too little?” They were too cold and too close to the window, which caused the temperature to be off, and temperature is a major benefactor in plant growth - which was the reason for no data and the plants’ germination process to be slow. Overall, the hypothesis was refuted. Coriandum sativum with the most soil grew the largest, it might have been because the cilantro with no soil had an influx of water, however this could still be used in climates that have a decrease on good fertile farming soil to grow organic crops instead of store-bought processed plants.
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School: Hamilton Southeastern Jr High School
Grade: 7
Category: BMED
Abstract: Does Posture Affect Reading? This experiment was preformed to find put the best posture for reading the most pages in 30 minutes. The problem this experiment was facing was: “Does posture affect the pages read in 30 minutes?” The experiment was conducted by having the participants first read in a sitting position, then recording the completed pages read, then having 2 read in supine position and the other 3 read in standing position, and then recording the completed pages read for that round; the participants would then switch positions to read in their final position, and their pages read would be recorded. Where the Red Fren Grows was the book used in the experiment. The procedure consisted of gathering the participants, having them read in the different positions and recording their pages completed, then doing that again for a second trial, then finding the averages of the pages completed per posture. The hypothesis for the experiment was: “If the absolute value of a degree of a posture increases 90° from 90°, then the pages read will decrease because the unfamiliar posture will distract one from reading.” This hypothesis was refuted because the posture expected to have the highest average, sitting posture, actually had the lowest average pages read; the posture with the highest average page read was actually the standing posture. The average pages read for sitting posture was 28.3; the average pages read for standing posture was 32.4; the average pages read for supine posture was 32.3. The research showed that fatigue caused by unfamiliar positions can cause fatigue, which can cause a distraction from reading. This was the base of the hypothesis, since it was thought that the standing and supine posture would cause more fatigue and distraction than the sitting posture.
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School: Mount Vernon Jr High School
Grade: 7
Category: CHEM
Abstract: The purpose of this experiment was to determine which brand of bandage is the most adhesive after being submerged in water. The driving question was: Which brand/type of bandage stays on best after being dunked in water? My hypothesis was that a BAND-AID waterproof bandage would be the most adhesive underwater. To test this, I placed different brands of the same type of bandage on my hand and submerged it in water for three minutes. During each trial, I moved my hand in circles ten times per minute to simulate real-life movement. After removing my hand from the water, I tested how well the bandage stayed attached and recorded any leftover residue. The results showed that my hypothesis was not supported. Waterproof bandages were not always as waterproof as advertised, and all eight bandages performed differently. I also observed that movement affected how well the bandages stayed on. This experiment shows that brand choice matters when protecting a wound in water, and some less expensive pharmacy brands performed better than name-brand options.
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School: Otter Creek Middle School
Grade: 7
Abstract: This student has not yet submitted an abstract.
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School: DeKalb Middle School
Grade: 7
Category: ROBO
Abstract: I Robot - Automated Color Sorting with FANUC Robot and Gray Scale Vision This project investigated the accuracy of a robotic system in sorting objects by color using a gray scale camera. The experiment looked to determine if robotic systems could pick and sort the test materials based on the vision system’s gray scale camera data. Hypothesis: The robot would achieve at least 70% accuracy in sorting brown and gray bricks randomly placed in the work area. System Setup: A fixed-mount camera was calibrated using a calibration grid and part height. Lighting was optimized using low-intensity LED and a red camera lens filter and to minimize glare. Programming: A robot program was developed to locate and pick the bricks using the vision system. The system also incorporated a Histogram tool to convert visual data into gray scale values (0-255) to distinguish between the two brick colors. Testing: Trials consisted of separate control groups for brown and gray bricks, followed by five mixed-color trials featuring 12 bricks each in random orientations. Initial Performance: Using an initial threshold of 125, the robot achieved a 90% overall accuracy in the mixed brick trials. It identified brown bricks with 100% accuracy but struggled with gray bricks (90% accuracy) due to the initial threshold. Optimization: Adjusting the gray scale threshold to 115 eliminated sorting errors. Conclusion: The final trials resulted in 100% accuracy across all groups. The results supported the hypothesis and demonstrated that while gray scale vision is highly effective for color sorting, precision tuning of histogram parameters is essential to overcome subtle lighting and material variations.
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School: NIRSEF
Grade: 7
Category: BEHA
Abstract: AI images have become very realistic, so can people identify which pictures are real, and which age range would do the best? This project looks at how different age groups, 12-24, 25-45, 46-60, and 60 and older perform when identifying AI images. Using AI photos from different generators and real photos, I tested the average correct answers each group would make. My hypothesis was that on average, people could not identify AI from real photos correctly. I also said that the 12-24 age group would do the best since they have grown up in a technological age. This experiment disproved my hypothesis by showing that 53% of the responses were correct. Also, of all the age groups the 46 to 60 year olds did the best, disproving my hypothesis. Although, the results were so close it would make sense to do further research into this project to see if there is a difference when more people participate.
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School: Lafayette Tecumseh Jr High School
Grade: 7
Category: ROBO
Abstract: My project is an AI using the NEAT algorithm attempting to climb as high as it can in a platformer game using different vision methods. I chose this project to build on a previous experiment I conducted, which was AI solving a maze. My hypothesis was that keypoint vision, one of my vision types, would be able to climb the highest. So, for my experiment, first, I had to code the program and set up the game. Next, I put an AI in and ran it for 100 generations. Then, I put its highest height climbed to in my data table and switched to the next AI. However, opposing my hypothesis, the control (no vision) performed the best. I learned from this experiment how NEAT works and how to better code in Unity (the software I was using).
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School: Saint Mary Elementary School
Grade: 7
Category: ETSD
Abstract: This student has not yet submitted an abstract.
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School: NIRSEF
Grade: 7
Category: PLNT
Abstract: In this experiment, I tested whether different types of soil affect how much a plant grows. My hypothesis was that if I used potting mix with fertilizer, then the plant would grow the most because my research showed it holds water better and contains nutrients that help plant roots grow stronger. To test this, I planted the same type of plant in four different soils: sandy soil, topsoil, potting mix with fertilizer, and organic soil with fertilizer. I used the same size pots, gave each plant one cup of water every week, and placed them in the same location with equal sunlight. I measured the height and length of each plant for five weeks and recorded my data. After reviewing my results, I found that the potting mix with fertilizer grew the longest plant with 16.5”, while the topsoil grew the tallest plant with 11”. This showed that both soils helped the plants grow well. My hypothesis was mostly correct because the potting mix with fertilizer showed the most overall growth. If I repeated this experiment, I would test more types of soil or continue measuring for a longer period of time. I learned that soil type does affect plant growth and that nutrients and water retention are important factors.
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School: NIRSEF
Grade: 7
Category: MATS
Abstract: “Why is my clay crumbling up?”, “Why does it feel like the clay is not baked?”; these are questions that are asked when not knowing the correct temperature to bake polymer clay. As a clay artist, it is important to know what the best temperature for baking clay is, so you don’t ruin your masterpieces. This experiment examines what the optimal temperature to bake the polymer clay is to achieve the maximum durability. The clay was tested by counting the number of folds for each piece of clay until split into two pieces (dependent variable) after baking in an oven at different temperatures in Celsius that changed after each trial; 96℃, 113℃, 135℃ (independent variable) with the same amount (1.4 g) and shape (3 cm by 1 cm by 2 mm) of clay being used, the time (15 minutes) that the clay is baked, and the oven that is being used (controlled variable). The hypothesis was that if pieces of clay are baked for the same amount of time, but at different temperatures, then the piece of clay that had a higher temperature will have more durability. The results of this experiment supported the hypothesis that the pieces of clay that were baked at a higher temperature will have the most durability.
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School: NIRSEF
Grade: 7
Category: EAEV
Abstract: Global warming is thawing permafrost (carbon-rich frozen ground covering 15% of the Northern Hemisphere). To understand how this thawing could impact ecosystems and climate change, a two-phase project investigated how freeze-thaw cycles (FTCs) (1) affect soil respiration/moisture/pH levels and (2) the amount/timing of algae growth. Phase 1: soil samples were exposed to 0,1,3,5,7 freeze–thaw cycles and CO₂ emissions measured over 7 days. FTCs led to higher soil respiration. The first FTC has the greatest impact as CO2 increased dramatically from 0 to 1 FTC. Freezing breaks open soil aggregates and microbial cells, releasing carbon/nutrients which increases microbial activity causing a burst of CO2 emissions. Additional FTC resulted in lower pH and higher moisture levels driving a longer period of increased soil respiration. Phase 2: water was added to soil, and supernatant was decanted and exposed to 0,1,3,5,7 FTCs before being added to algae samples. Algae growth was measured over 18 days using a spectrophotometer to test absorption at optical density 750 nm. Over 13 days, all samples exposed to FTCs had less and slower algae growth. FTCs led to microbial death, reducing the size of the microbial biomass available to respire nutrients that drives algae growth. By day 14, all samples converged to similar absorption levels as nutrients were consumed. FTCs increased CO2 emissions but did not increase algae growth. Implications: as permafrost thaws, the Arctic could change from a beneficial carbon sink to a contributor of global warming; delays in algae growth could cause unknown impact to ecosystems.
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School: Lafayette Tecumseh Jr High School
Grade: 8
Category: ENBM
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School: Guidance Islamic School
Grade: 8
Category: ENEV
Abstract: Access to clean drinking water is a global issue, especially in areas without electricity or advanced water treatment systems. The purpose of this project was to test how different materials—glass, plastic, and metal—affect the effectiveness of a DIY solar-powered water purifier. This project is important because it investigates how material choice can improve a low-cost, environmentally friendly method of purifying water using renewable solar energy. Three identical solar-powered water purifiers were built using the same design and filtration layers of gravel, sand, and activated charcoal. The only difference between the purifiers was the outer container material: one was made of glass, one of plastic, and one of metal. Equal amounts of contaminated water were placed into each purifier and exposed to direct sunlight for six hours. Water quality was measured by recording clarity on a scale of 1–5, the amount of purified water collected in milliliters, and pH levels before and after purification. The results showed that the glass purifier produced the best overall results, collecting the highest amount of purified water and showing the greatest improvement in clarity and pH. The plastic purifier showed moderate improvement, while the metal purifier produced the least purified water. These findings suggest that materials that allow more sunlight to pass through improve the evaporation and condensation process. Overall, this project demonstrates that material selection plays an important role in the efficiency of solar-powered water purification systems.
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School: Castle North Middle School
Grade: 8
Category: BMED
Abstract: This experiment investigates the effects of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on human lifespan by using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism, given their 70% genetic similarity. Understanding how VOCs influence human health is crucial because these compounds are common in everyday environments. This knowledge can highlight the dangers these chemicals pose and help motivate research in reducing their impact. The hypothesis predicted that exposure to VOCs emitted from citrus oil would shorten the lifespan of Drosophila Melanogaster. To test this, young male Drosophila were placed in ten vials,ten in each, five control and five experimental groups. Both groups lived in identical temperatures,conditions, and received similar amounts of food. The only variable was that the sample was exposed to VOCs released from a cotton ball soaked in 7.2 microliters of citrus oil, replaced every three days. This dosage maintained an average VOC concentration of 500 ppb, which reflects typical household exposure levels worldwide. After all flies had expired, the average lifespan for the experimental group was nine days, compared to fifteen days for the control group—a 33% reduction. Applying Allometric scaling suggests that humans exposed to 500 ppb of VOCs could experience a lifespan reduction of about 6 months compared to a lower exposure of 300 ppb. Most of the data collected was consistent, except vial C3, which showed contradicting results due to human error. Overall, the results support the hypothesis that exposure to VOCs decreases human lifespan, underscoring the potential health risks of these common chemicals.
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School: Castle North Middle School
Grade: 8
Category: EAEV
Abstract: This experiment tested how different household materials reduced carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels produced by a baking soda and vinegar reaction. The materials tested were limewater solution, activated carbon, Pothos plant, and Dracaena plant, along with a control group that used no CO₂ removal material. From these materials, the hypothesis was that the Dracaena plant would efficiently remove the most carbon dioxide in the air if placed in the jar, due to how it continuously reduces carbon dioxide. CO₂ was generated inside an airtight container by combining baking soda and vinegar, and only one carbon-capture material was tested at a time. A digital CO₂ sensor was used to record CO₂ concentration, temperature, and humidity at five-minute intervals until levels returned to the starting value. CO₂ levels were measured over time and compared between materials. The results showed that the limewater solution reduced CO₂ the fastest, starting the decrease about 57.6% sooner than the control. Pothos plants lowered CO₂ about 40.5% faster, while Dracaena plants reduced CO₂ about 35.7% faster. Activated carbon reduced CO₂ levels about 32% faster than the control group. The control group maintained high CO₂ levels until about 25 minutes into the experiment. Limewater was the most effective because it reacts directly with carbon dioxide. Plants and activated carbon worked more slowly, but they still lowered CO₂ levels compared to the control. This shows that chemical carbon capture methods are faster than biological methods, even if they can still be useful.
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School: Frankfort Middle School
Grade: 8
Category: CHEM
Abstract: The purpose of this project is to see if changing the temperature of sodium hydroxide in a hydrochloric acid titration affects the amount needed to neutralize the titration. I believed the neutralization of the would happen with fewer drops when the sodium hydroxide is heated up because if the molecules are sped up by the added heat, any mixing will happen faster, which would also make the titration will happen faster. If the molecules are slower with colder sodium hydroxide, they are moving less, which slows down the mixing, so the titration will happen slower with more drops needed to make the neutralization evident. For the experiment, I added hydrochloric acid and phenolphthalein into a beaker. Then I warmed up/cooled down sodium hydroxide with a hotplate/freezer. I added sodium hydroxide one drop at a time, then swirled to mix the chemicals. I did this until the color neutralization occurs. I repeated the test three times for each of five temperatures. My results show that as the sodium hydroxide is heated up, the number of drops needed decreases. This proves my hypothesis to be correct. I think this happens because when liquids are heated, the molecules making up the substance move slightly faster. When they are cooled, the molecules slow down. This cooling results in the substances not mixing as readily as they do when they are warmer, which slightly delays the neutralization of the titration. Colder temperatures will not really affect the titration much, while heat will.
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School: Frankfort Middle School
Grade: 8
Category: BEHA
Abstract: The purpose of this experiment is to determine if being bilingual improves how fast your brain can complete two competing memory tasks. I think bilingual students will be faster at successfully completing competing memory tasks (in this case, putting letters and numbers in alternating order) with fewer mistakes than non-bilingual students. Bilingual students have to switch between languages from home to school, and they also are involved in conversations with friends during the day that use both languages. Therefore, their brains are used to switching between two different things. Being bilingual myself, I understand how it feels having to switch between both languages, having done so since I was four. Most bilingual kids have done this process of juggling two languages for a long time (such as when they are translating for someone else), so their brains are already trained to switch between two tasks and keep both of them straight. Non-bilingual students do not have their same sets of experiences, so I believe their brains will have a harder time with the switching back and forth required in this test. This will lead them to make more mistakes and finish the task with a slower completion time. The main part of this experiment that took some time was making the computer program that will do the testing. The program starts by asking three Spanish questions that are basic but not easy. They are simple enough for a bilingual to understand but too difficult for a non-bilingual who might just guess. Students answer each question. Next, a pattern task is explained. This involves alternating letters and numbers (up to 9), like this: A 0 B 1 C 2…the screen shows the pattern the student has to duplicate. Then this is a brief READY...SET...GO prompt for students to begin typing the pattern. Once a student is finished, the program ends. In a file on the flash drive, it records the pattern they typed and how long it took them to type it. Then I would go back later and access the file to see results to determine mistakes in the pattern and the speed of typing the pattern for each person who participated in the experiment. My initial classification method grouped all of the students who scored a “3” on the question part as bilingual, while all of the students who scored a “0” were classified as non-bilingual. Anyone scoring a “1” or “2” was discarded from the data set. These results of these two extreme groups were compared. My results from that initial grouping show that the bilingual students are, on average, about 4 seconds faster to complete the task and do so with a smaller number of errors (by about half an error per person). Because so much of my data was discarded in my initial classification method, I also conducted a second analysis where I included the “1” group as non-bilingual. This would add more data to my non-bilingual group and could also possibly close the gap between the average scores of the two groups. However, it did not. Adding more data to the non-bilingual group still produced the same gaps in results. This gives me further confidence that the differences in the groups are meaningful. Bilingual students were faster than non-bilingual students with the pattern task, and they produced the pattern with fewer mistakes. This occurs because the bilingual brain is already used to juggling multiple tasks and switching back and forth, so their brains have developed over time to being more efficient with managing multiple tasks. It takes a lot to learn two languages and fully understand how to translate them. So, having a better ability to manage memory tasks is highly beneficial. Bilinguals naturally benefit from this based on their environment and upbringing. I believe my project shows that teaching all students dual languages from an early age would be good for overall brain development. There is a benefit to knowing more than one language just from a learning standpoint, but if there is also a benefit in brain development, that is even more of a reason to start teaching students multiple languages early in life. So starting young with learning more than one language gives your brain greater capacity to work flexibly.
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School: Islamic School of Indianapolis, MTI
Grade: 8
Category: BMED
Abstract: This study investigated the effectiveness of various over-the-counter antacids in neutralizing stomach acid. The main objective was to determine which brand out of Milk of Magnesia, Picot, Tums, or Pepto-Bismol, that requires the most hydrochloric acid (HCL) to reach a neutral pH of 3 to 4 which is the normal stomach resting PH. To conduct the experiment, recommended dosages of each antacid were dissolved in 4 separate 200ml of water. Then HCL was added drop-by-drop to each solution of antacid. The pH levels were monitored continuously using a digital pH meter until neutralization was achieved. The results showed that Tums (calcium carbonate) neutralized the highest volume of hydrochloric acid, supporting the initial hypothesis. The null hypothesis was rejected, as significant differences were observed between the brands. While the experiment successfully identified the most potent neutralizer in vitro, limitations included potential pH meter margin of error and the exclusion of biological variables such as stomach enzymes and digestion speed.
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School: West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School
Grade: 8
Category: ENEV
Abstract: Flooding is one of the most damaging natural disasters in the United States, affecting lives, homes, and communities each year. Accurate flood maps are essential for understanding flood risk and protecting people and properties. However, effective and accurate risk maps are rare. This project uses remote sensing and machine learning to examine flood risks along the Wabash River in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. The objective of the project is to see if satellite radar images from Sentinel-1, along with machine learning and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), could be used to accurately map flooded areas and estimate the number of people and buildings affected. Unlike regular remote sensors, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) uses radar, which can identify water features at night and through clouds, conditions which are common during flood times. Therefore, pre- and post-flood SAR images from Sentinel-1 were compared to detect water spread changes. Several features from the satellite data were used to train a Random Forest machine-learning model to classify flooded and non-flooded areas during a recent flood event in February 2022. The model achieved extremely high accuracy (of over 99%), showing strong reliability. The final flood map was combined with building data and U.S. Census population information using GIS. Results showed multiple flooded buildings and others at risk nearby, with an estimated 1,200 people affected across several census areas. Overall, this study shows that combining SAR imagery, machine learning, and GIS can be highly effective in flood mapping for emergency planning, reducing risk, and saving lives.
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School: West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School
Grade: 8
Category: MCRO
Abstract: 1. Introduction: Yeast serves as a microscopic biological engine that converts carbohydrates into energy through fermentation. This process is a cornerstone of sustainable biofuel production, offering a renewable alternative to fossil fuels. 2. Problem Statement: This study investigates how the structural complexity of carbohydrates, monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides, affects the rate and efficiency of yeast metabolism and CO2 production. 3. Procedures: Using a syringe-based system at a constant 35°C, CO2 output from glucose, sucrose, lactose, and starch over ten minutes was measured. An additional group of starch treated with α-amylase was tested to observe the impact of breaking down complex molecular chains. 4. Results: Glucose (monosaccharide) exhibited the highest efficiency, exceeding the 10 mL syringe capacity within 8 minutes. Sucrose (disaccharide) followed with a steady rate, while starch alone showed negligible reaction. However, starch treated with α-amylase significantly increased gas production. Despite its disaccharide structure, lactose produced almost no CO2 due to its specific molecular linkage. 5. Conclusions: Yeast produces gas faster with simple sugars because their basic structure is easier to process for energy. Complex carbohydrates must be broken down by enzymes into smaller pieces before fermentation can happen. These findings help us choose the best raw materials to make future biofuel production more efficient.
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School: Mount Vernon Jr High School
Grade: 8
Category: BMED
Abstract: My project is about figuring out if Cheerios really do lower your cholesterol. I hypothesized that if I ate a serving size of Cheerios with one cup of 2% milk everyday over the span of 31 days, then my cholesterol would lower by at least 10%. To conduct the study, I would get my blood drawn by a certified medical laboratory technician at the start and end of each trial. My hypothesis was incorrect, but there is a clear, undeniable decrease in cholesterol numbers, so I still consider this a win. This is highly applicable to myself and my family, but also to anyone who may struggle with high cholesterol levels.
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School: Honey Creek Middle School
Grade: 8
Category: PHYS
Abstract: In this project, I would be measuring the speed of light in different materials using Snell's Law and the index of refraction. My goal is to observe how light reacts as it passes through various media such as glass, water, and liquid turmeric solution.
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School: Honey Creek Middle School
Grade: 8
Category: BEHA
Abstract: Access to emergency services like hospitals and fire stations is essential for public safety. How close you live to these services can determine whether you survive a medical emergency. This study examined whether lower income and higher income neighborhoods in Greater Indianapolis have different levels of access to emergency services. Geographic data was collected for 32 hospitals, 27 urgent care centers, and 72 fire stations across Marion and Hamilton Counties. To find exact locations, I used Google Maps and city databases. Gathering income information for 28 ZIP codes from the U.S. Census Bureau, I measured the distance from each neighborhood center to the nearest emergency facilities. I compared these distances across three income groups: low-income (under $45,000), middle-income ($45,000-$70,000), and high-income (over $70,000). The analysis revealed crucial differences in emergency service access. Low-income neighborhoods averaged 4.2 miles to the nearest hospital, while high-income areas averaged only 2.1 miles, half the distance of low-income. Fire stations showed the same trend. Low-income areas averaged 3.1 miles to fire stations while high-income areas averaged just 1.4 miles. Five ZIP codes have critically limited access, which affect approximately 85,000 residents. This research demonstrates that where you live and your income level significantly affect your access to emergency services in Greater Indianapolis. Lower-income communities must travel farther to reach hospitals and fire stations. These findings support the need for building new facilities in underserved areas and highlight the importance of fair emergency service planning.
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School: NIRSEF
Grade: 8
Category: ENBM
Abstract: Children with Sensory Processing Disorder struggle to keep calm and focused in a school environment. Previous solutions for this problem such as a weighted lap pad do not have textures or interactive items to help children. In this prototype it would need to be 7% of the targeted user's body weight. The targeted user was a 5 year old and their approximate body weight is 40lbs making the prototype nearly 3lbs. Various textures must also be included. After building and observing it was concluded that the child would be able to find the binder useful to solve their problem. This is because the binder met the requirements of weight and interactive textures which were crucial for this problem. The child would also be able to use the binder in the way it was intended seeing that it is easily held and movable.
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School: Sarah Scott Middle School
Grade: 8
Category: EGSD
Abstract: The purpose of my project is to figure out if the color or shade of a metal roof can dictate and change the internal temperature of a bird house to act as a pole barn. Many homeowners will have to replace their roof and you will need to pick a color. If you live where it is cold you would want a warmer building and if you live where it is warm you would want a cooler building. I can find this out by buying multiple buildings and putting the different colors on the buildings. Next I will set up brooder lamps to act as the sun and put the lamps right above the houses. Then I measure the internal temperature with a temperature gun every thirty minutes to find out the surface readings and inside readings to find the coolest building on the inside. After that I recorded my data on a notebook and made a chart to show all of my temperature readings. My hypothesis is that if I put a darker color metal on the roof the temperature will be different than if I used a lighter color. This is because black absorbs more heat than white, so I believe that it will be warmer on the inside. I believe white will be cooler because white reflects more heat, so the inside will be cooler. That is the reasoning for my hypothesis and the reason why I decided to do and choose this project for the science fair.
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School: John J Young Middle School
Grade: 8
Category: ETSD
Abstract: With bridges being a vital form of transportation for hundreds of years, it is important for civil engineers to know which bridge is going to be the most successful for daily use, but which bridge angle is going to be the strongest? This project observes how the angles of the trussels in a truss bridge affect how much weight the bridge can hold. The experiment was tested by forming three similar bridges with different truss angles such as 60, 30, and 20 degrees. The bridges were put on two supports, and weight increments were slowly added to the top. My hypothesis was that if the bridge angle is smaller, then it will hold more weight. The experiment resulted with more acute angles holding the most weight: 60° supporting 24.5 kg, 30° supporting 49.2 kg, and 20° supporting 70.8 kg; the material use of the bridges was also taken into consideration. With the results of the project, it should be taken into consideration that smaller angles in a truss bridge will support the most weight when carrying heavy loads. It should also be kept in mind that the material cost of the bridges does affect how much the bridge can hold, and should be further investigated to provide clearer results.
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School: NIRSEF
Grade: 8
Category: BEHA
Abstract: This experiment is important because it shows that eye movement will not give away subterfuge. This information helps people with their jobs and everyday lives. For example, police officers: if they are asking someone questions, studying the person’s eyes is not a reliable way to tell if that person is deceiving them. How does lying affect the eyes? I thought telling a lie would cause a person’s eyes to dilate, or look up and to the left. That theory was proven wrong by my experiment. A person's eyes will not do any one predicted thing. For my procedure, I asked 25 people six questions each. I told each person to lie on three of those questions and tell the truth on the others. On each question, I observed the movement and dilation of their eyes. I found that my hypothesis was wrong after collecting my data. Only 12% of people showed eye indications of subterfuge. In conclusion, lying does not affect the eyes in any one specific way. The results highly contradict my hypothesis because I thought that when someone is lying, their eyes will go up and to the left or dilate, but my results tell me that a person’s eyes could do absolutely anything when they lie. I would improve this experiment by testing more people so that the results are more accurate. I would also video record subjects while answering, so I could have the option to watch the recordings and make sure my markings are correct.
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School: Saint Anthony De Padua School
Grade: 8
Category: CHEM
Abstract: In this project, the researcher wanted to find out what type of paint binder most affects the intensity of color change in a multi-layer pH-Indicator paint. The hypothesis stated that if the paint binder is more porous, like egg yolk and gum arabic, then the color change will be more intense, because acids and bases can diffuse more easily through the paint layers to reach the pigments. This was partially correct, for both gum arabic and egg yolk had an average color change intensity of 2.5 in the red cabbage solution and 3 with the turmeric solution. However, the binder with the most intense change was white glue with an average of 4.5 with red cabbage and an average of 5 with turmeric, even though it is less porous than both egg yolk and gum arabic. This could be because white glue retains moisture and trapped the pH indicator pigments close to the surface. Overall, while more permeable binders such as egg yolk and gum arabic often allowed greater color spreading, the strongest color change intensity was not produced by the most porous binders. A possible error in this experiment's procedures could be an uneven paint layer thickness or an inconsistent drop placement on a layer. Further studies and projects could test the porosity of solutions more directly to determine whether diffusion rate directly correlates with color intensity.
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School: St Vincent DePaul School
Grade: 8
Category: MATS
Abstract: My project is “What brand of paper straw proves to be most durable in carbonated drinks?”. To make this project happen, I first begin by laying out all the materials: three cups, three straws, sparkling water, and a timer. Second, I pour half a cup of sparkling water into the measuring cup and pour it into a clear cup. Then I repeat for two other cups. After that, I drop each straw into its corresponding cup at the same time. (Obtain help from a partner) I begin the timer. Check each straw every 2 minutes to observe its durability status. Continue this process until one straw is no longer durable. After taking the straw out, I did a scratch test to see if the paper was still sticking to the straw or falling off. Then compare the results. After doing my results, Gusto is less durable, and it did not hold up as expected. On the other hand, Natrualik came in first and held up very well, and Weemium is better than Gusto but worse than Natrualik. My hypothesis was incorrect. Gusto was not the most durable. Naturalik proved to be the most durable of the 3. Weemium was a bit more durable than Gusto . I did a scratch test on all of the straws. Gusto easily shredded apart, Weemium proved more durable in the scratch test, only falling apart slightly. On the other hand, Naturalik barely fell apart during this test, proving to be the best.
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School: NIRSEF
Grade: 8
Category: CHEM
Abstract: This student has not yet submitted an abstract.
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School: Central Catholic Jr-Sr High School
Grade: 9
Category: ROBO
Abstract: This project uses a smart camera to provide tools for animal care through the mobile identification of pathogens and the detection of toxic plants. The objective is to develop AI models that can easily classify microbes in cultures and also assist animal owners in removing toxic plants harmful to animals and livestock. I collected images and trained the AI to identify common pathogens, such as Aspergillus and E. Coli, and toxic plants. I then put the AI models on a smart camera that has a microscope lens attachment. This could be an inexpensive education tool that can also be used for field applications.
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School: Marian High School
Grade: 9
Category: BEHA
Abstract: Boundary extension is something people’s minds do when looking at pictures of objects. Instead of seeing and remembering a picture exactly as it looks, people extend the borders and fill in parts beyond the edges of the image (Intraub & Richardson, 1989). Research has shown that boundary extension is greater when pictured objects are perceived as closer, but it is unclear how other features like the number of objects in a picture contribute to the effect. In this study, a publicly available large dataset (Bainbridge & Baker, 2020) was used to examine how subjective distance and number of objects relate to boundary extension. Results replicated the subjective distance effect: the closer the objects were perceived, the greater the boundary extension. The original study was extended by comparing the original object counts to two new methods of counting objects (human and GPT-5.2). Although the different counting methods were not strongly correlated, they all showed greater boundary extension for images with fewer objects. Further analysis showed that subjective distance and number of objects are confounded in natural images. When one variable was held constant, subjective distance continued to show a strong association with boundary extension, but number of objects did not. These findings suggest that subjective distance plays a stronger role in boundary extension than number of objects. A future study should generate new images where subjective distance and number of objects can be experimentally manipulated independently to test their effects.
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School: Penn High School
Grade: 9
Category: PLNT
Abstract: This study examines how Wifi, a non-ionizing radiation operating at radiofrequencies of 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz, affects the growth and development of living organisms. Specifically, two plants, Raphanus Sativus (Cherry Belle Radish) and Lepidium Sativum (Garden Crest) are exposed to the most common Wifi devices in use today, namely, a Wifi booster, iPhone, and iPad. These devices are ubiquitous–found in almost every public and private space –and are nearly inseparable from people in the modern world. Yet, the effects of Wifi on living organisms are not well known and remain obscure. In this experiment, the plants were physically separated into four groups under the same environmental conditions (sunlight, water, temperature, soil) with three groups exposed to a Wifi booster, iPad, and iPhone, respectively, and one group without a device serving as the control. Observations of growth and measurements of plant height were taken and recorded daily. The results demonstrate that the germination of Raphanus Sativus occurred more rapidly when subjected to Wifi radiation, especially from the Wifi booster. In addition, the seeds of this plant were more likely to germinate in all three groups subjected to Wifi than in the control group. In general, this plant appeared to thrive more when exposed to Wifi, showing a more effective and rapid seed germination, larger overall leaf widths, and taller plants during development. The effects of Wifi on Lepidium Sativum were less pronounced, as all groups appeared to germinate and grow similarly, demonstrating that Wifi affects plants differently.
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School: DeKalb High School
Grade: 9
Category: PHYS
Abstract: I made a wind tunnel to test different angles of attack of a wing to see at what angel makes the most air disturbance.
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School: DeKalb High School
Grade: 9
Category: ENEV
Abstract: As chicken farms increase in numbers in America, so does chicken manure production. With manure comes ammonia, the chemical that not only smells bad but can be harmful to people and chickens. This led to the purpose of my project, which was to economically reduce ammonia levels in chicken manure to result in healthier chickens and lower costs. The methods of this project were testing the starting Parts Per Million (PPM) of the chicken manure for 6 variables and control. Test three trials for each variable and control, each with one pound of chicken manure then, add 1 cup of each variable to the correct container. Then measure the PPM of all 21 trials after 1 hour, 7 hours, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 days after starting. My hypothesis is that the 100% zeolite variable will decrease the ammonia the most compared to the control and maintain a level that is healthy for chickens and people. The results showed that the Zeolite variable did the best compared to the control. The microporous arrangement of the Zeolite variable allowed it to absorb the NH_4^+. In conclusion, the zeolite variable was the best ammonia reducer for chicken manure since it was the cheapest, most effective, and has no negative effects on most crops. This will entice farmers to use chicken manure over synthetic fertilizers and encourage chicken farmers to use zeolite as an ammonia reducer for chicken manure. This will result in better health for chickens, fields, and people.
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School: West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School
Grade: 9
Category: EAEV
Abstract: Motor vehicle exhaust, industrial facilities, and wildfires are all affecting the air quality around us. Such processes emit pollutants such as particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), ozone (O₃), and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). Particulate matter's compound, such as PM10, is usually from vehicles, while PM2.5 is influenced by chemical reactions. O₃ is formed through the reaction of gases in the presence of sunlight and is a part of photochemical smog. NO₂ is released from fuels used in industrial and transportation areas. This project examines three different machine learning (ML) models to predict air pollution as a function of local pollution-affected processes. The focus is on predicting the air quality using weather and traffic data. Using weather and traffic data could establish a direct way to predict pollution in real time using information such as how many cars are currently on the road. Weather also affects air quality because rains can wash pollutants out and wind can move pollutants away. My project aims to identify the relationship between these different variables using 3 different ML prediction models, which are compared to each other in their efficacy. The 3 different models include Gradient Boosting, K-Nearest Neighbor, and Random Tree. All three of these models have different ways of predicting air quality levels. They are compared by metrics such as RAE, RMSE, MAE, and R² for error and using a confusion matrix for their precision.
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School: Signature School Inc
Grade: 9
Abstract: This student has not yet submitted an abstract.
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School: Signature School Inc
Grade: 9
Category: BEHA
Abstract: Smartphones are deeply integrated into students’ daily lives, and frequent notifications may interrupt sustained attention during academic tasks. This study examined whether realistic phone notification sounds significantly affect typing performance among high school students. Thirty-four high school students completed two standardized typing trials lasting 3 minutes and 45 seconds. To control for practice effects, the study used a counterbalanced design in which participants completed both conditions: one silent control condition to establish a baseline and one experimental condition in which three realistic phone notification sounds were played at predetermined intervals. Results showed a decrease in performance during the notification condition. Mean typing speed declined from 59.79 words per minute (WPM) in the silent condition to 56.15 WPM when notifications were present, representing a 6.1% reduction. A paired-samples t-test confirmed that this difference was statistically significant (t(33) = 5.51, p < .001, Cohen’s d = 0.95). Mean typing accuracy also declined from 92.9% to 90.2%, suggesting that auditory distractions affected both speed and precision. These findings indicate that even brief notification sounds can disrupt focused typing tasks and increase the difficulty of maintaining sustained attention. Overall, the results highlight that digital interruptions can impose a measurable performance cost on student productivity during focused academic work.
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School: Terre Haute South Vigo High School
Grade: 9
Category: PHYS
Abstract: As we continue to launch satellites into orbit around the Earth, the risk of close conjunctions and even collisions between satellites and debris steadily grows higher. This may lead to a dangerous scenario in which multiple collisions could cause a cascading effect, damaging or destroying many or most satellites in orbit and making Lower Earth Orbit virtually unusable. This currently hypothetical scenario was termed "Kessler Syndrome" in 1978 by Donald Kessler and Burton Cour-Palais. In this project, I attempted to learn more about the effect high-profile constellations, such as SpaceX's Starlink or Amazon Leo (formerly known as Project Kuiper) can have, especially as constellations swell to thousands of satellites. So, using data from space-track.org, a website run by USSPACECOM, I wrote a program using the coding language Python, with some debugging assistance from ChatGPT, to examine every satellite that space-track.org provides data on and analyze its orbit. Each satellite's orbit was compared with approximately 30,000 tracked objects in orbit and conjunctions, meaning close encounters between satellites, were analyzed. The variability of each satellite's orbit was closely approximated using estimated covariance data based on historical satellite information. From there, using the method proposed by Salvatore Alfano in 2005, I calculated the probability that each pair of conjoining satellites would collide.
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School: Penn High School
Grade: 9
Category: BMED
Abstract: Over 389,000 people develop colon/lung cancer annually. This project investigated how Cisplatin chemotherapy treatment on colon/lung cancer cells impacted gene expression for GATA4, FOXD2, ZNF558, RNF8, and NR5A1. Results will determine if any selected genes are potential biomarkers for Cisplatin treatment; identifying biomarkers can improve cancer treatment/outcomes. It was hypothesized that in colon cancer GATA4/ ZNF558 will decrease, FOXD2/ RNF8 will increase, and NR5A1 will show no change in expression and in lung cancer, the expression of the GATA4/FOXD2/ ZNF558 will decrease, RNF8 will increase, and NR5A1 will show no change in expression. Colon/lung cancer cell lines previously treated with Cisplatin had their cDNA frozen. Thawed cDNA from these cells was used and the expression of GATA4, FOXD2, ZNF558, RNF8, and NR5A was measured. The data was amplified by a qPCR machine; the mean was calculated using the delta-delta CT method. T-Tests to determine statistical significance were performed. Utilized prior data of gene expression in blood cell lines to interpret trends of sensitivity or resistance. In colon cancer cell lines, FOXD2 is a potential Cisplatin resistance biomarker while ZNF558 and RNF8 are potential sensitivity biomarkers. All RNF8 timepoints are statistically significant (p <0.05). GATA4 is not expressed in the colon. In lung cancer cell lines, 2 timepoints for 3 genes were potential Cisplatin biomarkers. FOXD2 and GATA4 align with potential resistance patterns and ZNF558 align with potential patterns of Cisplatin sensitivity. Select gene timepoints were statistically significant (FOXD2 18h p <.01; ZNF558 6h p <.01 and 18h p <.1).
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School: Carmel High School
Grade: 9
Category: BMED
Abstract: Neuroblastoma is a rare but deadly pediatric cancer that originates from immature neurons called neuroblasts. Neuroblastoma hides in the body going undetected from immune cells, allowing the tumor to grow. Traditional treatments are limited, making an urgent need for new therapeutic approaches. One promising approach is cancer vaccines, which use tumor-specific antigens (epitopes) to train the immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells. My objectives are to identify the specific neuroblastoma epitopes that could be used for the vaccine, identify the tumor specific target on the B-Cell receptor, and to see the epitope-BCR binding. I hypothesize that E1 on neuroblastoma will bind the strongest to the B-Cell receptor and will be used to advance the peptide vaccine. For methodology I used several computational tools: AlphaFold3 to predict the 3D structures of the B-Cell receptor and the tumor specific target, and P2Rank and ScanNet to identify potential epitope binding sites. Protter and The Human Protein Atlas to analyze amino acid organization. Docking tools (GRAMM, PLIP) to study interactions such as hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic contacts between epitopes and B-Cell and Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis to compare epitopes. The results showed that CD79a and CD79b were identified as tumor-specific targets on BCR. Docking analysis showed that E4 had the most hydrogen and hydrophobic bonds with BCR and my hypothesis was denied. Using this research, I can expand on E4 and create the peptide vaccine that will allow the immune system to recognize the neuroblastoma antigens and kill the tumor.
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School: Heritage Hills High School
Grade: 9
Category: BCHM
Abstract: Vitamin C is an essential nutrient used by the body for many forms of biosynthesis. Biosynthesis is the process by which a living organism produces a chemical compound. Because vitamin C is used to make these necessary compounds, problems occur when we do not have enough of it. When you have a vitamin C deficiency, you can develop scurvy and anemia. This need for vitamin C is why so many people eat fruits and drink things like orange juice. This project is all about finding out the amount of vitamin C in three different orange juices. Orange juice number one was made of only naval oranges squeezed the night before the experiment. Orange juice number two was from Edwardsville, Illinois, and was a Prairie Farms brand. It had a mix of juices from Florida, Brazil, Mexico, and Costa Rica. The third orange juice was from Florida and was a Tropicana brand; it had no pulp and contained juices from both the U.S. and Brazil.
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School: Lafayette Jefferson High School
Grade: 9
Category: ANIM
Abstract: what did you you do, why did you do it, what did you find out and why does it matter?
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School: Islamic School of Indianapolis, MTI
Grade: 9
Category: MCRO
Abstract: This experiment investigates the impact of sound frequencies on the growth of yeast, specifically Saccharomyces cerevisiae. My experiment exposes yeast cultures to an 800 Hz sound wave at 75-80 decibels for 28 hours, comparing their growth to a control group kept in silence. Despite prior research suggesting that sound waves can influence microorganism development, the results indicated minimal to no observable difference in growth between the sound-exposed and control groups. These findings suggest that, within the short incubation period, sound frequency and decibel level do not significantly affect yeast growth. This research contributes to understanding the potential effects of sound on microorganisms and highlights the need for further studies with extended exposure times and varied sound parameters.
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School: Terre Haute South Vigo High School
Grade: 9
Category: EAEV
Abstract: Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the most sensitive regions to climate change because of projected heat and drought in this agrarian region. I will be creating a precipitation prediction model for the Sub-Saharan Region (from roughly the north of Zambia to the south of Botswana). This region is very vulnerable to variations in precipitation levels, as a large percentage of the population practices subsistence farming. The features for this model include a dendrochronological precipitation reconstruction, and satellite data from the region. To create the dendrochronological reconstruction, I sampled 23 trees in Zambia in July 2025 and developed a tree-ring chronology from scratch from Julbernardia paniculata, which is now one of the longest and best dated chronologies in the region. I downloaded 19 other chronologies from the International Tree-Ring Databank (ITRDB) and analyzed them for dating quality and climate signal. I narrowed this down to the four strongest climate sensitive chronologies to combine with my own tree-ring chronology to build a strong regional precipitation reconstruction for January. I downloaded the satellite data from NASA's Earthdata website. After preprocessing all of these features, I put them into a series of several gradient tree models. I then stacked the results of these models to create an ensemble prediction model for precipitation in the Sub-Saharan region. I was able to use the long-term tree-ring reconstruction to model future low frequency variability and combine that with the high-frequency satellite data to create an precipitation forecast.
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School: Signature School Inc
Grade: 10
Category: PHYS
Abstract: Projectile motion under quadratic air drag produces nonlinear trajectories, making the determination of range-maximizing launch angles dependent on object-specific parameters. In this study, we computed optimal launch angles for various object shapes, masses, areas, and velocities using high-fidelity numerical simulations. By constructing a dimensionless parameter Pi incorporating drag coefficient, mass, area, and initial velocity, we found that the optimal angle decreases concavely as Pi increases, revealing a generalizable scaling trend. We then trained machine learning models on the simulated data, achieving accurate predictions of optimal angles for previously unseen parameters, closely matching the numerically computed results. This work demonstrates how combining classical physics, dimensional analysis, and modern machine learning can provide predictive insight into complex nonlinear systems.
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School: Marian High School
Grade: 10
Category: ENBM
Abstract: Current prosthetic arms can cost from 2000 to 5000 dollars just for an immovable cosmetic arm that has no replication of any motion present in regular arms joints. There are thousands of people including many veterans who have either lost or were born without an arm that can't afford one, even the cheapest option. The main focus is developing a joint, specifically an elbow joint, that can effectively replicate the movements of a regular elbow weather that be extension (straightening the arm) or flexion (bending of the arm).Also developing it in a 3d software then printing it to help with affordability. I started my building in Tinkercad where I developed my idea for an elbow joint based off of certain hinge mechanisms that can be found on knees joints. Once the joint was finished I fastened two wooden dowels on either end of the joint with some glue and tape and glued a mannequin hand on the end of the “forearm” dowel. For my testing I gathered all the degrees of extension and flexion in the elbow for three different age groups of male and female. I then took the measurements of the prosthetic and matched it up to one of the groups. The closest gender and age it resembled was an adult female. The project proved successful because I proved that a simpler more cost effective alternative can be developed for the expensive prosthetic joints on the market today.
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School: West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School
Grade: 10
Category: CBIO
Abstract: Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world, accounting for over 2 million deaths annually. This high mortality rate stems from a lack of early diagnosis, with approximately 84% of lung cancer patients receiving treatment late. Current diagnostic methods, such as surgical biopsies, are inaccurate and often require additional procedures to confirm diagnostic status. Biopsies are also largely inaccessible, costing up to $30,000 for a single surgery. Researchers have turned to molecular biomarkers as a more accurate and cost-effective alternative to traditional diagnostic methods. Heat shock proteins (HSPs), especially HSP90α, are frequently overexpressed in cancer patients and can be used as accurate indicators of lung cancer. However, limited studies have been done to comprehensively synthesize its accuracy in lung cancer diagnosis. The goal of this study was to perform a systematic review and bivariate meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic performance and clinical practicality of HSP90α as a biomarker for the detection of lung cancer. A literature search was conducted across PubMed and PROSPERO databases. Following PRISMA guidelines, 8 quality datasets comprising 3,624 patients (2,080 cancer cases and 1,544 healthy controls) were analyzed. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA 19.0, a statistical software program, to calculate its accuracy and potential clinical power. HSP90α was found to be a robust biomarker with significant accuracy in identifying cancerous patients and differentiating between cancerous and healthy patients. HSP90α stayed stable despite varying datasets, showing its reliability and applicability to different clinical settings across the world.
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School: Carmel High School
Grade: 10
Category: CBIO
Abstract: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a clinically aggressive and heterogeneous form of cancer with highly variable responses to neoadjuvant therapy. TNBC makes predicting pathological complete response (pCR) even more challenging than other cancers, given its negative responses to three key receptors: HER2, estrogen, and progesterone. While pCR is strongly associated with improved prognosis, the relative contributions of tumor-intrinsic biology and the tumor immune microenvironment to treatment response remain blurry. Our study compared predictive models for pCR in TNBC and identified molecular, stromal, and immune features most strongly associated with therapeutic outcomes. We analyzed TNBC patient datasets from cBioPortal with annotated molecular subtypes, tumor characteristics, immune infiltration metrics, stromal composition, and PD-L1 expression. Distinct patterns in pCR probability emerged across molecular subtypes. After experimentation, HER2-enriched tumors showed strong associations with pCR consistent with increased chemosensitivity. Higher stromal scores were negatively associated with pCR, suggesting that stromal-rich tumors may reduce therapeutic effectiveness. Normal-like and Luminal B subtypes demonstrated smaller effects consistent with lower proliferative activity, while immune-associated features trended toward higher pCR probability, supporting the role of immune engagement in response to neoadjuvant therapy. Overall, our findings indicated that pCR in TNBC is shaped by both tumor-intrinsic subtype biology and the surrounding microenvironment. Incorporating stromal and immune-related characteristics improved predictive modeling and provided a more comprehensive understanding of treatment response variability. We experimented on five models using consistent features to predict pCR outcomes, including random forest, logistic, gradient boosted regression, neural network, and support vector models. Our logistic model provided regressions based on both numerical and categorical variables, with one-hot encoding and feature scaling applied to ensure model interpretability, resulting in high contributions from the features PAM50 Subtype HER2, TNBC Subtype Basal-Like 2, TNBC Subtype, Immunomodulatory TNBC Subtype unknown, and stromal score. The random forest model served as an ensemble-based approach as it integrated features based on multiple decision trees to derive feature importance with impurity reduction, providing results featuring mutation count, PDL1 Combined Positive Score, CD3 Positive IHC (%), stromal score, and tumor purity having the highest importance. Using a gradient boosted regressor allowed us to eliminate errors and maintain a clearer picture of pCR interactions, with mutation count, PDL1 Combined Positive Score, CD3 Positive IHC (%), stromal score, and immune score having high importance. Our support vector machine acted as a supervised machine learning algorithm to help as a classification model for complex biological data and resulted in CD3 Positive IHC (%,) stromal score, PDL1 Combined Positive Score, mutation count, and TNBC Subtype Unspecified having high importance. Finally, our deep neural network used its artificial neurons in multiple hidden layers for predictive modeling to derive complex relationships, citing the strongest relationships in the features immune score, CD3 Positive IHC (%), stromal score, PDL1 Combined Positive Score, and mutation count. Our study utilized the receiver operating characteristic area under the curve (ROC AUC) in order to provide more accurate results and analyze the positive correlation between our PAM50 subtypes, PD-L1 expression, stromal composition, tumor purity, and pathological complete response. Our logistic regression model achieved a score of 0.68, the highest score in comparison to the four other models we experimented with, meaning it has greater capacity in predicative power. The different machine learning models used different methods of ranking feature importance, but some features remained significant across the models, such as the mutation count, stromal score, and PAM50 subtypes. We demonstrate that pCR results in TNBC react positively to tumor subtype and microenvironmental context, in tandem with multiple factors influencing some features’ stronger contributions relating to the prediction of pCR. These factors, paired with our analytical models, further TNBC pCR research and earlier diagnosis to aid in prevention and patient care.
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School: New Tech Institute
Grade: 10
Category: ENEV
Abstract: This project investigates whether geothermal energy systems can be made more efficient by employing gravity-assisted water circulation rather than conventional electrical pumping. A working model was constructed in which water flows downward through a copper tube under the force of gravity and is heated to simulate geothermal conditions. As the water transitions to steam, it rises naturally and drives a turbine connected to a generator, producing electricity. The system successfully demonstrated energy generation without mechanical pumps. To evaluate real-world implications, a comparative analysis was conducted using typical geothermal plant data. Conventional systems often require pumps that consume approximately 5–15% of total energy output (parasitic load). In contrast, a gravity-assisted design could reduce this requirement to approximately 2%, significantly improving net efficiency. For a modeled 100 kW system operating at a 90% capacity factor, this reduction corresponds to an estimated annual energy savings of approximately 63,000 kWh and cost savings exceeding $10,000 per pump. These findings suggest that incorporating gravity-driven flow into geothermal systems may reduce operational energy demands and improve overall sustainability. Future research should focus on scaling the system, accounting for pressure-dependent boiling conditions, and optimizing system geometry for real-world geothermal reservoirs.
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School: Fishers High School
Grade: 10
Category: CBIO
Abstract: Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most significant risks that that health industry faces today. Antibiotics are considered crucial, very common forms of treatment for a wide variety of diseases and ailments. However, just as we adapt and evolve to resist the effects of viruses and bacteria, microbes also grow accustomed to the treatments we use to get rid of them. Over time, the treatments are rendered completely ineffective. While we can try and use new treatments that are stronger, scientists are worried that our current methods, which are designed to reduce cost as much as possible, are too dependent on standard antibiotic protocols and will lead to quick efficacy loss. In this project, I use a large database Mendeley to train a machine learning model to identify a series of key points about AMR in clinical scenarios. Using some basic information of the patient and a resistance gene biomarker, my model was trained to identify which of the most common antibiotics for a given disease will be most effective. The data included patient age, gender, the presence of resistance genes, and the susceptibility to a set of antibiotics. Then, the model was tested by giving it the patient data and resistant genes, and it attempted to correctly output the susceptibility to the common antibiotics. The model achieves a high accuracy and can be used in clinical settings to give doctors guidance on which one to use (given other factors are constant). This is important because not only are patients less likely to stay sick or worse because they will be more likely to receive the correct antibiotic, but also, this guarantees that only microbes who have less exposure to such antibiotics are used, slowing down the overall process of resistance development. In the future, more genes, diseases, and antibiotics should be tested to expand the optimal usage of antibiotics and, using the data found, we can design, perhaps utilizing more AI models or Monte Carlo simulations, full cycling routines using combinations of antibiotics that will be the least likely/take the most time to develop any resistance.
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School: New Tech Institute
Grade: 10
Category: PHYS
Abstract: In multi-body systems, the orbits of objects are defined in the balance of multiple forces, including gravity and centrifugal force. Lagrange points are 5 locations in a three body system where the smallest body can maintain a fixed position relative to one of the larger bodies given certain assumptions. The most important one being that the smallest of the bodies is miniscule compared to the larger two. Two of the Lagrange points, L4 and L5, are stable on astronomical timescales, which allows them to collect small bodies such as asteroids and comets in their orbits, which can remain there for long periods of time. While they are unstable, the first three Lagrange points are also very useful locations for artificial satellites. Like this project’s predecessor, this project simulates the motion of these bodies using discrete time steps, which, while not perfectly accurate, do provide a reasonably good approximation of the actual motion of these bodies. This project makes multiple improvements over its predecessor, including changing the calculations to be three-dimensional, having the planets be affected by the gravity of each other, and refactoring much of the code to improve its scalability.
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School: Marian High School
Grade: 10
Category: MATS
Abstract: If glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane (GFRTPU) matches or exceeds the creep resistance and thermal stability of fiberglass epoxy resin, then GFRTPU should be considered an alternative material for wind turbine blades. Wind turbine blades are typically manufactured with fiberglass epoxy resin, which presents significant recycling challenges. This research investigated Elastollan® R3000, a recyclable GFRTPU, as a potential alternative material. GFRTPU samples were tested under three thermal conditions (68°F, 120-140°F, 160-200°F) with a ~5.5 oz load to measure creep behavior, and three samples were tested on an electronic tensile testing machine at ~65% ultimate tensile strength (UTS). Comparative analysis with wind turbine blade specifications revealed that Elastollan® R3000 maintains predictable dimensional stability with minimal creep throughout testing. Unlike traditional fiberglass epoxy composites that require complex modeling to predict progressive deformation over 20–25-year service lives, GFRTPU ensures the 23× safety factor remains constant throughout the blade's operational lifetime while enabling full material recyclability at end-of-life. The research supports the hypothesis that GFRTPU has the potential to replace fiberglass epoxy resin in wind turbine blade applications.
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School: Angola High School
Grade: 10
Category: BMED
Abstract: Lacking knowledge about malignant neoplasms is a predominant issue for patients and people around the world. Without knowledge of what to look out for, people do not know when to seek medical attention because they are not aware that they have cancer. The methods and materials I used in gaining an in-depth understanding of any disease is the first step in knowing what to look out for, and that is what led me to choose this project. I began with the idea that cancer affects every family. I expanded that with the intention to spread awareness and provide a detailed explanation of malignant neoplasms. I started by researching each category individually, then cross-referencing my information and filtering through what I wanted and what I did not want to include. Finally, I gathered all of my online material and put it together. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world, and being able to understand and comprehend it is a fundamental skill for raising awareness and recognizing risk factors. The future of medicine is ever-changing: new cancer studies and drug trials are coming out daily. The goals of this project are to raise awareness of the characteristics of malignant neoplasms and to promote caution regarding potential risk factors that can increase the likelihood of developing a malignant neoplasm now or in the future.
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School: Marian High School
Grade: 10
Category: BCHM
Abstract: When food is cooked and processed in any way, it risks losing some of its nutrients to water and high temperatures. This study seeks to investigate which standard method of cooking keeps intact the greatest amount of the vitamin b12 (cobalamin) in nori, a b12-rich dried seaweed made of algae that serves as a cobalamin source for individuals without animal products in the diet. This experiment used Ocean’s Halo Sushi Nori. The control sample was one sheet left uncooked. The cooking methods used on the remaining three samples were as follows: boiled in water for five minutes, microwaved for 90 seconds, and oven-baked at 400 degrees Celsius for ten minutes. The resulting samples were then each emulsified with 250mLs water to form a solution, and each solution was scanned using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer at wavelength 360nm to detect the remaining concentration of b12 (cobalamin). The results supported that the uncooked nori had the highest presentation of b12 at a mean concentration of 1.055, while the microwaved nori had the highest remaining b12 levels of the cooked samples with a mean concentration of 0.934. The baked nori presented a mean concentration of 0.607. The boiled nori presented a mean concentration of 0.268. The highest value of the vitamin was present when no cooking at all occurred. Of every cooking method, microwaving was the least detrimental to the cobalamin content.
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School: Signature School Inc
Grade: 10
Category: PHYS
Abstract: Solar flares are a major component of understanding solar weather. Geometric storms resulting from solar flares can cause catastrophic damage to man-made satellites in space, disruption to GPS and radio signals, power grid issues, and significant damage to sensitive technologies on earth, particularly in regions closer to the poles. Solar flares originate from active regions, which are temporary areas on the surface of the sun that have much stronger magnetic fields than surrounding areas. Forecasting solar flares and understanding the characteristics of the sun’s active regions is critical for anticipating such storms so that infrastructure can be protected. In this research, various multimodal machine learning architectures including CNN-LSTM, TCN-CNN, CNN-Transformer, and VitTransformer stack, were used to forecast solar flares and predict active region characteristics in the future using both magnetograms and numerical features. After being trained, validated, tested, and compared, the models showed that the TCN-CNN was the strongest classification model for solar flare forecasting and the CNN-LSTM was the strongest model for active region characteristic prediction, with both models achieving strong performance. This research helps earth to anticipate solar flares earlier, helping minimize damage to satellites and ground infrastructure.
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School: NIRSEF
Grade: 10
Category: EBED
Abstract: Throughout critical operations and natural disasters, communication is of the utmost importance. During such operations, centralized communication systems are often used, relying heavily on centralized infrastructure such as base stations or cell towers. This system introduces a single point of failure, which is extremely volatile during emergencies. This project investigates the development of a portable mesh Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) system capable of operating in lieu of fixed infrastructure. The system contains nodes that have a microcontroller, radio frequency communication module, integrated GPS, and custom-made printed circuit boards. When the nodes are initialized, the nodes establish an adaptive mesh network, allowing for packets to be relayed between nodes using multiple hops without needing line-of-sight (LOS) radio communication. The system, Stress-Induced Link Evaluation for Network Tactical meshes (SILENT-MESH), integrates end-to-end encryption, Morse code fallback, GPS broadcasting, and distress signaling protocols. SILENT-MESH also utilizes radio frequency hopping to reduce foreign interference and improve connectivity in degraded and congested environments. SILENT-MESH and hardware testing demonstrate the network's ability to maintain and preserve accurate and efficient packet transmission despite node failure, demonstrating the resilient nature of a decentralized communication network. The results yielded from the project suggest that mesh communication systems can become a practical alternative for tactical field operations, emergency response teams, and remote fieldwork where typical fixed infrastructure is absent or inoperative.
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School: Culver Academies
Grade: 10
Abstract: This research examines how exposure to emotional content on social media, beyond time spent online alone, influences young adult mental health, with a focus on sleep as a behavioral pathway and content-aware feedback as a potential intervention. Using a multi-study design integrating behavioral science, statistics, and data science, four studies were conducted. Study 1 analyzed survey data from 503 young adults (ages 18–25) and found that exposure to negative emotional content was significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms, with sleep quality mediating this relationship. Study 2 used an experimental design in which participants were randomly assigned to view social media posts varying in emotional tone; exposure to negative content led to worse immediate mood and greater intentions to delay sleep. Studies 3 and 4 introduced and evaluated Mooditer, a privacy-preserving application that analyzes and summarizes users’ emotional exposure patterns. Compared with time-only feedback, content-aware feedback provided by Mooditer significantly increased awareness of emotionally risky exposure and strengthened intentions to regulate nighttime social media use. Together, these findings suggest that emotional characteristics of social media content play a critical role in young adults’ well-being and highlight the potential of targeted feedback tools to support healthier digital behavior beyond conventional screen-time limits.
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School: Noblesville High School
Grade: 11
Category: CBIO
Abstract: Cancer remains a major global health burden, with ~20 million new cases and 9.7 million deaths in 2022. Yet it comprises over 200 molecularly distinct subtypes, and real-world datasets are heterogeneous and subject to domain shift. Within-cancer cross-validation is an incomplete proxy for clinical readiness, since models performing well in-distribution often degrade on unseen tumor types. We introduce OmniSurv, a transformer-based, foundation-style model that learns a reusable, cancer-agnostic patient representation from six modalities: whole-slide histopathology, RNA expression, copy-number variation, somatic mutations, clinical variables, and retrieval-augmented biological knowledge. OmniSurv integrates (i) norm-balanced semantic tokenization to map disparate modalities into a shared embedding without dominance, (ii) cancer-conditioned cross-attention with prototype-based conditioning that generalizes to unseen tumor types without labels at inference, and (iii) a genomic recovery and anti-collapse design to preserve weaker omics streams. Trained on 10 TCGA cancers (n=3,137), OmniSurv achieves validation C-index 0.78, exceeding recent multimodal pan-cancer models (~0.72–0.76). Under cancer-type-level zero-shot holdout across 22 unseen cancers (n=3,455), it attains C-index 0.63 with significant stratification (HR 2.01), outperforming clinical Cox baselines (~0.53) and prior multimodal methods evaluated under the same protocol. The learned embedding strongly supports multiple downstream tasks without retraining. Zero-shot cancer classification reaches 95.4% accuracy; patient retrieval exceeds 96% recall@10; biomarker prediction achieves AUROC 0.92 (KRAS) and 0.86 (TP53), Tumor Mutational Burden R² ~ 0.87; survival calibration time-dependent AUC 0.81; subtype discovery separates IDH1/2 glioma with 0.89 purity; out-of-distribution detection achieves AUROC 0.93, enabling safe fallback. OmniSurv establishes a single, transferable cancer representation that generalizes to unseen tumors and powers multiple clinical tasks, moving beyond one model per cancer prediction toward deployable precision oncology.
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School: Culver Academies
Grade: 11
Category: ENBM
Abstract: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are a clinically valuable biomarker for cancer prognosis and treatment monitoring, yet their extreme rarity and heterogeneity make reliable isolation challenging. Current clinically approved platforms primarily rely on immunoaffinity capture targeting epithelial markers, which can fail to detect CTC subpopulations undergoing phenotypic transitions and often suffer from limited throughput and cell loss. To address these limitations, this project presents the design of a label-free dual-field microfluidic chip that integrates inertial microfluidics and acoustophoresis for high-efficiency, size- and property-based CTC separation. In the proposed system, an upstream inertial microfluidic module exploits size-dependent lift and Dean forces to pre-focus larger tumor cells and enrich them toward a designated streamline while removing smaller blood components. Downstream, a standing surface acoustic wave field is introduced to apply differential acoustic radiation forces, enabling fine discrimination between CTCs and leukocytes with overlapping size distributions. To ensure long-term operational stability, the chip incorporates a hybrid anti-adhesion strategy, combining microscale SiO₂ micropillar arrays to maintain elevated near-wall shear stress with antifouling surface chemistry to suppress nonspecific cell–surface interactions. Numerical modeling and benchtop microbead experiments are employed to guide channel geometry, flow conditions, and field parameters, establishing a systematic design framework for dual-field coupling. By unifying passive inertial separation, active acoustic manipulation, and anti-adhesion engineering, this work proposes a scalable and clinically adaptable microfluidic architecture for robust, label-free CTC isolation, with potential applications in precision oncology and liquid biopsy workflows.
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School: Signature School Inc
Grade: 11
Category: ANIM
Abstract: The eastern hellbender population has undergone significant decline in comparison to historical ranges, especially throughout the Indiana region. While they used to be found throughout Southern Indiana in clear creeks and watersheds, eastern hellbender populations have been systematically extirpated by human interference, until they only reside in one place within Indiana, the Blue River Watershed. Discovering an indicator that marks a healthy hellbender breeding site could assist scientists when they place artificial breeding centers to stimulate hellbender reproduction. Over the course of this experiment, I collected water samples from the Blue River and well as four other rivers in which hellbenders historically resided. My aim was to see if water conductivity was a consistent measure for the reproductive success of hellbender populations. This experiment had two analysis stages; first, I measured the water conductivity of the samples and compared them to TDS and nitrate on two separate scatter plots. Since TDS and nitrate are both impactful to the survival of aquatic life, comparing them to conductivity and running a regression test could reveal how water conductivity aligns with other factors impacting the watersheds. The second stage involved comparing water conductivity to the presence of a hellbender population, to confirm whether my hypothesis, which stated that a lower conductivity would indicate a hellbender breeding ground, was correct. The first stage only yielded half of the results expected—the conductivity showed an incredibly strong correlation with TDS, supporting the idea that conductivity was a solid indicator of overall watershed health, but the conductivity had almost no correlation with nitrate levels. This could be a result of algal growths in watersheds periodically absorbing nitrates from the water. The second stage, on the other hand, did not quite yield the expected results. The Blue River had the second lowest conductivity, but was surprisingly high overall, with an average of 634.6 μS/cm. The Anderson River was the outlier in this experiment, with a surprisingly low conductivity of 392.8 μS/cm. With this in mind, I am forced to hesitantly reject my hypothesis, but bearing in mind that other factors outside of my experiment could have impacted the presence of aquatic life within the watershed.
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School: West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School
Grade: 11
Category: BEHA
Abstract: The use of Generative AI or GenAI among high school students is rapidly increasing. Concerns about over-reliance and other potential negative impacts have raised questions about whether GenAI is helpful or harmful for students’ learning. Despite its widespread adoption among high schoolers, few studies have examined GenAI use among high schoolers. To address this gap, we surveyed 49 high school students to investigate the following research questions: (a) How do high school students use GenAI?, (b) How is GenAI use associated with students’ goal orientation?, and (c) How is GenAI use associated with learning behaviors and outcomes? By answering these questions, this study aims to provide insights to help students to use GenAI in an appropriate way and inform teachers to guide students’ GenAI use to support learning.
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School: West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School
Grade: 11
Category: ENBM
Abstract: Cells regulate how they behave in their environment through molecular clutch mechanisms that actively bind and unbind under different types of forces and loads. This property of cells leads to them adjusting their force in response to changes in stiffness and mechanical resistance. Robotic grippers generally lack this ability and instead rely on fixed control strategies that fail to function when object properties differ from their existing settings. This project explores how clutch-based mechanics can build a computational framework for adaptive gripping. A physics-based simulation of clutch dynamics was built in Python based on specific libraries such as NumPy, which leads to modelling each clutch element as a two-state (bound/unbound) system with force-dependent transition rates. Given changes were updated probabilistically, assisted by a Monte Carlo process, while the gripper-object interaction was modelled as springs in series with the utilization of Hookean mechanics. Object stiffness and deformation properties were mapped using metadata in the Yale-CMU-Berkley (YCB) object dataset to preserve mechanical realism. Each simulation produced mechanical response features, which include steady-state force, estimated stiffness, binding fraction behavior, and maximum supported load. To ensure performance differences were not artifacts of stochastic simulation noise, controller comparisons were evaluated using nonparametric inference. Permutation testing was used to assess whether observed endpoint differences could plausibly arise under the null hypothesis of no controller effect; bootstrap resampling was conducted to compute the 95% confidence intervals for mean performance differences. All analyses were performed in Python using fixed seeds to ensure reproducibility. Across 20,000 stochastic trials, the adaptive controller increased mean time-to-slip relative to fixed-force control (, 95% bootstrap CI excluding zero) and showed smaller but consistent improvement relative to PID control. The resultant features were clustered using K-means, which revealed three major, mechanically distinct groups corresponding to soft, medium, and stiff YCB objects. For each given cluster, an optimal grip force was defined as the minimum force required to avoid slip while remaining below the estimated threshold. This adaptive, cluster-based strategy was then compared against two traditional controllers: a fixed-force controller and a PID controller. Performance for all these models was tested across multiple trials using force stability, slip behavior, and statistical comparison of force variance. The "cluster-based'' adaptive strategy showed fewer varying forces and improved grip stability compared to both baselines. These results indicate that clutch-inspired adaptation can improve grip stability under mechanical uncertainty without requiring labeled object models.
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School: Marian High School
Grade: 11
Category: ETSD
Abstract: In aerodynamics, surface roughness plays a major role in performance, especially at low speeds. This project shows how different surfaces affect the lift-to-drag ratio of a small airfoil in a low speed, homemade wind tunnel, which operates at approximately 13 mph. Four identical NACA 0012 airfoils were tested, each with a unique surface: dimpled, smooth, rough 3D printed, and dimpled. Each airfoil was tested at angles of attack of 0, 4, 8, and 12 degrees. The Lift and Drag forces were measured using calibrated load cells, and multiple tests were conducted for each condition at each angle of attack. The results were computed and graphed. The results showed just how much surface roughness really affects aerodynamic performance. The dimpled and smooth surfaces produced the highest lift-to-drag ratios, particularly near 8 degrees angle of attack. The sandpaper surface showed consistently the lowest efficiency. Each surface showed expected aerodynamic trends, even showing the decrease of performance at higher angles due to the increasing of drag. The data suggests that surface texture and finish plays a major role in low-speed airfoil performance and supports the importance of smooth or dimpled surfaces in small aircraft and drone designs.
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School: Marian High School
Grade: 11
Category: BMED
Abstract: Effect of Lipopolysaccharide on Antibiotic Susceptibility in A. Baumannii Paloma Rizzi, Marian High School, Mishawaka IN, United States of America How does the absence of LPS affect antibiotic susceptibility in A. baumannii? A. baumannii is one of the few gram-negative species that can survive without lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a permeability barrier that forms in the outer membrane. It was hypothesized that the mutant (AB-84R) strain will be more susceptible to daptomycin and clindamycin than the wild-type (AB-84) strain due to the absence of LPS, and the opposite for colistin because it binds directly to LPS as its mechanism of action. AB-84 and AB-84R strains were cultured and plated onto agar plates. Antibiotic E-test strips were applied to each plate and incubated 18-24 hours at 37°C. MIC values were recorded and averaged across six trials. Statistical analysis was performed using Welch's T-test and fold-change. Results for daptomycin and clindamycin suggested that AB-84R was more susceptible than AB-84. Daptomycin was the most resistant to the AB-84 strains with an MIC average of 256ug/mL, while its AB-84R strain average was 3.67 ug/mL. Clindamycin had an AB-84 average of 219 ug/mL and an AB-84R average of 1.42 ug/mL. Colistin’s results only supported the hypothesis in two trials, while all other trials demonstrated increased susceptibility to AB-84R. Colistin’s AB-84 average was 171 ug/mL, and its AB-84R average was 3.83 ug/mL. This research demonstrates the importance of LPS’s function of regulating antibiotic entry. Understanding LPS’s role is necessary for developing effective antimicrobial treatments.
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School: Marian High School
Grade: 11
Category: ENBM
Abstract: Non-invasive detection of disease biomarkers has the potential to transform early cancer screening and long-term health monitoring. Diabetes affects over 400 million people worldwide, while lung cancer and liver cancer are among the leading causes of cancer-related death. Early and accessible monitoring could improve outcomes for these populations. This project presents the development of an Airborne Biomarker Localization Engine (ABLE), designed to collect and analyze biomarkers from open air. The device was designed using SolidEdge 3D and fabricated with a PLA 3D printer. ABLE operates by drawing ambient air into a chamber where it mixes with water vapor and condenses on a cooled plate. The condensed liquid then flows into a collection reservoir for analysis. To validate performance, experiments were conducted using controlled concentrations of glucose and ethanol solutions as model biomarkers. Twelve glucose concentrations were tested and analyzed with commercial glucose test strips. Color changes were quantified using CIELAB color space analysis to objectively measure intensity differences based on concentration. Three ethanol collections were also performed to evaluate the device’s capability to collect volatile organic compounds. Evaporation rates of biomarkers were studied with an optical contact angle goniometer to compare physical properties that influence collection. Results show that the redesigned ABLE device successfully collects measurable samples and distinguishes concentration differences through quantitative analysis. These findings support the feasibility of condensation-based biomarker collection for non-invasive monitoring. Future work will focus on enhancing efficiency, adding real-time sensing, and expanding to clinically relevant biomarkers for broader applications.
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School: West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School
Grade: 11
Category: TMED
Abstract: Malaria is among the earliest documented infectious diseases in humans and remains a major global health challenge. In malaria-endemic regions, anemia substantially worsens outcomes, and severe malarial anemia is a medical emergency in children and pregnant women with parasitemia. In holoendemic settings, more than half of deaths occur within the first 24 hours of hospital admission, underscoring that delays in recognition can be fatal. Yet malarial anemia is often missed because rapid, noninvasive point-of-care tools for fast-track detection are limited. In resource-limited settings, separate malaria and anemia tests can fail to flag an imminent emergency and miss the narrow window for life-saving transfusion. Here, we present spatial and textural (radiomic) analyses of smartphone photographs of the palpebral conjunctiva (inner eyelid), coupled with hyperparameter-optimized neural networks, to directly detect malarial anemia noninvasively. This approach leverages readily accessible microvascular changes in peripheral tissue using images captured with unmodified smartphone cameras, offering practical advantages including ease of acquisition and direct visualization of microvasculature. Using data collected in malaria-endemic regions of Rwanda, our radiomics-based model demonstrates reliable performance in distinguishing malarial anemia from non-infected healthy cases. A supervised model optimized for direct malarial anemia detection outperforms an AND-gate combination of independent malaria and anemia detection models. Conjunctival smartphone imaging may enable scalable screening and support rapid triage and management of malarial anemia in resource-limited settings in sub-Saharan Africa.
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School: Terre Haute South Vigo High School
Grade: 11
Category: CBIO
Abstract: Prolonged spaceflight presents unique physiological challenges to the human body, many of which stem from the induced cephalad fluid shift that lead to reduced renal blood flow. This project investigates the molecular mechanisms behind sodium retention and fluid overload in microgravity, processes that remain poorly characterized at the molecular level, as specific pathways in this response are not well understood. Preliminary data from the NASA Open Science Data Repository dataset OSD-513, a transcriptomics study of Mus musculus kidney tissue in long-term spaceflight, revealed significant overexpression of genes in the 20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic Acid (20-HETE) metabolic pathway, specifically genes that coded for Cyp4a14 and Ugt1a enzymes, as part of the Cytochrome P450 (CYP) arachidonic acid metabolism pathway. Its downregulation in microgravity suggests that enhanced breakdown and elimination of 20-HETE may drive sodium retention due to the important role of this molecule. Building on this, the role of 20-HETE, a known inhibitor of sodium reabsorption, led to the central hypothesis that weightlessness promotes active metabolism of 20-HETE to favor sodium conservation. To test this, two follow-up experiments are proposed. First is the characterization of the temporal relationship between the expression of Cyp4a14 and Ugt1a and 20-HETE metabolite levels in mice during spaceflight. A simulated microgravity model would be used to determine whether pharmacological inhibition of 20-HETE metabolism can mitigate sodium retention. The findings of this study will provide critical insight into the kidney’s adaptive response to microgravity and may identify novel therapeutic targets for reducing the health risks of spaceflight-induced fluid shifts, ultimately improving astronaut health during long-duration missions.
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School: Signature School Inc
Grade: 11
Category: MCRO
Abstract: This study investigated how increasing concentrations of artificial sweeteners affect the growth patterns of Lactobacillus acidophilus, a beneficial bacterium involved in maintaining gut and female reproductive health. Previous research linking NNS to gut microbiome disruption led to the hypothesis that higher concentrations of artificial sweeteners would alter bacterial growth compared to a control. An in vitro experimental design was used in which L. acidophilus cultures were exposed to four concentrations (0, 20, 40, and 100 mg/mL) of artificial sweetener solutions containing aspartame and sucralose. After 24 hours of incubation on MRS agar plates at 37 °C, bacterial growth patterns were quantified using box-counting analysis to calculate colony fractal dimension (Db). Mean Db values increased with increasing sweetener concentration for both sweeteners. Statistical analysis using two-factor ANOVA showed that sweetener concentration had a significant effect on colony growth patterns (p = 0.0079), while sweetener type was not statistically significant. These results suggest that increasing concentrations of artificial sweeteners alter L. acidophilus colony morphology and spatial complexity, potentially indicating microbial stress or dysbiosis. Because Lactobacillus species play an important role in gut microbiome stability and the gut-vaginal axis, changes in their growth patterns may have implications for microbiome balance and female endocrine and reproductive health. Further research is needed to investigate long-term and in vivo effects of artificial sweeteners on microbial communities and reproductive consequences.
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School: Castle High School
Grade: 11
Category: EAEV
Abstract: Copper-containing materials are widely used for their antimicrobial properties; however, copper ion release raises concerns regarding potential environmental toxicity. This study examined the relationship between alloy copper composition, antibacterial activity, and copper ion release in pure copper, brass, and bronze when exposed to Escherichia coli K-12. Bacterial viability was quantified using colony-forming unit (CFU/mL) plate counts, and copper ion release was measured using a colorimetric copper assay. A resazurin-based metabolic assay was employed to assess antibacterial activity; readings affected by instrument instability were excluded from analysis. Results demonstrated a statistically significant inverse relationship between copper content and bacterial survival, with higher copper alloys producing greater reductions in CFU/mL (p < 0.001). Pure copper exhibited the strongest antibacterial effect but also released the highest concentration of copper ions. In contrast, brass and bronze showed substantial bacterial inhibition while releasing comparatively lower levels of copper ions. These findings suggest that copper-containing alloys may be optimized to achieve effective antimicrobial performance while minimizing excessive copper ion release, with implications for safer material selection in environmental and public health applications.
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School: Lafayette Jefferson High School
Grade: 11
Category: CHEM
Abstract: The current process of making transportation fuels from refining crude oil. This process consumes a high amount of energy leaves behind toxic byproducts. However, there is a way to make gasoline from natural gas by using C3 and C2 hydrocarbons. This process uses catalysts to make the large hydrocarbon chains that fuel consists of. In this experiment catalysts are tested to see what acid sites are present and to see conversion rates of polyene from propene oligomerization. The catalysts will be used to make hydrocarbon chains via oligomerization and olefin cracking. Infrared Spectroscopy will also be used to properly pinpoint what active sites are on the catalyst compared to that of zeolites. It is hypothesized that immobilized Td aluminum ions on amorphous silica will form Lewis acid sites similar to ones found in zeolites and be active for hydrocarbon reactions. The results of this experiment showed that the catalysts had Lewis active sites and they performed the reactions that yielded the same products as that of zeolites. The chemical reactions done are different due to the different kinds of active sites zeolites and the tested aluminum silicate but they resulted in the same hydrocarbon chains to be made. These results will help improve knowledge on making fuel from small olefins into fuel hydrocarbon chains. If this process of making larger hydrocarbons can become a reliable low energy way of making fuel, fuel production will have no toxic byproducts and be energy efficient.
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School: Carmel High School
Grade: 11
Category: CHEM
Abstract: Aryl Bromides are significant compounds that have great potential in cross-coupling reactions and interconversions of functional groups. At a larger scale, they play a role in the development of agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and materials manufacturing. To functionalize these groups, the most current approaches are with metal catalysts. However, a direct activation of C(sp2)-X through photochemistry is lacking because of the limiting negative reduction potential that Aryl bromides possess. Therefore, it becomes imperative to evaluate NHC’s validity as a photocatalyst for the functionalization of aryl bromides (borylation) because of their ability to become powerful electron donors when excited under light. Thus, a mild, photo-redox-catalyzed protocol for the oxidative coupling of aryl bromides with boronic esters is reported, enabled by N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) acting as stand-alone photocatalysts. This transition-metal-free approach eliminates the need for exogenous photocatalysts, ligands, or thermal activation, offering a sustainable and operationally simple alternative to conventional methods. This system underscores the untapped photochemical potential of NHCs in driving single-electron transfer (SET) events under visible light irradiation. By leveraging their inherent electron donating ability and persistent carbene character, this methodology expands the reactivity space of NHCs beyond traditional umpolung catalysis involving Breslow intermediates. This work contributes to the exploration of carbene-centered photoredox chemistry and establishes NHCs as viable photosensitizers for photoredox-catalysis.
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School: Lafayette Jefferson High School
Grade: 11
Category: BCHM
Abstract: The formation of insoluble amyloid fibrils from proteins is responsible for many different diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The ability to label these fibrils has the potential to be able to detect these diseases. In my experiments, I developed probes (Z compounds) to label protein amyloid fibrils, such as those from hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) and alpha-synuclein. Human lysozyme can form amyloid deposits in the liver leading to a fatal disease, and alpha-synuclein aggregation can lead to the formation of Lewy Bodies leading to Parkinson’s disease and dementia. Protein aggregation to form fibrils involves burying hydrophobic groups of the protein inside of the fibrils to form a hydrophobic core. I hypothesize that the more hydrophobic the components are within the probes I develop, the better they will detect the amyloid fibrils by fluorescence. I found that my hypothesis was correct proving that the more hydrophobic the compounds were the greater the increase in fluorescence with the HEWL amyloid fibrils. I also found that I could use these probes to rapidly monitor the dissolution of the HEWL amyloid fibrils. Finally, I found that two of the Z compounds were also able to fluoresce with alpha-synuclein fibrils, showing the utility of these compounds to probe two different protein fibrils. Overall, two compounds (Z-61 and Z-62) worked better than the known thioflavin T (ThT) with the HEWL fibrils, and one compound (Z-100) performed as well as ThT with two different amyloid fibril samples. Ultimately this work could provide new probes to monitor diseases based on amyloid fibrils formation from proteins.
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School: Signature School Inc
Grade: 11
Category: CELL
Abstract: This student has not yet submitted an abstract.
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School: Culver Academies
Grade: 11
Category: ETSD
Abstract: The application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Search and Rescue operations is highly limited due to the low adaptability and durability of conventional UAVs with rigid structural designs. A transformable drone, or Morphobot, therefore exists to resolve this issue through transforming based on the surrounding to better adapt to the environment. Previous solutions such as Multi-Modal Mobility Morphobot, or M4, have provided an approachable path in Morphobot design. (Sihite, E. et al, 2023) However, M4’s joint design connected servos right on the joint axle, causing potential vulnerabilities to external forces when experiencing accidents. This study, therefore, focuses on redesigning the UAV’s joint structure through implementing self-locking multi-link system. Such design improves structural durability as external forces are now redirected to rigid structures rather than servo. Testing results have shown that over 70% of the force has been redirected to structural components that would otherwise damage the servo. The electronics are not experiencing force and are excluded from the force-resisting structure. This redesigned joint structure shows significant improvement in structural durability and is helpful to make M4 more durable in SAR operations. The improved durability of M4 allows the UAV to search into collapsed buildings without concerns on structural failure due to falling rocks or other accidents during the operation and ensures the safety of human rescuers as the UAV can be operated remotely to maneuver or transform by commands from the rescuers in safe zones.
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School: Culver Academies
Grade: 11
Category: EBED
Abstract: Ankle joint injuries are common and have risks of long-term functional impairment if rehabilitation is not timely and efficient. Traditional rehabilitation methods rely heavily on therapist experience, lack quantitative assessment, and are difficult to sustain in domestic settings. To overcome these limitations, an intelligent assistive diagnosis and rehabilitation device for ankle injuries is developed to improve rehabilitation accuracy, safety, and accessibility. The system adopts a serial multi-degree-of-freedom structure driven by three servo motors whose rotational axes intersect at the anatomical center of the ankle, enabling all six fundamental ankle movements. Torque sensors provide real-time force feedback for motion assessment and safe patient usage, while an embedded controller and wireless communication support data acquisition and user interaction through PC end and mobile phone end self-designed applications. Experimental results show that the device's motion range fully covers normal ankle movement and that calibrated torque thresholds allow responsive and safe assistance. The system demonstrates the ability of combining quantitative evaluation and multimodal rehabilitation in a low-cost solution, helping to engage accessibility from home.
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School: Signature School Inc
Grade: 11
Category: MCRO
Abstract: Putrefaction, the microbially driven secondary stage of decomposition, is mediated in part by quorum-sensing (QS) pathways that coordinate collective bacterial behaviors including biofilm formation, motility, and virulence factor production. The LuxS/AI-2 system is a well-characterized interspecies QS mechanism in Escherichia coli that regulates group-level gene expression through accumulation of the autoinducer molecule AI-2. Disrupting AI-2 synthesis or signaling represents a promising antivirulence strategy to attenuate putrefactive progression without inducing the selective pressures associated with conventional antibiotics. This study investigated whether two plant-derived flavonoids—dihydromyricetin (DMY) and baicalin—could modulate LuxS/AI-2-dependent quorum sensing in E. coli (K-12 strain) and consequently suppress putrefaction in a controlled meat-spoilage model. Stock solutions of each flavonoid were prepared in 95% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at concentrations of 1 mM, 5 mM, and 10 mM (DMY: MW ≈ 320.25 g/mol; baicalin: MW ≈ 446.36 g/mol). E. coli cultures were exposed to each flavonoid-DMSO formulation in LB broth overnight, with final DMSO concentrations maintained at ≤0.5–1% to isolate flavonoid-specific effects. Treated overnight cultures (100 µL) were then inoculated onto uniform fresh pork samples, with a minimum of three replicates per condition, alongside an untreated E. coli control. Inoculated samples were incubated at controlled room temperature and observed daily for five days using a standardized decomposition rubric scoring odor intensity, color change, surface texture, and visible microbial growth on ordinal scales (0–3 per category). It was hypothesized that baicalin-treated cultures would exhibit slower spoilage progression than DMY-treated cultures, reflecting baicalin's documented efficacy in disrupting membranes, inhibiting metabolic enzymes, and attenuating biofilm formation. Additionally, 10 mM concentrations of both flavonoids were predicted to produce the most pronounced suppression of putrefactive indicators, with 10 mM baicalin expected to outperform 10 mM DMY. Qualitative observations over five days revealed that both flavonoids suppressed decomposition indicators, with 10 mM concentrations performing best for both compounds. The two flavonoids exhibited distinct mechanistic profiles: DMY produced the slowest overall spoilage progression across all rubric categories, while baicalin most effectively reduced visible slime and biofilm formation. These divergent outcomes suggest that DMY and baicalin modulate putrefaction through different downstream pathways within the LuxS/AI-2 system, supporting their potential complementary use. This work addresses a gap in the literature connecting flavonoid-mediated QS inhibition with observable decomposition kinetics and has potential implications for food preservation, forensic science, and the development of antivirulence therapeutics that circumvent antibiotic resistance mechanisms.
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School: Signature School Inc
Grade: 11
Category: EAEV
Abstract: Every year, 3.2 million people die from air pollution from cooking, and globally, it’s the 2nd risk factor of death due to particulate matter and carbon monoxide emissions from the incomplete combustion of solid fuels. Cancer and lung irritation in millions of people, in addition to negative environmental effects, could be prevented if the emissions of these pollutants were reduced. While transitions to electric cooking are ongoing, fuels like biomass briquettes and charcoal are still widely used, and the full transition could take decades. This study investigates the effectiveness of surface-applied, locally accessible mineral additives in reducing combustion emissions without compromising fuel performance. Commercially available charcoal briquettes were treated with slurries of various minerals at controlled mass ratios. Each condition was combusted individually and real-time concentrations of PM10 and CO were measured at fixed distances using air quality sensors. Combustion duration and qualitative flame characteristics were also recorded to assess burn quality. Preliminary results showed that certain mineral additives significantly reduce peak PM₂.₅ and CO concentrations compared to untreated fuels, with minimal impact on combustion stability. The findings from this show that modifying biomass fuels with inexpensive, safe, and widely available materials could offer an effective solution to reducing household air pollution during the energy transition in settings where clean cooking technologies are not yet universally accessible.
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School: West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School
Grade: 11
Category: SOFT
Abstract: Molecular geometry optimization is a key part of a lengthy drug discovery process that takes over 12 years and has an approximately 90% failure rate. Faster molecular optimization (MO) can significantly speed up drug candidate screening. Computational models, including DFT, perform MO by finding the lowest-energy structure. However, they can have accuracy limitations, such as difficulty correctly describing weak interactions (e.g., van-der-Waals). Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE) solves this, providing an exponential advantage using quantum computing. Screening with VQE can reduce the number of physical molecules synthesized by 30-50%, potentially shaving 6-12 months off the pre-clinical development timeline. Quantum computing with VQE can potentially perform complex molecular geometry optimizations that would take thousands of years in days or hours. However, estimating the Hamiltonian energy required for VQE is inefficient, representing a fundamental bottleneck due to costly and slow measurements. In this project, a Hamiltonian energy estimator, SymQNet, was developed. SymQNet relies on reinforcement learning to strategically maximize the amount of useful information from a single Hamiltonian measurement, leading to lower error compared to baseline estimation methods (HAL-FI and GreedyBED). Ablation studies removing key components degraded performance, supporting SymQNet’s architectural choices. SymQNet offered flat runtime scaling up to 20 qubits, indicating significant potential for application to larger optimizations. In this work, MO on VQE with SymQNet’s energy estimation reduced VQE shot attempts by 46.7% and achieved a speedup of 1.88x compared to VQE with standard Pauli-Term estimation. Overall, results suggest that SymQNet offers a significant advancement in VQE for drug discovery.
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School: Hamilton Southeastern HS
Grade: 11
Category: SOFT
Abstract: Alzheimer’s disease and age-related cognitive decline limit memory engagement and caregiver insight for millions of older adults. This project developed and evaluated RecallLive, an AI-assisted mobile application designed to support structured memory interaction for senior adults. The system integrates three coordinated subsystems within the RecallLive Cognitive Support System (RCSS): (1) the ReLive Visual Composer (RVC), which extracts metadata and applies temporal and spatial clustering logic to generate structured memory videos; (2) the ReLive Response Analyzer (RRA), which employs a convolutional neural network deployed on-device to classify frame-level emotional responses and construct video-specific emotional timelines; and (3) an LLM-based Engagement Report Generator that converts aggregated emotional classification outputs into interpretable summaries for caregivers through a secure dashboard architecture. Evaluation was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 involved a video-based usability assessment with 102 U.S. adults aged 65 and older. Participants completed a structured survey measuring usability, engagement, design, usefulness, and intention to use. All scales demonstrated strong reliability (Cronbach’s α = .88-.94). Engagement (M = 4.16/5.00) and perceived usefulness (M = 4.11/5.00) were rated highly. Perceived usefulness strongly predicted intention to use or recommend the application (R² = .665, F(1,100) = 198.5, p < .001). Phase 2 included hands-on usability assessment with five participants, confirming clarity of navigation and interpretability of emotional feedback. Results suggest that combining AI-driven emotional analysis with structured visual memory exposure is both technically feasible and scalable for real-world use. This study demonstrates how integrating machine learning with user-centered mobile design may support proactive cognitive engagement strategies for aging populations.
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School: West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School
Grade: 11
Category: CBIO
Abstract: One in 8 men get prostate cancer in their lifetime. Unfortunately though, single drug treatments for prostate cancer often cause the cancer to develop resistance to these drugs and transform into a more aggressive form. A possible solution to combat this drug resistance is to prescribe patients a mixture of two or more drugs, called combination therapy. However, there are millions of possible combinations for treatment, as the drug space is vast. This means we need a screening method to reduce the number of plausible combinations for scientists to test in labs. This is exactly what my project PROC-DOT does. PROC-DOT uses genetic data to rank drug combinations. It hinges on the idea that better drug combinations should be able to reverse the negative effects of a disease genetically. Using this technique and methods to reduce the dimensions of the dataset, PROC-DOT was able to rank 87,571 drug combinations for prostate cancer in terms of how effective they would be, by predicting the combination's gene expression. Numerous combinations that ranked well on PROC-DOT were confirmed by literature. Additionally, PROC-DOT was validated on a lung cancer dataset where it predicted resultant gene expression vectors for combinations with a high level of accuracy. Overall, PROC-DOT serves as an initial screening method for drug combinations, and has the potential to significantly decrease the costs and time spent on finding ideal drug combinations in future lab trials.
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School: Marian High School
Grade: 11
Category: BCHM
Abstract: A bioassay is required to assess the potency of a novel drug. A whole-animal potency test can be developed using a generated strain (tgMORr) of the nematode C elegans. The strain contains the human mu-receptor, allowing them to respond to opioids. Before working with them, brine shrimps will be used as a model to develop methods for handling small organisms. To do so, it is important to observe their behavior in a controlled environment and how they react to being dosed with drugs. My hypothesis is that if brine shrimp are dosed with drugs, then their speed and behavior will change due to having receptors that can detect changes in their environment. Firstly, brine shrimps were raised to adults and dosed with drugs (caffeine, alcohol, procaine, xylazine), with all–except alcohol (0.1, 0.5, 1.0%)–having the treatments (.25, .5, 1.0mg/ml), each being videoed for 30sec at 10min intervals for 40min. The videos were analyzed via ImageJ for movement and speed. Compared to the control, caffeine-treated brine shrimp showed similar or higher speeds. Alcohol-treated and procaine-treated displayed similar or decreased speeds. Xylazine-treated showed decreased speed, having the most variability out of them all. Overall, these results support that the drugs do induce a behavioral effect on brine shrimps. By doing this project, it provides a foundation for bioassays using C. elegans by developing methods to handle small organisms. In the long term, this will provide a relevant method on testing the potency of novel drugs.
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School: Marian High School
Grade: 11
Category: PHYS
Abstract: Photometric measurements of the eclipsing binary star system V808 Aurigae show that its orbital period is changing. Past research has suggested that these changes are due to an exoplanet. Using photometry, I tested my hypothesis that V808 Aurigae has a planet orbiting it. Analysis was performed using photometric data collected by Professor Peter Garnavich of Notre Dame. Python software was used to calculate mideclipse times and orbital periods and perform statistical analysis of the system. Subsequently, data was compared to an ephemeris found in Schwope et al. (2015) and other data from Fig. 4 of Leichty et al. (2024). The average orbital period of the system was 0.08138135239274998 JD, approximately 2 hours (SD = 2.573496933694353 x 10-6 JD, n=2). The mean O - C value of the eclipse (calculated from the ephemeris in Schwope, et al.) was approximately 59 seconds (SD = 1.7192730143841273 sec, n=6). Results are compatible with those in Fig. 4 of Leichty et al., where, after approximately 2016, O - C values are consistently between 40 and 60 seconds. Using mathematical analyses and existing models of the system, I concluded through my study that V808 Aurigae does have an exoplanet orbiting it. This research is important because it places our solar system in perspective, challenging current understandings of orbital mechanics and the diversity of solar system formation, and potentially advancing the search for extraterrestrial biology. Further research should be conducted on the system to increase confidence in my conclusion and uncover the properties of V808 Aurigae’s planet.
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School: Marian High School
Grade: 11
Category: BCHM
Abstract: Gold nanoparticles have a wide range of applications and on a small scale have many electrons available to react making them convenient to attach other molecules to through the use of thiols. The goal of my project was to synthesize gold nanoparticles and measure the binding of Immunoglobulin G and gold nanoparticles to protein A or G using UV-Vis spectrophotography. My methods were synthesizing the gold nanoparticles by preparing a gold citrate solution and heating it, conjugating Immunoglobulin G to nanoparticles, adding protein G to the immunoglobulin G bound nanoparticles. attempting to calculate the aggregation index, and run the solutions on a UV-Vis machine. I calculated the diameter, number of gold nanoparticles, the surface area per particle. the amount of Immunoglobulin G, the loading of Immunoglobulin G per molecule, the theoretical size and loading, and the estimated antigen binding capacity. There was a high loading of Immunoglobulin G on each nanoparticle, so I was unable to calculate the aggregation and binding constant of Protein G. I was successfully able to quantify the loading of Immunoglobulin G per nanoparticle and it aligned with what was theoretically expected. This project has many real world applications such a as point of care diagnostics, immunotherapy protocols, and protein purification processes. In order to calculate the aggregation I would repeat this protocol with a lower concentration of Immunoglobulin G to more easily allow the proteins to bridge between the nanoparticles and aggregate.
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School: Marian High School
Grade: 11
Category: BMED
Abstract: This experiment tests how ACE2 genotypes affect peoples' various symptoms of COVID-19.I wanted to test this because everyone has the ACE gene which allows the ACE2 enzyme to help regulate ANGII. There is an ACE gene variant called the I/D (Insertion/Deletion) variant which produces 3 genotypes: II, DI, and DD. These differ among individuals because each genotype influences how much of the ACE enzyme the body produces. ACE2 acts as a receptor for COVID as the virus is a spiked protein and it latches onto ACE2. This attachment initiates entry into the cells to become infected with COVID and when it's bound to the ACE2 receptor, this allows ANGII to injure tissue and contribute to the lung and heart injuries that COVID-19 patients usually have. Not everyone experiences the same symptoms though. My hypothesis is if we are able to test peoples' DNA, who’ve had COVID-19 before, then we’ll see a pattern with how their symptoms affected them corresponding to their ACE2 genotypes.
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School: Culver Academies
Grade: 12
Category: BCHM
Abstract: Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions have been majorly influenced by cement production. Microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) has emerged as a method for sequestering CO₂ in a stable form by utilizing calcium ions (Ca²⁺), the by-products of cement production. For this experiment, Bacillus subtilis was investigated, and it secretes both carbonic anhydrase and urease enzymes that accelerate calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) mineralization. To test the MICP efficiency of B. subtilis under different environments, four conditions – with urea, without urea, with urea & 50 mM HEPES buffer, and with urea & 100 mM HEPES buffer – were tested. The efficiency was measured by comparing the final CaCO₃ mass yield for each condition. The data show that MICP efficiency is optimal when both urea and HEPES buffer are present in the media. There was not a significant difference between the 50 mM and 100 mM HEPES buffer conditions.
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School: DeKalb High School
Grade: 12
Category: ROBO
Abstract: Chuck, a cornhole-playing robot. Problem statement - How can an industrial robot be mechanically designed and programmed to consistently throw a cornhole bag into a target from a fixed distance? Hypothesis: If a FANUC industrial robot is mounted securely, equipped with properly designed end-of-arm tooling, and programmed with repeatable motion paths, it will consistently throw cornhole bags toward the target with high accuracy. Our project demonstrated that an industrial FANUC robot can be adapted to perform a recreational task such as cornhole with high accuracy. This project highlights how industrial robots can perform non-traditional tasks when hardware and software are carefully designed and tuned. After testing and removing unnecessary variables (the inconsistent bean bags), Chuck had reached 94% accuracy.
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School: Carmel High School
Grade: 12
Category: CBIO
Abstract: Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, and early detection significantly improves survival outcomes. Subsolid pulmonary nodules, including ground-glass nodules (GGNs) and part-solid nodules (PSNs), often represent early-stage adenocarcinoma and differ in radiographic appearance from solid nodules. Although deep learning models have achieved high overall performance in automated lung nodule detection, results are typically reported as a single aggregate metric without stratification by morphology. This study evaluated whether a 3D convolutional neural network (CNN) demonstrates morphology-dependent disparities in detection sensitivity using the LIDC-IDRI and LNDb datasets. Over 1,300 CT-derived 3D nodule volumes with expert annotations were analyzed. Nodules smaller than 3.0 mm were excluded, and images were normalized to preserve contrast differences. Data were split into 80% training and 20% testing sets with patient-level separation. The baseline model achieved 80% accuracy and 93% sensitivity on independent testing. However, stratified analysis revealed significantly lower sensitivity for GGNs compared to solid nodules. Logistic regression confirmed morphology as an independent predictor of detection failure (p < 0.05). To address this disparity, a morphology-aware training approach was introduced, improving detection performance for ground-glass nodules. The model was further extended to jointly predict morphology and malignancy, demonstrating the potential of explicit morphology modeling to enhance cancer detection. These findings highlight the importance of evaluating AI systems across clinically meaningful subgroups and suggest that morphology-aware approaches can improve equitable early-stage lung cancer identification.
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School: Carmel High School
Grade: 12
Category: ENEV
Abstract: As the most used man-made material, concrete is responsible for 8% of global CO2 emissions. The process of carbonation immobilizes CO2 into stable carbonates via dissolution and recombination with magnesium or calcium. This presents a dual opportunity when certain concrete aggregates are carbonated during curing: storing emitted CO2 in the concrete matrix while enhancing material properties. This research utilizes accessible aggregates to develop a structurally sound concrete mix that effectively sequesters CO2 upon carbonation curing. The concrete mixes were designed using an L9 Taguchi Array with 4 factors and 3 levels, creating 8 total mixes. Sequestration ability was measured by comparing samples cured in a pressurized chamber to identical samples cured in the ambient environment to determine the mass of CO2 gained. Structural strength was determined through compression testing, comparing experimental samples versus control samples and industry standards. Each experimental sample captured between 2 and 5 grams of CO2 per 28.3 cm^3, with the best mixes capturing 5.9% of their total mass. All experimental samples withstood higher compression than their control counterparts, with 3 mixes surpassing industry standards for commercial use. Based on the initial data, regression was used to design an optimized mix, the samples of which captured 6.4 grams of CO2 (6.6% of their original weight). By developing mixes that both sequester atmospheric CO2 into concrete and gain compressive strength, this project advances a path towards a scalable and sustainable method of concrete production and a circular carbon economy.
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School: North Posey Sr High School
Grade: 12
Category: BEHA
Abstract: I decided this project would be good for me to conduct because I struggle with sleep. With all the changes happening in my life this year regarding graduation and starting highschool my sleep schedule is all messed up. I kept my routine as normal as possible and wore my apple watch all day and overnight as well. After I woke up that next morning I would record my data and a short summary of what I did the day before. After conducting this experiment I cross examined all the samples and compared and contrasted them. In doing that, I found that if I waited to go to bed when I was tired I would have a higher sleep score and sleep for longer stretches.
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School: Lafayette Jefferson High School
Grade: 12
Category: ETSD
Abstract: Formula 1 is the most prestigious motorsport competition, with 10 teams competing on a track circuit using high-performance cars. Points are given to drivers that place high enough, with Grand Prix races lasting between one-and-a-half hours to two hours (Formula 1,2025). Drivers use their skill and strategic thinking to overtake. The points of interests, such as corners, on an F1 circuit are strategic areas for overtaking as the downforce created by the high G-forces experienced in high-speed cornering are exploitable and uncertain. As “downforce has a direct impact on road adhesion and cornering speeds,” a driver must properly assess how the grip will be affected by track conditions the nature of the POI (Downforce, 2025). Each track is composed of three distinct sectors that encompass different POIs. In instances where drivers misjudge an overtaking attempt or external factors unpredictably affect the cars grip, collisions occur. If trends of crashes and overtakes on F1 race circuits can be identified in relation to PIOs and sectors, then necessary areas of improvement can be found.
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School: East Noble High School
Grade: 12
Category: BEHA
Abstract: The experiment was conducted to see if AI can be a useful tool to help with retention and learning. It was hypothesized that neither method of study held an advantage over the other, and there would be no significant difference between the group. The experimental design consisted of two groups. One control group, with no AI, and the other experimental, with AI. Both groups were given a random topic to study. Each group, AI and No AI, was divided into three groups based on a topic. For this test, the three topics were, the Properties of Bismuth, the Romanian Revolution, and the History of Volleyball. Forty students were randomly assigned to a group and topic. They were given 10 minutes to prepare for a quiz on each topic. Some of the subjects used AI and others did not use AI. Test scores were collected and then analyzed via Welch’s independent t-test. Although there was a percentage difference between the AI and Non-AI test groups, it was not at a significant level with p> .05. In conclusion, the data shows no advantage or disadvantage in recalling facts statistically but does show a greater percentage of correct answers using AI.
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School: Carmel High School
Grade: 12
Category: CBIO
Abstract: Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is one of the leading causes of acute liver injury in the United States, accounting for 13% of all acute toxicity cases. DILI represents a persistent barrier to pharmaceutical development, as clinical trial rejections waste resources and delay critical medicine development. While machine learning models have been explored for DILI prediction through chemical structure analysis, a significant gap remains in bimodal approaches incorporating biological indicators. We propose HEPAR (Hepatotoxic Ensemble Predictive Analytics Resource), a novel machine learning framework that combines chemical structure analysis with bioindicator analysis for holistic DILI prediction. We compiled SMILES strings for 1,199 pharmaceutical compounds, analyzing topological and chemical fingerprints using the MACCS bit system, while sourcing enzyme-compound interaction data from bioinformatics APIs. HEPAR employs a diverse cohort of base learners including deep neural architectures, gradient-boosted decision trees, ensemble trees, and geometric classifiers, alongside Graph Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms to integrate metabolic data into predictions. Our model identified a novel, understudied structural bit significantly associated with DILI, prompting a hydrogen peroxide oxidation test using positive and negative controls. An ensemble-based voting system combining all base learners substantially outperformed individual models across multiple metrics. HEPAR achieved accuracy, MCC, and AUC-ROC values that consistently matched and frequently exceeded established hepatotoxicity prediction benchmarks. HEPAR demonstrates the effectiveness of a bimodal approach in DILI analysis and shows strong promise as an advancement in toxicity prediction, with potential to reduce drug development timelines and mitigate liver toxicity's impact on public health.
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School: Terre Haute North Vigo High School
Grade: 12
Category: ETSD
Abstract: 20% of total energy consumption is used to merely overcome friction (Holmberg and Erdemir, 2017). Friction comes from all places, with new rolling bearings accounting for over 420 terawatt hours of consumption (Bakolas et al). Bearings require proper lubrication to achieve peak performance. Ferrofluid, a colloidal suspension of ferromagnetic particles, has been explored as a lubricant due to its ability to be manipulated by magnetic fields but there is very little research in the application of ferrofluid in radial ball bearings. I designed and tested 3 different designs, two of which I replaced some of the bearings with magnets. I planned on observing how the introduction of magnets in the bearings would impact friction under load and at higher speeds. I was able to estimate the lubrication regime of my bearings by using the Stribeck curve and specific film thickness.
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School: Signature School Inc
Grade: 12
Category: CBIO
Abstract: Medical AI systems exhibit diagnostic failures on underrepresented populations that conventional fairness metrics cannot detect. Existing frameworks report average disparities but cannot guarantee safety at worst-case operating thresholds: a critical gap, given that clinicians select classification thresholds based on diagnostic context. We present DermEquity, a three-component pre-deployment stress-testing framework: (1) a balanced benchmark of 1,658 skin lesion images stratified by Fitzpatrick skin type and malignancy status; (2) Worst-Case Underdiagnosis Gap (WCUG), quantifying maximum false negative rate disparity across all 101 classification thresholds; and (3) Influence-Based Bias Attribution, employing leave-one-out analysis to identify training samples driving worst-case bias. InceptionV3 convolutional neural networks were trained on imbalanced datasets (0%, 5%, 10% dark skin representation), with rigor ensured via bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals and McNemar's test (α=0.01). A model achieving 76.4% average accuracy concealed a 6.8% melanoma miss rate gap on dark skin at threshold 0.40. Worst-case bias persisted across all representation levels: WCUG=0.047 at 5% and 0.027 at 10%. Across 200 leave-one-out models, 66% of top-50 bias-amplifying images depicted light skin tones; their removal reduced WCUG by 15.6% (0.0682 to 0.0576, p=0.008) without architectural changes. Augmentation achieved full bias direction reversal, catching 16 additional melanomas in 206 dark skin cases (26% FNR reduction, p=0.0118). DermiScope, a 3D-printed dermoscope under $30, pairs with Dermi, a mobile screening app, enabling real-world data collection. DermEquity establishes the first universal safety framework for medical AI, applicable across imaging domains.
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School: East Noble High School
Grade: 12
Category: BCHM
Abstract: In order to determine whether Bisphenol-A (BPA) exposure can cause biological changes, this project examined how BPA impacted Drosophila melanogaster reproductive capacity and behavior. Flies were exposed to three types of bisphenols: Pure Bisphenol-A (PBPA), Thermal receipt paper containing BPA (RBPA), and BPA-free thermal receipt paper (RBPS). Reproductive capacity was then measured at three different time periods via male, female, and total populations. Behavior was tested via pupal deposit height, the lowest, highest, and range, as well as an examination of larval activity. The data was then analyzed utilizing chi-squared tests, comparing each treatment group to the control. In terms of reproductive capacity, significant results appeared across all categories. PBPA appeared as significant across each time period and gender. RBPA showed significance in male and total counts, but appeared to have no effect on female population. Finally, RBPS had a varied significance pattern that showed no direct trend. In terms of behavioral significance, there was little to none. The only instance of significance appeared in a PBPA larval activity sample. Based on the chi-squared values proximity to a .05 p-value, there appeared to be very little correlation between the results and the variable. These results suggest that exposure to BPA can alter reproductive capacity in Drosophila melanogaster, but the extent varies based on concentration and method of exposure.
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School: Penn High School
Grade: 12
Category: BCHM
Abstract: Antibiotic resistance, the process by which a bacteria adapts to be able to survive antibiotic treatment, is of increasing concern. Liposomal enclosure of existing antibiotics has appeared as a popular method of circumventing antibiotic resistance, being shown to improve antibiotic efficacy in resistant strains. However, limited research has examined its effect on non-resistant strains. Solutions of 10, 50, and 100 µg/mL of ampicillin and streptomycin were prepared, along with equivalent solutions containing liposomes. These liposomes were made from injecting water onto dry phospholipids. We scratched E. coli onto 1 cm2 square segments on a petri dish, then tested the inhibitory effects of the solutions on the non-resistant E. coli samples, measuring the diameter of the area of inhibition on the bacteria. A two-way-ANOVA test was performed to determine the significance of the inhibitory effect of either antibiotic with versus without liposomal enclosure at the aforementioned concentrations. The p-values for liposomal versus non-liposomal treatments were 0.112 for ampicillin and 0.270 for streptomycin (α = 0.05), indicating no statistically significant difference. The lack of significant difference may have been due to improper liposomal enclosure. Alternative preparation methods, such as the ethanol injection method, should be tested to determine if the insignificance was due to improper enclosure. Additionally, since E. coli is Gram-negative, limited interaction between liposomes and the outer membrane may have reduced effectiveness. Using the same or similar procedure on a gram-positive bacteria should be performed to determine whether cell wall structure influences liposomal antibiotic delivery.
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