Four high school students from the Westman Region joined 400 youth from across the country, all with the same drive and passion for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)!  Diego Gaudet, Jessica Tichit, Armaan Chaudhari and Spencer Pearce scored top points at last month's Western Manitoba Science Fair in Brandon and went on to compete at the Canada Wide Science Fair (CWSF) held this year in Edmonton.

The Canada-Wide Science Fair is the country’s largest annual youth STEM event, bringing together top young scientists and their projects, selected from a national network of over 100 regional STEM fairs in every province and territory.

In Edmonton this week, all finalists were given an opportunity to compete for cash prizes, scholarships, and special awards, which were presented at the Thursday evening gala awards dinner.

The following are our 4 Westman students' research projects, and noted awards:

Spencer Pearce (École La Source, Shilo - Grade 10)

  • Title: Noise Pollution or Productivity? Investigating the Effects of Sound on Concentration

"Have you ever wondered if different sounds could improve concentration? In my project, I studied the effects of white, pink, and brown noise on concentration in a school environment. I had 150 participants complete memory and language tests with and without the different sounds. After analyzing the results showed that listening to those types of noises significantly improved concentration and memory, especially with white noise. Through this project, I aim to demonstrate the importance of sound as a tool for enhancing performance and retaining information in a simple, yet effective manner."

Spencer Pearce won a Silver Excellence Award in the Intermediate category for his project. The Excellence Awards recognize science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) excellence.

Also, Pearce won a SHAD Scholarship Award. Awarded to an enthusiastic intermediate finalist who demonstrates a strong desire to attend SHAD (a STEAM and entrepreneurship enrichment program) and interest in pursuing their potential as a Change Maker. $1000 towards the entrance fee to the 2024 SHAD Program.

 

Armaan Chaudhari (Vincent Massey High School, Brandon - Grade 9)

  • Title:  Antibiotics: Synthetic and Natural

"Antibiotics are commonly prescribed to treat bacterial infections. However, overuse and misuse of these drugs has caused a major worldwide problem of antibiotic resistance. On the other hand, people in many countries are dying simply due to unaffordability and poor access to these drugs. Therefore, it is important to find an alternative that would be effective, affordable, and cause minimal side effects. Kitchen spices are known to have antibacterial properties. In this experiment, antibacterial effects of spices and synthetic antibiotics were investigated. Results demonstrated remarkable antibacterial activity of garlic individually, and in combination with synthetic antibiotic streptomycin."   

Armaan Chaudhari has won a Bronze Excellence Award in the Junior category. The Excellence Awards recognize science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) excellence.

 

Diego Gaudet (École La Source, Shilo - Grade 11)

  • Title: Aversion Appetite

"Our society is based on our economy, but managing the economy is not as logical. My goal with this project was to analyze the biases that arise when dealing with money and risk with students in grades 7 to 10. There are two risk appetites that I have analyzed: risk aversion and risk appetite. My participants preferred risk appetite and demonstrated an evolution to aversion with maturation. It is important to estimate biases in our decisions and to make informed and logical choices in our everyday lives."

 

Jessica Tichit (École Harrison, Brandon - Grade 8)

  • Title: The Transportation & Storage of Electrons

"How do electrons move, and can we store them for later use?  I experimented with capacitors and made three of my own.  Spoiler alert they did not work as good as the factory ones!  Capacitors are fantastic to provide an energy source.  I learned that homemade ones can take a charge but do not hold it long enough to be useful.  In the future having safe, clean forms of energy is going to be very important and capacitors could be part of the solution."

 

Throughout the week in Edmonton, students participated in a variety of virtual science-based activities and workshops, as well as additional activities that included a night at the West Edmonton Mall, a full day at University of Alberta for campus tours and lab experiences, a CWSF talent show, an evening and the Telus World of Science centre.