Nearly 30 students from IUSD secured top honors at the recent Orange County Science and Engineering Fair (OCSEF) across diverse categories.
These students will now head to the California Science and Engineering Fair and ThermoFisher Junior Innovators Challenge, scheduled to take place on April 12-13. This prestigious event will bring together some of the brightest young minds from across the state, providing our students a platform to showcase their innovative research and compete at the highest level.
The competition, divided into Junior and Senior levels, commenced last September, inviting students to submit their STEM projects across 20 category topics. This year, over 800 students from across Orange County participated. The winners in each category received a medal, certificate and cash prize.
Sebastian Alexis and Nathan Kang from Northwood High School and Annika Chatterjee from University High School were also nominated to attend the International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF) in May. Several IUSD students also won Special Award prizes, some of which also included cash rewards, from various STEM organizations.
"IUSD is proud of our student participants and their remarkable projects," stated Director of STEM Bob Curley. "Their accomplishments speak volumes about the commitment of our students and the guidance of our teachers, who continually inspire a profound appreciation for scientific inquiry.
Congratulations to all who participated and those who are moving on to the State competition!
Orange County Science and Engineering Fair Winners
Applied Mechanics / Structures & Mechanisms / Manufacturing
Srivardhan Dongre, Junior Division, First Place
Behavioral Science
Mark Menaker, Senior Division, Second Place
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Meghana Wuppalapati, Junior Division, First Place
Annika Chatterjee, Senior Division, Second Place
Daniel Nam, Senior Division, First Place
Botany Applications
Anchit Sinha, Junior Division, First Place
Parth Khetan, Junior Division, First Place
Cognitive Science
Julian Park, Junior Division, First Place
Electricity and Electronics
Eugene Dai, Junior Division, First Place
Shawn Castrapel, Junior Division, First Place
Max Castrapel, Junior Division, First Place
Sophia Dai, Senior Division, First Place
Energy Conversion & Alternative Energy
Max Chen, Junior Division, First Place
Noah Im, Junior Division, First Place
Abhijith Sivaprakash, Senior Division, First Place
Environmental Science & Environmental Engineering
Rhea Rejith, Junior Division, First Place
Fluids / Aerodynamics
Zain Alam, Junior Division, First Place
Dhruv Panchagatti, Senior Division, Second Place
Math & Software
Mikhail Buskin, Junior Division, First Place
Sebastian Alexis, Senior Division, First Place
Alvin Chen, Senior Division, First Place
Microbiology & Cell Biology
Zixin Zhao, Junior Division, First Place
Driti Rajkumar, Senior Division, First Place
Pharmacology & Toxicology
Nathan Kang, Senior Division, First Place
Physical Product Science
Kaden Ahuja, Junior Division, First Place
Physics & Astronomy
Suin Kim, Junior Division, First Place
Irene Yool Huh, Junior Division, First Place
Physiology & Medical Biology
Philip Park, Senior Division, Second Place
Special Awards
US Air Force Award
- Srivardhan Dongre, Junior Division
- Dhruv Panchagatti, Senior Division
Hitachi Digital Earth Alliance – Sustainability Award
- Rhea Rejith, Junior Division
The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation Award
- Abhijith Sivaprakash, Senior Division
- Driti Rajkumar, Senior Division
Society for In Vitro Biology Award
- Nathan Kang, Senior Division
Office of Naval Research – Naval Science Award
- Sebastian Alexis, Senior Division
- Alvin Chen, Senior Division
- Sophia Dai, Senior Division
The Lemelson Foundation – Early Inventor Prize
- Eugene Dai, Junior Division
American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics – 1st Place
- Mikhail Buskin, Junior Division
Orange County Water District Award
- Irene Yool Huh, Junior Division
Sea & Sage Audubon Society Award
- Kaden Ahuja, Junior Division
Regeneron Biomedical Science Award
- Annika Chatterjee, Senior Division
Dr. Harald Biessmann Memorial Award
- Daniel Nam, Senior Division
Orange County Medical Association – White Coat Award
- Daniel Nam, Senior Division