On the 3rd of April, 2023: The state-level science fair was an exciting experience for all attendees, who had qualified from their respective district-level fairs– Hillsboro, Gresham, Lake Oswego, Portland, Corvallis, and more! Students from all over Oregon congregated in a ballroom to share their love for science and engineering. 

At the NWSES (North-West Science and Engineering Symposium) students got to spend a whole day– from 8am to 7pm– at Portland State University. There was judging, lunch, more judging, public viewing, special judging, and finally awards to end the long day. 

“I mean, I was too tired to be happy,” said senior Soren Tucker. Many students shared the same thought, because the day was jam packed full of things– albeit fun things– to do.

Sophomore Sujan Shadrak says the fair was fun, and “it was great to meet people across the state who did science fair.” Networking is a big part of science fairs, since students get to meet the best and brightest minds from across the state, plus expert adults from various STEM fields.

Tucker’s project, entered in the category of Microbiology, was about “understanding of nymphaea caerulea’s quorum sensing inhibition properties.” His team studied how properties could be utilized to “counteract the growing problem of antibiotic resistant bacteria.” His team won 3rd place in his category. “No cash meant we couldn’t gamble it all away,” but he was “a happy little fellow. [His team] listened to Ice Spice’s “Munch” in celebration.”

For Shadrak, winning the Sustainable Development special award “felt like what the goal of my project was.” His project was about the making of bio plastics, which are a much more sustainable alternative to the plastics we use today.

Although the ISEF season came to an end for most participating students, they learned invaluable skills.

“My group’s ISEF project was an immense learning experience,” says Tucker. “I was able to develop key project management skills, learned about project design, as well as gain priceless hands-on lab experience.”

Congrats again to everyone who participated! Contact [email protected] (Mrs. Danielle Schroeder) for information regarding 2023 ISEF sign-ups!