Winners
of 2005 California State Science Fair Announced
Two-Day Event Concludes with Awards Ceremony
LOS
ANGELES - Winners of the 2005 California State Science
Fair were announced among a cheering audience of students,
parents and teachers during an awards ceremony, hosted
by the California Science Center on May 24, 2005 at the
Sports Arena. The fair drew 955 students from 35 counties
statewide, with finalists selected by a volunteer pool
of over 300 scientists and engineers from private industry
and higher education. Students took home a combined total
of over $40,000 in cash prizes, with major support for
the Fair provided by THE MUSES of the California Science
Center Foundation and Raytheon.
Top
Awards
Terik
Daly,
a 10th grade student at Oak Grove High School in San Jose
(Santa Clara County) was selected for the Dr. & Mrs.
Arnold O. Beckman Project of the Year-Senior Division and
received a $10,000 cash prize. His project was titled “The
Derivation and Interpretation of Geochemical Ratios Generated
by Meteoritic Impact.”
Bryce
W. Cronkite-Ratcliff, an 8th grade student from Woodside
Elementary School in Woodside (San Mateo County) was chosen
for the Dr. & Mrs. Arnold O. Beckman Project of the Year—Junior
Division award and received a $5,000 cash prize. His project
was titled “The Burning Mirror of Archimedes: A Weapon
of Mast Destruction?” Two special committees, one for
each division, reviewed all first-place, winning projects
from every subject category in order to select the best project
in each division.
Sarah-Marie
Amiri, a senior at San Marcos Senior High School in Santa
Barbara was named California State Science Fair Student of
the Year and was presented with a $1,000 cash prize. Her
project entry was titled “The Effects of Upwelling,
Eutrophication, and Trace Metals on the Bloom Dynamics of
Pseudo-nitzschia.” This award is presented to the high
school senior who, in the opinion of the judges, best exemplifies
the qualities necessary for success in science.
David
Piercy,
a teacher at Alta Sierra Intermediate School in Clovis (Fresno
County) was named California State Science Fair Teacher of
the Year—Junior Division, and Peter Starodub, a teacher
at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School in Rolling Hills Estates
(Los Angeles County) was named California State Science Fair
Teacher of the Year-Senior Division. Each received a $2,000
cash prize.
Jeffrey
N. Rudolph, executive director, California Science Center,
commented, “The fair helps students learn that they
can be scientists and that it can be fun and satisfying to
exercise their creativity, intellect and curiosity.” The
Science Center’s involvement with the annual event
dates back more than 40 years and is part of its mission
to stimulate and nurture public interest in science, math
and technology.
Special
Recognition Awards
Information
on other Special Recognition Awards as well as the complete
list of subject category award winners can be viewed at www.californiasciencecenter.org/CSSF/.
Reporters may also call the Science Center's Communications
Department at (213) 744-7446 for winners from their area.
California
Science Center is located at 700 State Drive-Exposition Park,
Los Angeles, CA 90037. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Admission to the exhibits is free. IMAX Theater tickets range
from $4.50
to $7.50. Both the Science Center and IMAX Theater are wheelchair
accessible. Visitors can enter the parking lot at 39th and
Figueroa Street. Parking is $6. For general information,
phone (323) SCIENCE or visit our web site at www.californiasciencecenter.org.
