Students exhibit creative projects at NNPS Science, Engineering, and Technology Fair
Posted: January 26, 2026
The NNPS 45th Annual All-City Science, Engineering, and Technology Fair was held January 24 at Woodside High School.
More than 110 students exhibited 82 projects representing 13 categories of science. Projects were judged by more than 25 judges from various professional organizations in the city. NASA Langley Research Center, Virginia Living Museum, The Mariners' Museum and Park, Riverside Health Systems, Christopher Newport University, Norfolk State University, local master gardeners and numerous others were represented by the judges.
All first and second place winners are eligible to compete at the 75th Annual Tidewater Science and Engineering Fair to be held March 21 at Old Dominion University's Webb Center.
45th Annual All City Science, Engineering, and Technology Fair Results
Animal Science:
- 1st Place: Vivienne Baiter; Is X-inactivation in Tortoise Shell Cats Predetermined by Orange Allele Type or is it Random?; Crittenden Middle School
Behavioral Sciences:
- 1st Place: Aaliyah Hamiel, Tyler Otis; Food is Fuel; Woodside High School
- 2nd Place: Aubrey Lee; The Heart Arrhythmia; Warwick High School
- Honorable Mention: Tyanna Thomas; The Stroop Effect; Crittenden Middle School
Biochemistry:
- Honorable Mention: Kareem Aursby, Josselyn Sinclair; Effect of Temperature on the Activity of Commercial Amylase Enzyme; Menchville High School
Biomedical Engineering:
- 1st Place: Emmanuel Rivera; "Sour Science: Exploring the Role of pH in Liquid Spherification"; Ella Fitzgerald Middle School
Biomedical and Health Sciences:
- Honorable Mention: Landon Coleman; Effect of Swim Stroke on Heart Rate; Gildersleeve Middle School
- Honorable Mention: Kailee Blow; Which Type of Water is Healthiest to Drink?; Hines Middle School
Chemistry:
Junior Division
- 1st Place: Clara Gilhuly; In Which Solution Do Crystals Grow the Biggest?; B.T. Washington Middle School
- 2nd Place:Keegan Collar; Does the Type of Yeast in Elephant Toothpaste Affect the Foam Production?; B.T.Washington Middle School
- 3rd Place: Taylor Gilliam, Christian Garciaguirre-Monjaras; "Unleashing the Monster" - Does the PH Level of Monster Energy Drinks Affect Reaction Rate?; Hines Middle School
- Honorable Mention: Thea Martin; Cake Flavor's Impact on Rising; Crittenden Middle School
- Honorable Mention: Michelle Urquhart; Gummy Bear Osmosis; Crittenden Middle School
Senior Division
- 1st Place: Kamirra Jackson, Preston Wheeler; Paper Chromatography, Separation of Dyes in Ethanol Water; Woodside High School
- 2nd Place: Christian Martin; Electrolytes in Sports Drinks; Heritage High School
- 3rd Place:Mary Mason; The Effect of Fat on Chocolate Chip Cookie Spread; An Achievable Dream Middle and High School
Earth and Environmental Science:
- Honorable Mention: Adam Muhammad-Ruiz, Gabe Covington, KiariDiggs; Oysters: Nature's Engineers for Cleaner Water, Climate Resilience, and Coastal Protection; Woodside High School
Engineering Technology: Statistics and Dynamics:
- 1st Place: Madina Safar, Nyarah Givens; Light vs. Dark; Denbigh High School
- 2nd Place: Zyana Crenshaw, Calli Richardson; The Future; Denbigh High School
- 3rd Place: Cameron Clark, Athens Boonruang, Ausar Maxfield, Camden Smith; Aerodynamics of a Future, Modern and Past Planes; Denbigh High School
- Honorable Mention: Asyiah Scott, Stellah Sifa, Onesty Boone, Amilith Nunez; Truss Bridge; An Achievable Dream Middle and High School
Environmental Engineering:
- Honorable Mention: Madison Newsome; HydroSmart: The Intelligent Water Recovery System; Heritage High School
Materials Science:
- 1st Place: Ava Harper; Homemade Water Filters; Ella Fitzgerald Middle School
- 2nd Place: Rhys Claytor; Biodegradable vs. Recycled Bags; Gildersleeve Middle School
- 3rd Place: Hayleigh Archibald; What Material Makes the Loudest Sound?; Mary Passage Middle School
- Honorable Mention: Adrianna Brown; Home Air Conditioning; Huntington Middle School
- Honorable Mention: Lucy Gurganus, Harper Carroll; Heat Protectant on Hair; Gildersleeve Middle School
- Honorable Mention: T'Vannah Lake; No Kernels Left Behind; An Achievable Dream Middle and High School
Microbiology:
Junior Division
- 1st Place:Emmett Theisinger; Does the Lactose Content of Milk Affect the Amount of Mold Growth; B.T. Washington Middle School
Senior Division
- 1st Place: Henry Bennett; Effects of UV Radiation; Warwick High School
- 2nd Place: Deborah Ludy, Elizabeth Ng, Kaitlyn Meacham; A Comparison of Bacterial Colony Counts on $1 Bills and 25¢ Coins; Menchville High School
- 3rd place: Sara Hamilton, Abigail Mayer, Greysi Stern De Leon, Kyla Leggette; Evaluating the Effectiveness of Common Hand Sanitizer Brands on Reducing Bacterial Growth; Menchville High School
Physics and Astronomy:
Junior Division
- 1st Place: Eli Claus; Galileo's Theory of Projectile Motion; Gildersleeve Middle School
- 2nd Place: Chloe' Walcott; What's NOT Poppin'?; Ella Fitzgerald Middle School
- 3rd Place: Amelia King, Tiyonna Jenkins; Chemical Energy of Lemons Converted to Electricity; Hines Middle School
- Honorable Mention: Charles Dudek; Soccer Ball Drop Test; B.T. Washington Middle School
- Honorable Mention: Jack Krambeck; Wind Turbine Efficiency; Crittenden Middle School
Senior Division
- 1st Place: Shawn Gurganus, Sarah Spitzer, Bryley Miller; Effect of Material Density on Sound Travel; Menchville High School
- 2nd Place: Carlin Carpenter; When You Change the Angle of Contact on the Volleyball then the Horizontal Displacement of the Volleyball Will Increase; Warwick High School
- 3rd Place: Soren Hines, Carlos Viamonte-Garcia, Bennett Mills; What is "g"?; Warwick High School
Plant Sciences:
- 1st Place: Maxwell Malkin; Vibrant Seeds; Gildersleeve Middle School
- 2nd Place: Cornell Webster; Type of Light Effect on Plant Growth; B.T.Washington Middle School
Robotics and Intelligent Machines:
- 1st Place: Ariana Billet, Brielle Price; How is AI Affecting Our Population?; Ella Fitzgerald Middle School
