Fair Results

(2025) Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair Category Results

Animal Sciences

Justin Kim
First Place
Discovery of a Novel Physiological and Molecular Response in Coral Reefs to Hurricane-Driven Hyposalinity Cycles
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Nishka Shah
First Place
Discovery of a Novel Physiological and Molecular Response in Coral Reefs to Hurricane-Driven Hyposalinity Cycles
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Isabelle Hoover
Second Place
​​Discovering the Effect of Senna alata on the Expression of Cep-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans​
Governor’s School at Innovation Park (high school)
Joshua Rizer
Second Place
​​Discovering the Effect of Senna alata on the Expression of Cep-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans​
Governor’s School at Innovation Park (high school)
Zainab Soofi
Second Place
​​Discovering the Effect of Senna alata on the Expression of Cep-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans​
Governor’s School at Innovation Park (high school)
Xavier Gitre
Third Place
Partying Parulidae: Interspecific Social Networks of Parulidae Warblers in Active Migratory Passage
Blacksburg High
Marek Sundqvist
Honorable Mention
The effect of Substrate Grain Size on Antlion Larvae Funnel Building Efficiency
Arlington Tech@Arlington Career Center

Behavioral and Social Sciences

Alina Albeik
First Place
Implications of Resveratrol on Memory Retention in Dugesia tigrina
Marshall High School
Madison Nepomuceno
Second Place
The Extent to Which Left-Handed Individuals Out-Perform Their Right-Handed Peers: A Quasi-Experimental Design
Gainesville High School
Arwa Mohamud
Third Place
The development of a comprehensive model of ADHD within Drosophila melanogaster that simulates both inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive presentations of ADHD
Academies of Loudoun (Leesburg)
Nathan Wizeman
Third Place
The development of a comprehensive model of ADHD within Drosophila melanogaster that simulates both inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive presentations of ADHD
Academies of Loudoun (Leesburg)
Kayly Nguyen
Honorable Mention
Evaluating the Validity of the Serotonin Receptor and Tyrosine Hydroxylase Enzyme Genes as PTSD Biomarkers Using Reverse Transcription qPCR in Lymnaea stagnalis
Academies of Loudoun (Leesburg)
Ryan Singh
Honorable Mention
FentaNULL: A Behavior-Based Mathematical Model to Prevent Opioid Addiction
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

Biomed. Sciences, Biomed. Engineering & Translational Medicine

Sarah Park
First Place
Revolutionizing Non-Invasive Blood Glucose Monitoring with AI-Powered Infrared Spectroscopy
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Kaitlin Madison
Second Place
Investigating the Relationship of Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM) and BRCA via the DNA Repair Pathway
Washington-Liberty High School
Aryan Madan
Third Place
CAD-EDT: Using Meta-Ensemble Machine Learning to Power an Application Specializing in the Early Detection of Coronary Artery Disease Using Easily Accessible Risk Factors and Cardiac Clinical Data
Roanoke Valley Governor's School
Matthew Chu
Honorable Mention
The Warburg Effect: Optimum Glucose Availability on Cancer Metabolism
Chantilly High School
Thomas Duong
Honorable Mention
The Warburg Effect: Optimum Glucose Availability on Cancer Metabolism
Chantilly High School
Nafisah Izzat
Honorable Mention
Developing and Testing a Coagulative, Antimicrobial Sponge on Staphylococcus epidermidis within a Simulated Wound Cavity
Roanoke Valley Governor's School
Ayush Katpally
Honorable Mention
The Warburg Effect: Optimum Glucose Availability on Cancer Metabolism
Chantilly High School
Gabrielle Romeo
Honorable Mention
Developing and Testing a Coagulative, Antimicrobial Sponge on Staphylococcus epidermidis within a Simulated Wound Cavity
Roanoke Valley Governor's School

Cell, Molecular and Computational Biology & Biochemistry

Molly Hawkins
First Place
The Effect of Propolis on Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesia in a Drosophila Model of Parkinson’s Disease
Woodson High School
Tesla Pfautz
Second Place
The Effect of Chemical Treatments on Blue-Green Algae
Washington-Liberty High School
Aashritha Penumudi
Third Place
Exploring the Structural Basis of Ribosome Stalling by Arresting Peptides
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
John Eckman
Honorable Mention
Investigating the Impacts of Ailanthone on Plant Growth
Gar-Field High School
Arav Srivastava
Honorable Mention
Classification of Breast Cancer Tumor Types Using Convolutional Neural Networks
Grafton High

Chemistry

Margaret Saperstein
First Place
The Effect of Colloidal Silica Concentration in a Biodegradable Gel on Fire Retardation
Washington-Liberty High School
Kylie Duke
Second Place
Testing Various Surface Modification Techniques on the Adherence of Silver Nanoparticles to Clothing
Roanoke Valley Governor's School
Madison Lee
Third Place
Refining Sodium Hypochlorite Safety Guidelines for Cutting Boards
Oakton High School
Andrew Funk
Honorable Mention
Aerogel as a Water Purifier: A Continuation
Governor’s School at Innovation Park (high school)
Sofia Wojcik
Honorable Mention
Aerogel as a Water Purifier: A Continuation
Governor’s School at Innovation Park (high school)

Earth and Environmental Sciences

Brett Smith
First Place
A General Analysis on the Effects of Invasive Earthworms on Soil Microbiomes in Virginia
Roanoke Valley Governor's School
Aashritha Paluru
Second Place
Creating Coral Nurseries using Additive Manufacturing and Testing the Effects on Green Star Polyps as an Alternate Approach to Coral Reef Restoration
Academies of Loudoun (Leesburg)
Charlotte Phillips
Third Place
Investigating Microplastic Trapping Efficiency of Coral Reef Regrowth Structures in Simulated Ocean Currents in the Presence of Modeled Acropora cervicornis
Southwest Virginia Governor's School (Dublin)
Veronica Vitko
Honorable Mention
A Strategy for Flood Mitigation and Urban Resilience by Assessing the Effectiveness of Retention and Detention Ponds: A Case Study in Norfolk, VA
Albemarle High

Engineering Technology & Sustainable Design

Hannah Jansen
First Place
Parametric Optimization of Propeller Guards for Enhanced Hydrodynamic Performance and Acoustic Profile of Underwater Vehicles
Governor’s School at Innovation Park (high school)
Bennett Huang
Second Place
AI-Powered Optimization of Methyl Jasmonate-Induced Defense for Precise Pest Control
Langley High School
Jason Pan
Second Place
AI-Powered Optimization of Methyl Jasmonate-Induced Defense for Precise Pest Control
Langley High School
Victor Cho
Third Place
HeadSmart: An IoT solution in preventing Traumatic Brain Injury in Sports
Langley High School
Jacob Stewart
Honorable Mention
Automatic Pill Dispenser
Roanoke Valley Governor's School

Materials Science

Adithya Pillai
First Place
EcoForge: A Novel Sustainable Geopolymer Alternative to Concrete, Optimized with Machine Learning for Strength and Pollution Mitigation
Langley High School
Lang Xiong
First Place
EcoForge: A Novel Sustainable Geopolymer Alternative to Concrete, Optimized with Machine Learning for Strength and Pollution Mitigation
Langley High School
Timothy Tu
Second Place
Compression Behavior and Resistance of Strut Based Lattice Structure Designs
Marshall High School
Rushil Kukreja
Third Place
Smart Photovoltaic-Integrated Electrochromic Window for Solar Energy Harvesting and Light Pollution Mitigation
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Paul Ratiu
Honorable Mention
Utilizing 3D Printed Tenor Saxophone Neck and Bell Attachments to Modify Sound Output and Further 3D Printing Acoustic Research
Academies of Loudoun (Leesburg)
Alexandria Swenson
Honorable Mention
Mechanical and Aesthetic Properties of Alginate-Based Yarn and its Commercial Counterparts
Southwest Virginia Governor's for Science, Mathematics, and Technology

Microbiology

Noah Allyn
First Place
The Role of DNA Repair Systems in Antibiotic Resistance Acquisition: Using CRISPR-Cas9 to Compare HDR and MMEJ in Escherichia coli K-12
Washington-Liberty High School
Aislinn Luong
Second Place
In Vitro Interactions of Amphotericin B and Manogepix against C. neoformans
Marshall High School
Raimee Sykes
Third Place
The UV-Protective Ability of Mycosporine-like Amino Acids on Survival and Telomere Length in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Roanoke Valley Governor's School
Leo Chang
Honorable Mention
Galleria mellonella as a Proxy for the Human Immune Response: Allium sativum’s Effectiveness against Enterobacter cloacae
Central Virginia Governor's School/Jefferson Forest High School
Natan Girma
Honorable Mention
The Effect of Artificial Sweeteners on Escherichia Coli in the Gut Microbiome
Governor’s School at Innovation Park (high school)
Bilal Khan
Honorable Mention
The Effect of Artificial Sweeteners on Escherichia Coli in the Gut Microbiome
Governor’s School at Innovation Park (high school)
Naman Patel
Honorable Mention
The Effect of Artificial Sweeteners on Escherichia Coli in the Gut Microbiome
Governor’s School at Innovation Park (high school)
Michelle Zhou
Honorable Mention
The Effectiveness of Mycorrhizal Inoculated Soybean Plants on Phytoremediation
Jamestown High

Physics, Math and Astronomy

Nikhil Krishna
First Place
A Comprehensive Machine Learning Paradigm for Space Debris Surveillance: An Integrated Triple Model Framework for Identification, Orbital Prediction, and Collision Risk Evaluation
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Nived Nandakumar
First Place
A Comprehensive Machine Learning Paradigm for Space Debris Surveillance: An Integrated Triple Model Framework for Identification, Orbital Prediction, and Collision Risk Evaluation
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Shane Bright
Second Place
Exploring Continuous Wave Laser-Generated Combustion Spectroscopy: developing a cost-effective metal identification system
Central Virginia Governor's School/Jefferson Forest High School
Minh Nguyen
Third Place
Optimizing Meta-Atoms for Large Scale Metalenses
Blacksburg High
Anuj Dahal
Honorable Mention
A Design and Development of Rocket Nozzles for High-Pressure Atmospheres
Governor’s School at Innovation Park (high school)
Kevin DiMattina
Honorable Mention
A Design and Development of Rocket Nozzles for High-Pressure Atmospheres
Governor’s School at Innovation Park (high school)
Oguzkhan Kutlan
Honorable Mention
A Design and Development of Rocket Nozzles for High-Pressure Atmospheres
Governor’s School at Innovation Park (high school)
Declan Leighton
Honorable Mention
The Analysis of the Effect of Input Power on the Efficiency of a Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster Using Magnetic Deflection and Phosphor Screen Photon Emission
Yorktown High

Plant Science

Stella Hong
First Place
Plant Waste to Nanoparticles: A Green Solution to Combat Fungi Fusarium
Madison High School
Meera Raichura
Second Place
Rooting for Positive Thinking: How Magnets Affect Root Growth
Roanoke Valley Governor's School
Katelyn Luu
Third Place
Ex-vivo Air-layering of Ficus carica, a Novel Approach to Fig Propagation
Cosby High

Robotics, Software & Embedded Systems

Anush Devkar
First Place
BrailleSense: A Modular, Low-Cost Solution for Accessible Braille Displays
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Ansh Malhotra
First Place
BrailleSense: A Modular, Low-Cost Solution for Accessible Braille Displays
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Ian Yu
Second Place
A novel approach to Martian obstacle detection through ultrasonic transducers
Blacksburg High
Matthew Li
Third Place
MobyGlobal: Real-Time Whale Detection Network Powered by a Custom CNN and 3D-Printed Buoys
Academies of Loudoun (Leesburg)
Taha Rawjani
Third Place
MobyGlobal: Real-Time Whale Detection Network Powered by a Custom CNN and 3D-Printed Buoys
Academies of Loudoun (Leesburg)
Samyuktha Manda
Honorable Mention
Detecting Ransomware Communication with Command and Control (C&C) Servers Using Machine Learning
Freedom High
(2025) Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair Special Awards

American Psychological Association

Alina Albeik
Implications of Resveratrol on Memory Retention in Dugesia tigrina
Marshall High School

American Society for Non-Destructive Testing - Old Dominion Section

Lydia Pratt
Effects of Coatings on the Ultrasonic Testing of Welds on Structural Steel
Southwest Virginia Governor's for Science, Mathematics, and Technology (Dublin)

Association for Women Geoscientists

Jessica Troup
Diel Vertical Migration of Copepods in Altered Ecosystems: A Predictive Framework for Weir-Impacted Waterways
Centreville High School

Leidos 2025 Young Virginia STEM Research Award

Hannah Jansen
Parametric Optimization of Propeller Guards for Enhanced Hydrodynamic Performance and Acoustic Profile of Underwater Vehicles
Governor’s School at Innovation Park (high school)

Leidos Award for Excellence in Applied Science

First Place
Nora Cojocea-Neagoie
Uneven Terrain Vertical Aircraft Landing System
Stone Bridge High
Honorable Mention
Nafisah Izzat
Developing and Testing a Coagulative, Antimicrobial Sponge on Staphylococcus epidermidis within a Simulated Wound Cavity
Roanoke Valley Governor's School
Second Place
Declan Leighton
The Analysis of the Effect of Input Power on the Efficiency of a Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster Using Magnetic Deflection and Phosphor Screen Photon Emission
Yorktown High
Third Place
Evin Mathen
Qlev: A novel innovation on superconductivity, demonstrated as a zero friction, low energy form of transportation, via the properties of quantum levitation.
Freedom High
Honorable Mention
Sarah Park
Revolutionizing Non-Invasive Blood Glucose Monitoring with AI-Powered Infrared Spectroscopy
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Honorable Mention
Gabrielle Romeo
Developing and Testing a Coagulative, Antimicrobial Sponge on Staphylococcus epidermidis within a Simulated Wound Cavity
Roanoke Valley Governor's School

Leidos Award for Excellence in Computational Science

Honorable Mention
Samyuktha Manda
Detecting Ransomware Communication with Command and Control (C&C) Servers Using Machine Learning
Freedom High
Third Place
Marcus Mason
Error and Efficiency of Fractional Numerical Integrators
Governor's School for Science and Technology
Second Place
Minh Nguyen
Optimizing Meta-Atoms for Large Scale Metalenses
Blacksburg High
First Place
Yashvir Sabharwal
BrainSync: Advanced Neural Decoding With Functional MRI and EEG for Reconstruction of Visual Perception in Neurological States
Battlefield High School

Mark Licata Award for Biotechnology

Second
Nafisah Izzat
Developing and Testing a Coagulative, Antimicrobial Sponge on Staphylococcus epidermidis within a Simulated Wound Cavity
Roanoke Valley Governor's School
First
Sarah Park
Revolutionizing Non-Invasive Blood Glucose Monitoring with AI-Powered Infrared Spectroscopy
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Second
Gabrielle Romeo
Developing and Testing a Coagulative, Antimicrobial Sponge on Staphylococcus epidermidis within a Simulated Wound Cavity
Roanoke Valley Governor's School
Third
Jacob Stewart
Automatic Pill Dispenser
Roanoke Valley Governor's School

NASA Earth System Science Award

Aashritha Paluru
Creating Coral Nurseries using Additive Manufacturing and Testing the Effects on Green Star Polyps as an Alternate Approach to Coral Reef Restoration
Academies of Loudoun (Leesburg)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Veronica Vitko
A Strategy for Flood Mitigation and Urban Resilience by Assessing the Effectiveness of Retention and Detention Ponds: A Case Study in Norfolk, VA
Albemarle High

Regeneron Biomedical Science Award

1st Place
Nafisah Izzat
Developing and Testing a Coagulative, Antimicrobial Sponge on Staphylococcus epidermidis within a Simulated Wound Cavity
Roanoke Valley Governor's School
1st Place
Gabrielle Romeo
Developing and Testing a Coagulative, Antimicrobial Sponge on Staphylococcus epidermidis within a Simulated Wound Cavity
Roanoke Valley Governor's School

Ricoh USA, Inc.

1st Place
Brett Smith
A General Analysis on the Effects of Invasive Earthworms on Soil Microbiomes in Virginia
Roanoke Valley Governor's School

Society for In Vitro Biology

Samuel Gebeyehu
The Efficiency of Microbial Fuel Cells in Producing Electricity in Differing Environmental Conditions
Governor’s School at Innovation Park (high school)
Victor Olabode
The Efficiency of Microbial Fuel Cells in Producing Electricity in Differing Environmental Conditions
Governor’s School at Innovation Park (high school)
Victoria Olabode
The Efficiency of Microbial Fuel Cells in Producing Electricity in Differing Environmental Conditions
Governor’s School at Innovation Park (high school)

U.S. Metric Association

Adithya Pillai
EcoForge: A Novel Sustainable Geopolymer Alternative to Concrete, Optimized with Machine Learning for Strength and Pollution Mitigation
Langley High School
Lang Xiong
EcoForge: A Novel Sustainable Geopolymer Alternative to Concrete, Optimized with Machine Learning for Strength and Pollution Mitigation
Langley High School

U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize

Second Place
Jarib Cruz
The Effect of Varying Magnetic Field Intensities on the Solubility of CaCO3 in PEX Pipe Systems
Southwest Virginia Governor's School (Dublin)
First Place
Tianxiao Huang
Directed Evolution Enhances the Activity of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Degrading Enzymes
Veritas Collegiate Academy
First Place
Chenfan Wu
Directed Evolution Enhances the Activity of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Degrading Enzymes
Veritas Collegiate Academy
First Place
Yuesi Xu
Directed Evolution Enhances the Activity of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Degrading Enzymes
Veritas Collegiate Academy

Virginia Section of the American Water Works Association

Third Place
Ella Dickerson
Recycling Grey Water: Growing Raphanus sativus with Filtered Solutions
Roanoke Valley Governor's School
Second Place
Josephine Eaton
The Study of Kombucha-Grown SCOBY as an Alternative Living Ultrafiltration Membrane for Water
Roanoke Valley Governor's School
First Place
Mia Heller
Micro-Magnetism: Developing a Self-Recycling System for Affordable Microplastic Removal in Drinking Water
Mountain Vista Governor's School

VSSEF Grand Prize Award

Grand Award #2
Alina Albeik
Implications of Resveratrol on Memory Retention in Dugesia tigrina
Marshall High School
Grand Award #5
Anush Devkar
BrailleSense: A Modular, Low-Cost Solution for Accessible Braille Displays
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Grand Award #3
Hannah Jansen
Parametric Optimization of Propeller Guards for Enhanced Hydrodynamic Performance and Acoustic Profile of Underwater Vehicles
Governor’s School at Innovation Park (high school)
Grand Award #4
Nikhil Krishna
A Comprehensive Machine Learning Paradigm for Space Debris Surveillance: An Integrated Triple Model Framework for Identification, Orbital Prediction, and Collision Risk Evaluation
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Grand Award #5
Ansh Malhotra
BrailleSense: A Modular, Low-Cost Solution for Accessible Braille Displays
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Grand Award #4
Nived Nandakumar
A Comprehensive Machine Learning Paradigm for Space Debris Surveillance: An Integrated Triple Model Framework for Identification, Orbital Prediction, and Collision Risk Evaluation
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Grand Award #1
Sarah Park
Revolutionizing Non-Invasive Blood Glucose Monitoring with AI-Powered Infrared Spectroscopy
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

Yale Science and Engineering Association

Noah Allyn
The Role of DNA Repair Systems in Antibiotic Resistance Acquisition: Using CRISPR-Cas9 to Compare HDR and MMEJ in Escherichia coli K-12
Washington-Liberty High School
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