On Saturday, Feb. 6, 270 gifted and talented students from across the Roanoke Valley will participate in Roanoke Valley Governor’s School for Science and Technology’s annual Student Project Forum: The science fair competition will represent several scientific disciplines, such as biochemistry, computer and mathematics, medicine and health, physics and engineering.
The year’s project titles include: Network Topology and Recovery Phenotype Effects on Social Media; The Effect of Various Fracking Chemicals on the Growth of Vigna radiata; Finding an Optimal Armature Material for a Permanent Magnet Rail Gun; The Development of Machine Learning Algorithms to Diagnose Eosinophilic Esophagitis, and the Effect of Parental Alcohol Consumption on Anti-Social Behavior in Drosophila.
A diverse and accomplished panel of over 60 judges will evaluate the projects and determine scores based on strength of presentation, comprehension of subject matter, and depth of research. Cash prizes will be awarded to outstanding participants, and the top-placing students will have the opportunity to advance to a variety of local, regional, state and international science fair competitions: Over 100 Governor’s School parents, local businesses and community supporters have donated items, services and cash for Project Forum’s Silent Auction and the school’s Annual Appeal.
Public viewing of the student research projects will be from 2:30-4:00 pm in the Patrick Henry High School cafeteria in Roanoke. Awards presentation will follow at 4:30 pm in the Patrick Henry High School auditorium. Silent Auction live bidding will take place from 1:45-4:00 pm in the school library. All events are free and open to the public.
About the School
Roanoke Valley Governor’s School for Science and Technology is a half-day regional public STEM school for motivated students in grades nine through twelve. The Governor’s School accepts students from seven school districts around the Roanoke Valley, including Bedford, Botetourt, Craig, Franklin and Roanoke counties, and the cities of Roanoke and Salem. Admission is selective. Parents do not pay a fee for their students to attend; costs are covered by the school districts and the Virginia Department of Education.
For more information, please contact the school’s director, Dr. John Kowalski, or the school’s guidance counselor, Kathy Sebolt, at 540-853-2116.
