Sixteen Maharishi School students earned over 40 awards at the Eastern Iowa Science and Engineering Fair (EISEF) on March 19 in Cedar Rapids.
The mission of the EISEF is stated on the website, “To inspire eastern Iowa’s students to pursue careers in science, engineering, and math.”
Senior, Atreya Dey’s research project is entitled
Biobased Ferrite Nanoparticles: A Novel Approach to Extracting Organic Solvents and Heavy Metals from Water. Atreya explains, “My exhibit is about extracting organic solvents such as toluene and ethylene dichloride and heavy metals such as lead (from polluted water) with nanoparticles.”
Dr. Mousumi Dey is Atreya’s sponsor.
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Senior, Raphael Burne’s research project is entitled Building Materials of the Future: Honeycomb Cardboard. Raphael explains, “This project examines the potential of Honeycomb Cardboard to replace traditional materials that are used to construct walls. Thermal and sound insulating abilty, cost, eco-friendliness, strength, and other practical factors are all being examined to find a new revolutionary way to build buildings.”
Alicia Schiller is Raphael’s sponsor.
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Junior, Sam Arsanjani’s project is entitled RoboRescue: Using AI & Swarm Robotics to Simulate & Increase Efficiency in Search and Rescue Operations. Sam explains, “My exhibit is about using a swarm of robots with artificial intelligence techniques for simulating and finding an increasingly efficient algorithm that can be used to increase safety and efficiency in search and rescue operations in war zones and natural disaster areas.”
Sam’s sponsor is Ali Arsanjani.
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Pearl Sawhney, junior and Surya Sawhney, freshman, entered a research exhibit is entitled Consumption of Plant Protein vs Animal Protein: Exploring Solutions to Obesity and Environmental Sustainability. Pearl explains, “Our experiment examines digestion of plant and animal food proteins in a lab setting, along with a survey to collect behavioral data on peoples’ eating preferences and food habits to identify solutions to obesity and environmental sustainability.”
The team is sponsored by Dr. Rajeev Sawhney.
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Freshman, Vinit Suganur’s research exhibit is entitled A Comparative Study of the Effect of Caffeine and Coffee Grounds on Soy Bean Growth and Metabolism. Vinit explains, “My exhibit is about the effects of caffeine pills and coffee grounds on the Soy Bean plant’s growth rate and metabolism.”
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Heilani Muehlman, eighth grade, presented an exhibit entitled Rays Of the New Frontier. Heilani explains, “My exhibit measures the power output of the amorphous silicon PV cell and the crystalline silicon PV cell in February in Iowa compared to its rated output.”
Heilani’s sponsor is John Muehlman.
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Alex Hoffmann, eighth grade, presented an exhibit entitled Got Flux? Alex explains, “My Exhibit is about variables of magnetic flux density and rpm of an electrical generator.”
Alex’ sponsor is Eric Hoffman.
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David Wadsworth, eighth grade, entered an exhibit entitled Beams and Their Breaking Stresses. David explains “My Exhibit is about different shapes of beams and if they are stronger at a different orientation and angle of the beam.”
David’s sponsor is Stewart Hugget.
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Keefe Lashway, eighth grade, entered a project entitled Melting Ice and Snow, Chlorides or Acetates? Keefe explains “My exhibit is about the melting speed and efficiency of three different chlorides and acetates.”
Barbara Hays is Keefe’s sponsor.
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Marcus Schoenfeld, seventh grade, entered an exhibit entitled Do You Study Better in You Preferred Climate? Marcus explains "My project studies the effects of temperature on seventh and eighth grade students. Are their test scores higher in their self-proclaimed preferred temperature?"
Marcus’ sponsor is Barbara Hays.
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Nathaniel Zhu, eighth grade and Doga Ozesmi, seventh grade, entered an exhibit entitled Hydroponic Nutrient Fertilizers; Which one is the Best? They explain, “Our exhibit is about what kind of solutions are the best for growing radishes hydroponically.”
Stacy Maurer is the team’s sponsor.
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Bimba Shrestha, eighth grade, presented an exhibit entitled Wifi and Plants. Bimba explains, “My exhibit shows the effects of Wifi on radish plants growing at various distances from a router.”
Bimba’s sponsor is Barbara Hays.
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Jacqueline Leete, eighth grade, presented an exhibit entitled The Effects of Wi-Fi on Wheatgrass. Jacqueline explains, "My exhibit explores the effects of WiFi on the growth rate of wheatgrass."
Jacqueline’s sponsor is Barbara Hays.
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Niko Thiel, eight grade, entered an exhibit entitled Artificial Light vs The Sun. Niko explains “My exhibit is about artificial light and sun light. Which is better?”
Niko’s sponsor is Barbara Hays
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Sarah Swanson, eighth grade, entered an exhibit entitled The Effects of Temperature on Magnetism. Sarah explains “My exhibit is about the difference in magnetism when the magnet is different temperatures.”
Sarah’s sponsor is Barbara Hays.
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Davin Titus, eighth grade, entered an exhibit entitled Keeping Pipes Clean. Davin explains “My project is seeing whether everyday household liquids, (lemon juice, bleach, and a mix of both), could be used to clean drains as efficiently as a normal store bought drain cleaner.”
Davin’s sponsor is Emmanuel Titus.
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Brandon Prather-Huff, eighth grade, entered an exhibit entitled Temperature And How It Affects Corrosion. Brandon explains "My project explores the effect that temperature has on the corrosion of 6061 T6 aluminum."
Brandon’s sponsor is Barbara Hays.
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Giovanni Cingire, seventh grade, entered an exhibit entitled Does microwaved water affect the growing of beans? Giovanni explains "My exhibit is about whether microwaved water is more effective than tap water when growing black beans."
Giovanni's sponsor is Barbara Hays.
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