Middle and high school students patiently stood by colorful, homemade three-panel displays, waiting to show off their science fair projects to the public Saturday at Johnson Gym.
More than 815 students from 140 schools displayed their projects at the 43rd annual Northwestern New Mexico Regional Science and Engineering Fair.
The event had more than 27 different scientific categories and included a junior division for students in sixth through eighth grades and a senior division for students in ninth through 12th grades.
Students set up their projects Thursday and judging began Friday. The awards assembly was Saturday and winning participants received more than $50,000 in prizes.
Randi Buck, director of the science fair, said that although the event is only three days long, she spends the year preparing students and teachers.
"In the fall, we put on an outreach program and we have workshops for students and teachers," she said. "We have funding from UNM and corporate donations, but we also spend a lot of time raising money ourselves."
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Buck said volunteers make her job easier.
"We have over 750 volunteer judges who must have a four-year degree in a certain scientific category," she said.
Lindsay Riblett, a seventh-grader at Edgewood Middle School, won first place in the Human and Behavioral Science category.
Riblett tested different types of stimuli to find out what was the most distracting while driving a car.
"I found that a hands-free cell phone was the most distracting," she said. "It was really fun to test the people and see how they reacted."
Riblett won a blue ribbon, a medallion and $100.
"I really feel good about myself and all the work I put into my project," she said.
Laura Werner, coordinator for the science fair, said her job involves organizing volunteers for the fair and setting up workshops.
"During our workshops we try to get the teachers excited about the fair and also prepare them for paperwork," she said. "We also get guys from Sandia Labs to teach kids how to do a backboard and how to write up their projects."
Werner said she also helps maintain a mentor program for students, which involves people from Sandia National Labs, UNM School of Medicine and Kirtland Air Force Base.
"If kids are having trouble with their projects, these people are here to work with them," she said.
Andrew Potter, a ninth-grader at Rio Rancho High School, said he enjoyed having someone to talk to about his project.
"You get to see people who work professionally in the field and they help you to see how you can make things better in your project," Potter said.
Scott Prokesch, a 10th-grader at Saint Pius High School, won third place in the Medicine and Health category.
Prokesch's project involved trying to find out if he could slow down cirrhosis of the liver.
"I used a vitamin B complex and milk thistle and found that vitamin B slowed down cirrhosis and the milk thistle actually sped it up," he said.
Prokesch said he really enjoys attending science fairs and was excited about winning.
"My highest award up until today was an honorable mention, so it feels great," he said.
Prokesch won a yellow ribbon, a certificate and a $100 savings bond.
The fair also included more than nine corporate booth displays, which had information and activities set up by each organization.
Beth Hornbein, a UNM graduate student in the Neuroscience Department, represented the University's School of Medicine at a booth that provided a real human brain for students to examine and a beanbag toss game representing visual plasticity.
"I think the human brain is great because it gives kids an idea of how it looks and how big it is," Hornbein said. "A lot of kids, and even adults, haven't seen an actual human brain before so it really helps them appreciate how amazing the brain is."
Buck said she is proud to be a part of this program because it provides many opportunities for students.
"A lot of the senior division students can win scholarships for college and a lot of them are going off to the fields of science and engineering," Buck said.
Werner said the science fair is a great event for students and they constantly inspire her.
"It's great to see these kids that are so excited and nervous but at the same time they are so grown up when they talk to the judges," she said. "It's even really intimidating because sometimes you don't even understand the words on their projects."
She said the fair gives students a chance to show off their individual characteristics as well as their knowledge of science.
"It gives them experience to present in front of people and be creative and to think," Werner said. "It's so neat to see them so focused and putting their brains to work."
