COLLEGE STATION — The weeks Marfa ISD High School students spent researching and developing objectives, testing hypotheses and procedures, and analyzing data and drawing conclusions came to a head this weekend as they traveled to Texas A&M University for the state Science and Engineering Fair.
In February, students competed in the Regional Science Fair in Odessa, with five out of six project teams advancing to state.
On the left, Piper Donaldson, Annaka Salcido and Joangel Davila. On the right, Mia Dominguez and Kassandra Garcia.
Science teacher Elizabeth Donaldson said even though no teams advanced to the national competition being held in Columbus, Ohio, this year, the Shorthorn’s projects were some of the best the state fair had to offer. “Each year the students impress me, but this year they blew me away,” Elizabeth said. “The best part of the competition was watching the students’ ideas come to life and discover unexpected answers. Science is awesome, and so are these students!”
Giselle Torres and Ayven Pippen worked together on their project “Composting for Green Energy,” which involved analyzing whether heat produced from compost could power a steam turbine. “My favorite part was actually talking to the judges because it was the one time I was not anxious about anything and was confident,” Pippen said. “Our team was a great thing to be a part of.”
On the left, Isaiah Ramos, Messiah Licon and Chris Huerta. On the right, Amaya Gomez, Ava Flores and Raven Martinez.
Mia Dominguez and Kassandra Garcia studied how to support agricultural life on Mars, where soil is not nutrient dense, by testing soils and substrate materials to produce their project, “The Effects of Additives on Substrate Composition for Enhanced Plant Growth on Mars.”
“Something about our project that I enjoyed was me and Kassandra being able to watch the plants grow each day, little by little,” Dominguez said, adding that the judge’s feedback at state will help them improve future experiments.
Annaka Salcido, Piper Donaldson and Joangel Davila partnered to present “Predicting Water Quality Using Artificial Intelligence,” which involved using historical data and AI to create predictions in water quality along the Rio Grande.
“Our group project was so fun to create, and we had a ton of fun showcasing our work and seeing what others have done,” Piper said. “The fair really highlighted the power of collaboration and the endless possibilities of science and technology.”
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