2003 CSEF

The 48th Colorado Science and Engineering Fair was held at Lory Student Center on the Colorado State University campus on April 10 - 12, 2003.

This year, CSEF winners were chosen from among 271 projects represented by 305 finalists from 105 schools and 13 regions within the state. More than 110 professional scientists, engineers and mathematicians interviewed the students and evaluated their projects before selecting the Grand Award winners. In addition, over 50 businesses, professional societies, and government agencies provided more than 100 of their own representatives to judge exhibits based on their own criteria. They judged the student finalists and conferred Special Awards which represented an aspect of the bestowing organization. These included college scholarships, offers of summer employment, field trips, cash, savings bonds, and calculators. Over 1,000 people attended the Awards Ceremony this year.

Scholarships from Adams State College (ASC) and Colorado School of Mines (CSM) were also presented. Adams State College awarded ten one-year full resident tuition and fees scholarships. The Colorado School of Mines awarded four four-year full resident tuition scholarships. The Intel Foundation also awarded a $2,000 scholarship to a twelfth grader in the name of Ryan Patterson (Intel ISEF top winner in 2001) for use at the college or university of their choice.

The 2003 Colorado Science and Engineering Fair had 30 sponsors. Sponsors included 4 Platinum Sponsors (providing over $2,500 of support), 10 Gold Sponsors ($1,000 - $2,500 of support each), 2 Silver Sponsors ($750 - $1,000 of support each), and 10 Regular Sponsors ($500 - $750 of support each). In addition, there were 13 Financial Contributors (less than $500 each). In addition, several individuals donated through the Denver Combined Federal Campaign. Persons interested in supporting the CSEF financially should view the sponsorship/contributor guidelines.

This year, the CSEF was honored to have guest speaker, Dr. Joseph Golden. Dr. Golden is a senior research meteorologist with the Forecast Systems Laboratory of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and is an expert on vortices, principally hurricanes and tornadoes. He is the world's leading authority on waterspouts.

Waterspouts
Image Source: http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/historic/nws/wea00314.htm

Dr. Golden is the author of numerous scientific articles

and acts as the source of meteorological expertise for both popular and scientific news media. A fellow of the American Meteorological Society, he has held many key leadership positions, including director of NOAA's weather modification program. Dr. Golden spoke about tornado research, where it has been and where it is going.

2003 COLORADO SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR TOP AWARDS

The top Senior Division individual project exhibitor of the 48th Colorado Science and Engineering Fair and winner of an all-expense paid trip to compete in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair was Jennifer McDonough, Palmer High School in Colorado Springs, grade 9, for the project Cruciferous Platyhelminthes. Second place for best individual project, and also a winner of an all-expense paid trip to compete at the Intel ISEF was Lauren Smith, Rampart High School in Colorado Springs, grade 10, for the project Xanthomonas campestris pv. Vesicatoria: A Study of the Relationship Between Extra-Cellular Material & Heightened Host Response. Awarded third place for best individual project and winner of an all-expense paid trip to observe at the Intel ISEF was Lisa Saccomano, Cherry Creek High School in Greenwood Village, grade 11, for the project Abnormal Otic Invagination with Possible Associations to OAV Spectrum. The first place Senior Division team project and winner of an all-expense paid trip to compete in the Intel ISEF was Andrew Leifer, Raymund To, and David Pothier, Fairview High School in Boulder, grade 12, for the project Fractals, Power-Laws, and the Weibull Distribution: Mathematical Modeling Crumpled Paper.

The winner of the Ralph F. Desch Memorial Technical Writing Award was Jeff Marlow from Cherry Creek High School in Greenwood Village, grade 12, for the project The Role of Oxygen in Cobalt Doped Titanium Oxide Thin Films.

The winner of the Senior Division Student Choice Award was Kelly Cook, Boltz Junior High School in Fort Collins, grade 9, for the project Is What You See What You Get? Brain Perception & the Physics of Light. The Junior Division Student Choice winner was Ian Springer, Lamar Middle School in Lamar, grade 8, for the project Robotic Rescue - Designing and Building a Light Sensing Robot for Search and Rescue of Disaster Victims.

The winner of the Poster Art Contest was Morgan Edwards, High Country Christian Academy in Colorado Springs.

The winner of the first CSEF Teacher of the Year Award was Gary Wilkinson of Monte Vista High School in Monte Vista. Mr. Wilkinson received a $1,000 grant to use towards scientific research in his classroom and school.

All of the 1st and 2nd place Junior Division category winners were nominated for the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challange. This year, ten Colorado students were named as Semi-Finalists.