Smart students—Science Fair 2011

The insights and enthusiasm of the winners of the Pajarito Group’s Special Environmental Awards for the 2011 Science Fair inspire us to remember the joy of asking questions and seeking answers about the natural world that we love.

The winners in the Elementary Category, Ainsley Thistlewaite and Bryce Gentile, each designed a solar water heater. Middle-schooler Jovan Zhang decided to measure how much both we and the environment could save if we line-dried our laundry. Our other LAMS winner, Katherine Wang, wondered how far ants roamed to find food and how they communicated.

Senior Ryan Erickson succeeded in designing a solar-desalination device more portable than a truck-transported desalinator built by MIT. Senior Julia Murphy wondered if the county should remove or leave in place a giant boulder teetering above Diamond Drive.

All these winners have been invited to present their posters. Come encourage these students’ curiosity, intelligence, and enthusiasm on Wednesday, April 6. As a community we can support them as they seek to understand how the world works.