Contact: Richard Feren, Executive Director, 421 Webster Street, Manchester, NH 03104-2803, rbferen@comcast.net, (603) 627-2503
FUTURE SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS IN THE MAKING
NH High School Students Demonstrate Real-World Science and Engineering Research
High school students in science, biotechnology and engineering classes throughout the state participated in the fifth annual NH Science & Engineering Exposition at the NH Technical Institute in Concord on March 13th.
Dr. Susan Lynch gave the keynote address on “Healthy Choices” focusing on the growing problems that stem from childhood and adult obesity in the country and especially in NH which has a higher than national average incidence. She promoted the 5, 2, 1, 0 recommendation that might be called “Healthy NH”: 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, no more than two hours of TV, one hour of exercise and 0 servings of soda and other sweetened drinks. She discussed her walkNH program that promotes walking for exercise. The length of NH is 190 miles and the width is 70 miles. There are rewards for accomplishing the goals. She urged the students to visit the website: www.walkNH.org
Dr. Lynch said that she chose to use her extra visibility as NH’s First Lady to raise awareness of obesity, which is a national epidemic.
Three teams from Goffstown High School took top honors in their categories: Mandy Sarette and Kristen Prud’homme won the Botany Competition for a project on The Effects of Visible Light on Plant Growth and Development; Chelsea Audet, Kim Burgoin, Aaron Noga & Megan Snyder received the highest score in the Behavioral Science category and Nathan Lafond, Tyler Clites, Samual Grandgeorge & Christopher Ives Controlled Study of the Effect of Acid Rain on Land Plants placed first in the Earth Science competition.
Matthew Lake, a biotechnology student at Manchester Central High School took first place in the Microbiology category for his research on Protoplast Fusion/Chloroplast Replication. Meagan Devito, from Prospect Mountain High School, won the Pharmacology/Toxicology category with a project on The Carcinogenicity of the Radiofrequencies of Cell Phones.
Top honors in the Biochemistry/Molecular Biology and Physical Science categories went to Kristen Hausten and David Morejon respectively. Both are from Seacoast School of Technology in Exeter. Goffstown High School won the Paper Tower Challenge and two students from Portsmouth Christian Academy took top honors: Nathan Hafner in Chemistry and Elizabeth Williams in Zoology.
The NH Science & Engineering Exposition is organized by a group of volunteers from the education and business communities. 2008 sponsors include BioConnectNH, a grant funded by the US Dept of Labor; The Museum of Science in Boston, which donated passes for the winners; NH Technical Institute, and Great State Beverages.
Picture was taken the day of the event (click for full size). The picture shows (left to right): Christine Gagnon, James McWilliams, Alyssa Wheeler, Dr. Lynch, Anna Allen, and Sarah Yunes. All students from Salem High School.
For more information, please contact Janice Kaliski: jk142@comcast.net 603-622-2982