2017
Vermont Science, Technology, Engineer and Mathematics
Fair (VSTEMF)
Winners of medals, prizes and scholarships
ISEF Finalists
VSTEMF Gold Medalists
The nine top scoring projects at the fair, any grade level.
Alyssa Atwood, Northfield High School
Morgan Biele, Woodstock Union Jr/Sr. High School
Mariel Dunn, Northfield High School
Trevor Houchens, South Burlington High School
Alexander Lefebvre, South Burlington High School
Olivia Rooney, Rice Memorial High School
Brady Spencer, St. Francis Xavier School
Sophia Tommola, Christ the King School- Rutland
VSTEMF Silver Medalists
The next twenty top scoring projects at the fair, any grade level.
Marcus Albertson, South Burlington High School
Samuel Beebe, Northfield High School
Daniel Burns, Main Street Middle School
Sabrina Chiang, South Burlington High School
Hunter Delaney, South Burlington High School
Gary Francis, Burlington Technical Center
William Gambero, Milton Middle School
Jack Goga-Blanchard, South Burlington High School
Jackson Guernsey, Rice Memorial High School
Brandon Hennessey, Weathersfield School
Lexus Jarvis, Northfield High School
Eliza Kissam, Burlington Technical Center
Ben Knudsen, South Burlington High School
Ryan Martin, Burlington Technical Center
Travis McAllister, Windsor Schools
Jack McGrath, Windsor Schools
Vincent Moeykens, Windsor Schools
Samantha Orest, Milton Middle School
Angie Rivers, Milton Middle School
Adele Woodard, Burlington Technical Center
Vermont Principals’ Association Award
$250 to the top senior project; any area.
Gary Francis, Burlington Technical Center
VSTEMF Middle and Junior High School Agricultural Award
The VSTEMF, in recognition of the importance of Agriculture to Vermont's economy, presents
an award for the top project in middle and junior high school conducting agricultural
research. The total prize of $200 will be awarded to the top project in this category.
Rhys Christenson, Milton Middle School
The VSTEMF High School Agricultural Award
The VSTEMF, in recognition of the importance of Agriculture to Vermont's economy, presents
an award for the top project in high school conducting agricultural research. The total prize of
$200 will be awarded to the top project in this category.
Ava Sandberg, South Burlington High School
The VSTEMF Middle School Computer Science Award
The VSTEMF, in recognition of the importance of computer science to Vermont’s economy,
presents an award for the top project in middle and junior high school. This category is intended
to provide an incentive equivalent to the ISEF INTEL Computer Science Award that provides
the same amount of incentive ($200) to grades 9-12.
Wolfie Davis, Mater Christi School
The VSTEMF Ted Marsden Memorial Award
The Ted Marsden Memorial Award is a prize of $100 to each member of the best middle school
group project.
Travis McAllister & Jack McGrath, Windsor Schools
Next Generation Scholarships
Norwich University
Next Generation, Norwich University Math Science Scholarships are awarded to High
School juniors with outstanding projects at this fair. The scholarships are in the amount of
$5,000 per year ($20,000 over four years). Recipients of Next Generation Scholarships
from Norwich include Winners of High School National Awards or High School United States
Government Awards, ISEF Finalists who are High School Juniors and the top five Juniors at the
fair. These awards require that the student maintains a 2.5 cumulative GPA while at high School,
be admitted to Norwich, chooses a math or science major, and maintains a 2.5 cumulative GPA
while at Norwich.
Lucia Blanchard, Windsor Schools
Jacob Curtis, Windsor Schools
Brianna Diggs, Windsor Schools
Savanna Fellows, Missisiquoi Valley Union High School
Vincent Moeykins, Windsor Schools
Castleton University
Castleton University is awarding a Certificate of Recognition for the best 10th or 11th grade
project in any category corresponding to a major in Castleton University’s Natural Sciences
Department, selected by members of the Castleton University community during the Vermont
State Science and Mathematics Fair. The certificate will entitle the recipient to be eligible for
the following Castleton Next Generation Scholarship:
$2,500 ($10,000 over four years) provided that the student maintains a 2.8 cumulative high
school GPA and enrolls and remains in one of the majors in Castleton Natural Sciences
Department and maintains a 3.0 cumulative college GPA. To be considered for the scholarship,
the recipient must apply and be accepted for admission as a full-time student to Castleton
University for Academic Year 2018 or up to two years beyond 2018
Morgan Biele, Woodstock Union Junior/Senior High School
VSTEMF Special Awards
AllEarth Renewables.
Two $100 prizes to each of two outstanding projects in either solar,wind or renewable energy at
any grade level.
Wolfie Davis, Mater Christi School
Sonya Sagan-Dworsky, Main Street Middle School
American Chemical Society–Green Mountain Local Section
Three prizes for projects in any area of chemistry. The top chemistry project will receive $150
and the next two projects will each receive $100. Projects from all grades are eligible. In
addition, each winner will receive subscriptions to scientific publications with a value of $65.
$150 winner: Melissa Rosowsky from Fredrick Tuttle Middle School
$100 winner: Chance Rose from Milton Middle School
$100 winner: Marley Ackley from Milton Middle School
Biophysical Society
$100 to the best biophysics-related project by a high school student. This student will also
receive recognition in upcoming Biophysical Society publications.
Olivia Rooney, Rice Memorial High School
Cabot Cooperative Creamery
Cheese basket to the best project dealing with foods, but with a preference to dairy. Projects at
any grade level are eligible.
Lexus Jarvis from Northfield HS
Dufresne Group
$200 to the high school project that best exemplifies the principles of engineering.
Eadoin Murphy, Missisiquoi Valley Union High School
Eagle Hill Foundation
5-year electronic subscription to the Northeast Naturalist, the premier regional natural history
journal for research conducted in the northeastern US and eastern Canada. This prize is awarded
to the best project, any grade, featuring natural history research. The winner will also be given a
registration waiver to attend and possibly present his or her project at next Year's annual meeting
of the NE Natural History Conference.
Marcus Albertson from South Burlington High School
Ethical Science & Education Coalition
An award of $50, a book and a branded tee-shirt to the winner and an award of $200 to the
winner’s school to secure alternatives to dissection of their choice for the best project that
promotes awareness, compassion and understanding of animals.
Ann Wong, South Burlington High School
First Light Technologies
An award of $250 for the best project in grades 9-12 involving UV light and its effectiveness in
germicidal/sterilization application.
Ruth Milne from Northfield High School
Green Mountain Water Environment Association Awards
Awards to high school and middle school students for excellence in projects dealing with water,
water analysis and purification, factors that impact water quality.
A $50 prize for an exceptional Middle School projecst.
Juliet Hassenberg from Mater Christi School
Brad Stankiewicz from Milton Middle
A $100 prize for an exceptional high school project.
Alexander LeFebvre, South Burlington High School
The second best project in any grade comes with a $100 prize.
Jacob Gelfenbein, South Burlington High School
The top project in any grade comes with a $200 prize.
Santhosh Rajendran from Essex High School
The winners of these prizes from high school are also eligible to compete to be the
Vermont representative to the National runoff for the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. The
winner of this competition will be decided by a team of judges later this spring, but one
of these awardees is almost certain to be the winner.
Northeast Section, Institute of Food Technologists
Awards $700 to be sharedshared among the top four projects in food science. In addition, each
awardee and her or his teacher is invited to an awards dinner at the annual NEIFT Student
Recognition Night at a date and place to be determined.
The winner of $150.00 is: Caroline Canney from St. Francis Xavier School
The winner of $150.00 is: Sean Carlson from South Burlington High School
The winner of $150.00 is: Silas O’Brien from Fredrick Tuttle Middle School
The winner of $250.00 is: Ben Knudsen from South Burlington High School
Polhemus, Innovation in Motion
Provides a prize of $100 to the project high school project demonstrating an exceptional
understanding of physics, mathematics, or engineering.
Yiren Ramon Qu, Lyndon Institute
Society of Women Engineers-North Country Section
Awards honorable mention prize packets to four young women whose outstanding projects
involve engineering, physics, computer science, or math and two $100 prizes to the two best
projects. Each packet varies depending upon the nature of the research project it is rewarding.
The honorable mention winners are:
Savannah Fellows, Missisiquoi Valley Union High School
Juliana Herrera from St. Francis Xavier School
Cassidy Gorigan from St. Francis Xavier School
The two top prizes go to:
Emma Medor, Missisiquoi Valley Union High School
Samantha Orest from Milton Middle School
Vermont Academy of Arts and Science is a long-time supporter of this fair and will award
$200 to the top project in grade 12 showing good research techniques.
This year we awarded TWO prizes of $200 due to their excellence
Yiren Ramon Qu, Lyndon Institute.
Trevor Houchens, South Burlington High School
Vermont Academy of Science and Engineering
We are very proud to announce the first annual Vermont Academy of Science and Engineering
Award. The State of Vermont chartered the Vermont Academy of Science and Engineering to
honor the accomplishments of scientists and engineers, promote the interests of science and
engineering within the state, educate Vermonters about the importance of those fields, and help
state government resolve scientific and engineering problems. The Academy has long been
invo;ved in supporting K-12 science education and the Vermont STEM Fair is very grateful to
have VASE members active in the fair.
Trevor Houchens, South Burlington High School
Vermont Chapter of Sigma Xi
Awards two $100 prizes to the top two projects showing good research techniques.
Claire Coates, Woodstock Union High School
Daniel Burns, Main Street Middle School
VSTEMF ISEF Affiliation Awards
Grades 5-7
Broadcom Masters – The following Six students have won a chance to compete in the
Broadcom MASTERS™ (Math, Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering for Rising
Stars), a program of Society for Science & the Public, 5th, 6 & 7th grade students. They will
follow the instructions included in their winner’s packet by June 14, 2017 to be eligible to
compete for an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, DC from October 19th to October 25 to
showcase their projects, compete in teams, and visit historical sites. As awardees, each will
receive an award of $50 from the VSTEMF when they complete their application to Broadcom
Masters.
Spencer Brady, St. Francis Xavier School
Travis McAllister, Windsor Schools
Jack McGrath, Windsor Schools
Samantha Orest from Milton Middle School
Sophia Tommola, Christ the King School - Rutland
th
th
U.S. Navy and Marine Corps will award a Certificate & Medallion to the three top projects
in any area, grades 5-8.
Brandon Hennessey, Weathersfield School
Daniel Burns, Main Street Middle School
William Gambero, Milton Middle School
Unless otherwise noted, the following awards are available to any individual or team project in
grades 9-12
I-SWEEEP Awards
We selected TWO individual finalists with outstanding projects that promote a sustainable future
focusing on Energy, Engineering & Environment Problems. The finalists will travel to and
compete in Houston, TX from May 3rd – May 8th with one Vermont teacher chaperone. This is
an all-expense paid trip.
NOTE: the winners will have to complete their application NLT April 9th! There will also be a
folder for your adult escort. Both folders have a personal information sheet to be completed and
sent to Mr. Curtis Belton as soon as possible before the April 9 deadline.
Hannah Farrell, South Burlington High School
Ramon Qu, Lyndon Institute
Genius Olympiad Awards
We selected THREE individual finalists with outstanding solutions to problems in
Environmental Quality, Ecology and Biodiversity, Resourses and Energy, Human Ecology. The
finalists will compete in the Genius Olympiad in Oswego, New York, on 12-17 June.
NOTE: the winners will have to complete their application NLT May 1st! There will also be a
folder for your adult escort. Both folders have a personal information sheet to be completed and
sent to Mr. Curtis Belton as soon as possible before the April 9 deadline.
Ann Wong, South Burlington High School
Hannah Farrell, South Burlington High School
Marcus Albertson, South Burlington High School
Professional Awards
American Meteorological Society will award a certificate to two projects for outstanding
achievement for creative scientific endeavor in the areas of atmospheric and related oceanic and
hydrologic sciences. These two winners will be recognized in the December issue of the Bulletin
of the American Meteorological Society.
Hannah Farrell, South Burlington High School
Santhosh Rajendran, Essex High School
American Psychological Association will award a certificate for a project demonstrating
outstanding research in psychological science under the category of behavioral and social
sciences.
Harry Quick, South Burlington High School
American Society of Materials International Foundation will award a certificate & medallion
to the top project in materials engineering. The medallion will be mailed to the student by ASM
after the fair in July or August of 2017 after the student submits his or her Acceptance Form.
Katherine Hall, South Burlington High School
Association for Women Geoscientists will award a certificate to the top project by a woman
exemplifying high standards of innovativeness and scientific excellence in the area of
geosciences.
Cora Kakalec, South Burlington High School
ASU Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives. 1 of the 2 awardees have
the opportunity to attend the 2017 Sustainability Solutions Festival in Arizona. Entries must be
postmarked by May 24, 2017 to be considered for the Grand Prize.
Grace Leckey, South Burlington High School
Santhosh Rajendran, Essex High School
Intel Excellence in Computer Science will award a certificate & $200 to the top project in
computer science.
Vincent Moeykens, Windsor High School
Regeneron Science Talent Search will award a certificate to up to 7 individual junior
participants in the VSTEMF & a special opportunity to enter the RSTS to compete for further
awards and a trip to Washington D.C. to compete for the grand prize.
Lucia Blanchard, Windsor Schools
Jacob Curtis, Windsor Schools
Brianna Diggs, Windsor Schools
Savanna Fellows, South Burlington High School
Vincent Moeykens, Windsor Schools
Mu Alpha Theta will award a certificate to the most challenging, original, thorough and creative
investigation of a problem involving mathematics.
Trevor Houchens, South Burlington High School
Ricoh Sustainable Development Award is a certificate to the individual project whose
principles and technical innovations offer the greatest potential for increasing our ability to grow
environmentally friendly and socially responsible businesses.
Marcus Albertson, South Burlington High School
Society for in Vitro Biology will award a certificate to top individual project in plant or animal
in vitro biology or tissue culture. The winner will be listed in their newsletter on the SVB
website.
Jennie Bourdeau, Missisiquoi Valley Union High School
U.S. Metric Association will award a certificate to the individual project with the best use of the
SI (International System of Units) system of measurement.
Arnel Husrefovic, South Burlington High School
Yale Science and Engineering Association will award a certificate & medallion to top
individual project in computer science, engineering, physics, or chemistry in grade 11. The
medallion will be mailed to the winner after he/she sends forms in the folder to Yale.
Ramon Qu, Lyndon Institute
US Government Awards
National Aeronautics and Space Administration will award a certificate to the top individual
project related to the “The best investigation in the field of Earth Systems Science.”
Grace Leckey, South Burlington High School
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will award a certificate & medallion to
top individual project Related to the “pulse of the planet.”
Cora Kacalec, South Burlington High School
U.S. Navy and Marine Corps
The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps will award a certificate, medallion, & $75 gift card to the three
top projects in any area.
Kailei Eustis, South Burlington High School
Trevor Houchens, South Burlington High School
Vincent Moeykens from Windsor High School
U.S. Air Force
The U.S. Air Force will award a certificate, a messenger bag, a card reader/writer, a custom
single speaker, and a beta adapter set to the three top projects in any area.
Vera Escaja-Heiss, South Burlington High School
Ramon Qu, Lyndon Institute.
Ann Wong, South Burlington High School
ISEF finalists
ISEF finalists will go to Los Angeles, California from the 14th to the 19th of May to compete with
other finalists from around the world for over $4,000,000 in prizes and Scholarships. In addition,
each of these winners will receive a Next Generation Scholarship to Norwich University as
described earlier in the award ceremony.
All three folders have forms that need to be completed and given to Mr. Belton as soon as
possible after the fair. They also have instructions for completing their registration which must
be completed before April 10th.
The three finalists are:
Vincent Moeykens, Windsor High School
Trevor Houchens, South Burlington High School
Vera Escaja-Heiss, South Burlington High School