As laboratory science has grown more complex and costly, and schools have struggled to keep up, a growing number of students who stand out at the science fairs increasingly are looking outside the schools for support. At the 35^th annual Region IV Science & Engineering Fair on Saturday, a notable number of students competing relied on industry or college mentors and honed their skills in area businesses labs.

At Saturday’s competition, more than 125 regional participants, along with their families, gathered in the Somerville High School gymnasium to see if months of research, experimentation and preparation would win them a spot at the state competition, where more than $175,000 in prizes will be awarded. 

Forty-one participants were selected to advance to the state level, including six Somerville High School students. In May they will compete in the Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair at MIT, and each was awarded a cash prize. Their projects (listed below) were thoughtful and advanced, in some cases too advanced to develop in school classes and labs.

• Jesse Stern: Computational Limits of Computers in Relation to Spider Solitaire
• Jennifer DiPersio: Electricity in a Breeze!
• Prajwal Acharya: Increment of Fertility of Soil Using Earthworm Casting
• Shannon Harrington: P19 Potential:  Exploring the similarities and Differences Better
• Ruth Grossman: How Does the Presence of a Winglet Affect the Aerodynamics?
• Nat Dempkowski: Structure Activity Relationship of Barbonic Anhyudrase Inhibitors

For the first time since the fair’s founding, two students tied for first place. Medford High School student Erica Budina and Lexington High School student Eugenia Kim will both compete at Intel’s International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles this May, as well as share a cash prize. 

Students depend more on experts to guide their projects

Although many science fair participants conducted their experiments in their basements including Ruth Grossman who was selected to advance, school officials acknowledged many also based their projects in area laboratories and relied on experts for guidance.

For example, the director of the Community Lab at Biogen Idec, Inc., and two other scientists advised Somerville High School student Shannon Harrington on her neuroscience project. Jesse Stern consulted an MIT professor for his computer science project. Both students qualified for the state fair.

Pierantozzi said that students turn to mentors more than they did in the past because science has become more complex and students have had to find means to carry out modern, complicated experiments.

The gap has been noted nationwide; schools dependent on federal funding are struggling to make room for independent scientific inquiry while preparing students for standardized tests, according to the New York Times.

“We have to weigh testing with getting students excited about science,” said Somerville High School biotechnology teacher Chris Angelli. “You learn all these theories and formulas, but the kids don’t have a lot of exposure to what science is.”

Local universities and companies fill in gaps in science education 

Somerville High School requires students in lab-based science classes to complete science projects, and teachers select students to participate in the high school fair, said Sebastian LaGambina, the head of the science department. But students do most of the research and experimentation outside the classroom so that teachers have enough time to meet state science education standards, which control the curriculum, said Angelli.

The school supplements the science curriculum by recruiting Tufts University students to teach experiments. Tufts also allows high school students to research in its facilities and provides students with data related to their inquiry. The high school also taps area businesses for support. Students are encouraged to intern, research and receive mentoring at several local laboratories, including the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT and Biogen Idec, Inc.

“You cannot do science anymore in a public or private high school without enormous help,” said Superintendent Tony Pierantozzi in a speech preceding the awards ceremony.

Science fair judge says lab equipment may be lacking, but scientific inquiry starts in the mind

Tufts University student, science fair veteran and science fair judge Lola Yu guest teaches biology experiments at Somerville High. She lamented the lack of equipment necessary for students there to study molecules and cells, which she said are centerpieces of the science curriculum.

“When I go into classrooms with a lab that I’ve done at Tufts, it’s clear that the students have never applied textbook information in their class,” she said.

But Lu said it’s impossible to study molecules and cells without costly equipment, namely $50 test tube racks or $800 micropipettes, tubes used to measure small amounts of liquid.

“Given the expense,” she said, “It’s understandable why high school labs aren’t advanced.”

Lu said that students seeking to improve their knowledge of science should pursue independent research through biotechnology companies in the area. She also suggested that students sit in on college lectures and tour laboratories.

Yet Lu, who also judged biology experiments at the regional fair, said that science fairs benefit all participants, regardless of the complexity of their experiments. Students learn how to reason, analyze data, present an idea and develop a scientific mind.

“It makes kids realize that science is in life everyday,” she said, “and that you can do it everyday.”