Three science students from Riverside County have been honored as national semi-finalists in the country’s premier science and engineering fair for 6th, 7th and 8th graders.
Hondo Guillermo Gonzalez
The Riverside County students honored at the Broadcom MASTERS competition were Tré Joseph Risk, an 8th grader at Indio’s Desert Ridge Academy (Desert Sands USD); Hondo Guillermo Gonzalez, an 8th grader at St. Hyacinth Academy, a San Jacinto parochial school; and Mary Travis Haisten Doepner, a 7th grader at River Springs Charter School in Temecula.
The three were among thousands of entrants from across the nation in the prestigious Broadcom MASTERS. Just 300 semi-finalists were selected. To be eligible, each must have been nominated by a science fair affiliated with the national nonprofit Society for Science & the Public, which runs the national competition. In addition, semi-finalists earned those spots by demonstrating their use of STEM principles — science, technology, engineering and math — in the development and presentation of their project.
Tré Joseph Risk’s project was entitled “Waste Not, Want Not: Reducing Aquifer Depletion through Increased Recycled Water Consumption.”
Hondo Guillermo Gonzalez’s project was “Will Positive Subliminal Messages Placed in the Instruction of Learning Improve Test Scores?”
Mary Travis Haisten Doepner
Mary Travis Haisten Doepner’s project was “Findings from the Field: A Study of Pervious Materials in the Low Impact Development Project at Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District.”
From the field of semi-finalists, national judges chose just 30 projects to advance to the Broadcom’s final round. None of the Riverside County students advanced. But Yamileth Shimojyo, science coordinator for the Riverside County Office of Education, said it is a tremendous achievement to make the semi-finals in California.
“This year, out of 300 semi-finalists nationwide, 37 were from California,” she said. “Six of the 30 finalists come from California, the most of any state. Last year, a Northern California student won the competition, and Riverside County had two semifinalists then, too. It’s helping to give Riverside County a strong reputation in STEM competitions.”
Tré Joseph Risk
In May, four Riverside County high school students also won awards at the 2012 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the world’s most prestigious STEM fair.
The middle-school competition’s name, MASTERS, stands for Math, Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering for Rising Stars. The event is underwritten by the Broadcom Foundation, with additional support from the Samueli Foundation and Elmer’s Products, Inc.
This year’s finalists will gather in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 28 to show their projects.
The 2012 winner will be selected Oct. 3.
*Contributed by Riverside County Office of Education
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