Last Friday afternoon I took two of my three kids to the 54th Annual Worcester Regional Science & Engineering Fair. It was held at my almer mater, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, but that is not why we went. No, we went to cheer our friend Stephanie, a bright and sophisticated high school junior who I have known since—oh my, it hardly seems possible!—since she was a bright and sophisticated two-year-old.
It was a thrill to watch Stephanie at work with her peers, sharing her research with fair-goers and judges alike. She was one of only twelve students from her high school invited to participate in this Regional Science Fair, and her project, in my humble but clearly-not-unbiased opinion, is timely, intriguing, and important:
Over the course of a semester, Stephanie designed experiments to explore the antibacterial properties of various honeys and, for comparison, sugar solutions. Her findings are intriguing, and the science fair judges agreed:
That is Stephanie accepting her commendation for her research. She will now compete with hundreds of high school scientists across the state at the Massachusetts State Science Fair at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology later in the spring.
Go, Steph, go!