Arizona Technology Council Foundation Announces Grand Award Winners of 2012 Arizona Science & Engineering Fair

PHOENIX, April 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Arizona Technology Council Foundation (http://www.aztechcouncil.org/)  has announced the grand award winners of the Arizona Science and Engineering Fair (AzSEF) (http://azsef.org/), now in its sixth year. The event was held at the Phoenix Convention Center April 2-4, 2012.  

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"We congratulate all of the students who participated in this exceptional educational program," said Steven G. Zylstra, president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council. "AzSEF is actually a year round effort that promotes student understanding of the scientific process while developing relevant research that can have a positive impact on communities, the state, and even provide global applications."

Each year schools throughout the state select their most notable scholars in grades 5-12 to present in one of the 17 scientific categories. Grand Award winners and their teachers advance to the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world's largest international pre-college science competition being held in Pittsburgh in 2012 with all expenses paid. Phoenix has been selected as the site of the 2013, 2016, and 2019 ISEF.

"We are extremely proud of the students and the efforts they put forth for this year's Fair," said Phillip Huebner, director, AzSEF. "The research that these students are doing is the cornerstone of them developing an interest in pursuing a science, engineering, technology or math (STEM) career that is so vital to our economic development."

Grand Award Elementary division:

• Kimmee Blakeney from Esperanza Elementary; Chemistry category; Bump vs. Bumps

Grand AwardsJunior division:

• Sakthi Kumar from Mesa Academy for Advanced Studies; Behavioral & Social Sciences category; Personality Memory
• Rohil Hatalkar from Paragon Science Academy; Engineering category;Exploring DC Motors
• Divya Vatsa from Basis Scottsdale; Medicine & Health Sciences category; The antimicrobial effects of herbal plants on streptococcus mutans

Grand Awards Senior division:

• Christian Drew from Lajoya Community High School; Physics & Astronomy category;The Strange Case of WASP 43b
• Sumedha Ravishankar and Sirtaj Singh from Empire High School;Plant Sciences category; The effects of growing Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in municipal secondary effluent wastewater on biomass yield for biofuel production
• Sarah Sakha from Xavier College Preparatory; Microbiology category;A Comparative Study of the Antimicrobial Activity of Different Spices on the Shelf-Life of An Alternative Emergency Food Product
• Joshua Burdoo from Tucson High Magnet School; Cellular & Molecular Biology category; The translocation of HDAC6 during oxidative stress
• Kapil Kanagal from Brophy College Preparatory; Chemistry category;The Synthesis of Cross-Linked PEI Polymers in Order to Aid in the Efficacy of Gene Transport to Cancerous PC3 Cells
• Abhishek Rajadas from McClintock High School; Engineering:Electrical & Mechanical category;Intelligent Self-Sensing Composite Structures
• Rajan Sheth and Alfred Xue from Hamilton High School; Mathematical Sciences category;The Effects of Human Dynamics on the Proliferation of Ebolavirus
• Thuy-duyen Nguyen and Jasmine Chien from Hamilton High School; Medicine & Health Sciences category;Effects of Creatine Phosphate on Aortic Smooth Vascular Tissue
• Varun Ramesh from Hamilton High School; Computer Science category; A Novel Algorithm for Real Time Terrain Rendering using Geometry Clipmaps

This state fair is supported the following sponsors:

• Gold Sponsors: Intel Foundation,  ASU Office of Knowledge Enterprise Development
• Silver Sponsors: Honeywell, Craig & Barbara Barrett Foundation, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Foundation
• Turquoise Sponsors: Henkel of America, General Dynamics, Helios Education Foundation, Maricopa community colleges
• Copper Sponsors: Salt River Project, Quarles Brady, Resolution Copper

To learn more about the Arizona Science and Engineering Fair or become a sponsor visit the AzSEF web site at http://azsef.org.

About the Arizona Technology Council Foundation
The Arizona Technology Council Foundation is dedicated to further promoting and growing technology in Arizona through the raising of funds, leadership, collaboration and innovation.  The Foundation is home to Science, Engineering, Technology and Math (STEM) programs including getSTEM™-az , the Arizona SciTech Festival, the Arizona Middle School Science Bowl and the Arizona Science & Engineering Fair. In additional, The Foundation is home to the Arizona Innovation Institute and the Tech Terra Recycling program.

About the Arizona Technology Council
The Arizona Technology Council is Arizona's premier trade association for science and technology companies.  Recognized as having a diverse professional business community, Council members work toward furthering the advancement of technology in Arizona through leadership, education, legislation and social action. The Arizona Technology Council offers numerous events, educational forums and business conferences that bring together leaders, managers, employees and visionaries to make an impact on the technology industry.  These interactions contribute to the Council's culture of growing member businesses and transforming technology in Arizona. To become a member or to learn more about the Arizona Technology Council, please visit http://www.aztechcouncil.org.

SOURCE Arizona Technology Council Foundation