Brent Quam/Winonan

Fifth- through twelfth-graders from southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin presented their research at the 60th annual Regional Science Fair at Winona State University last Friday.

The focus of project entry experiments ranged from knife-throwing to solar energy.

Winona State science faculty, junior- and senior-level students from all three of Winona’s colleges, as well as professionals in the fields of science and engineering from around the area volunteered to judge the 142 entries.

Nathan Moore, a Winona State physics professor, said, “We’re trying to have each project judged a minimum of four times. We’re thrilled we have more than 90 judges. It’s special for students to be able to interact with professionals.”

Projects were judged on a point system with three areas of emphasis: creativity, real-life application and presentation.

Blake Julian, a Winona State senior majoring in physics and chemistry teaching, was a volunteer student judge for the event. “‘Electromagnetic vs. Magnetic Rocket Propulsion’ was the most innovative project I’ve seen today,” Julian said.

Another judge, Anne Longlet, a Winona State senior mathematics major and physics minor, was impressed by the same project.  “A lot of effort went into it, and it had a great foundation,” she said.

Callahan McLellan, an eighth-grade student at La Crescent Middle School, produced the entry.  “I don’t want to jinx my chances,” he said. “But my experiment is the constant, and the judges, the variable.  I’d say my chances [of winning] are… maybe fifty-fifty.  I remind myself that judges are just people, and I relax.”  McLellan went on to win a Special Award from the U.S. Air Force for his entry.

Other entrants were more pragmatic about the fair’s result. Alex Nutter, another 8th-grade student from La Crescent, entered a project entitled “This Little Light of Mine,” one of four at the fair judged Most Creative.

“I did well at my own school’s fair,” Nutter said, “So I got to come here. I just want to go on to State,” she said, referring to the Minnesota State Science and Engineering Fair, which takes place in Bloomington, April 7-9.

In the Minnesota junior division, 20 students were chosen to move on to the state competition. Four senior division finalists were chosen from Minnesota, and three from Wisconsin.

Jack Bryant, a Winona Senior High student, will go on to compete at the International Science and Engineering Fair in Pheonix, Ariz., in May.

Contact Brent at [email protected]