Bettering the world, one project at a time.
The motto of three area high school students who were named grand award winners at the 26th annual South Central South Dakota Regional Science and Engineering Fair came to fruition Tuesday when the students received top honors for their projects, all aimed at creating a better life for others.
Thea Patrick and Madison Hetland, both of Mitchell, and Mallory Bohr, of Plankinton, received grand awards, $12,000 scholarships to Dakota Wesleyan University and the chance to advance to the International Science and Engineering Fair from May 13 through May 18 in Pennsylvania.
"I'm shocked, honestly," Bohr said following the fair. "I really didn't think I would win."
For her project, Bohr created a universal GPS watch that is cost-effective, accessible for those with low incomes, and helps people travel more efficiently, she said. She has spent months on the project, and was excited to be recognized for her work.
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Patrick conducted alzheimer's research, during which she found two plants that mitigate the disease's effects by upping the level of a critical chemical found in the brain, which is reduced when a person has alzheimer's.
Hetland's project was a continuation of the prior year's project, she said. She created solar graphene-based supercapacitor. In simple terms, the supercapacitor functions similarly to a battery in that they both dispel energy, she said, but supercapacitors discharge energy in an instant rather than over time, like a battery. Last year, Hetland created the supercapacitor and this year she solved major issues the project had previously, such as making them more environmentally friendly and cost-effective. Her supercapacitors cost between 10 cents and 74 cents to create.
Hetland and Patrick previously qualified for the national speech and debate tournament, so they are familiar with taking their talents to large stages. But the recognition for their work never gets old, Patrick said.
"It means that all the work we put in was worth it, essentially," Patrick said. "It would have been worth it anyway because we're still trying to do good things for the world, but it's nice to have that justification that what you do matters and other people recognize that."
More than 120 sixth- through- 12th-grade students from 23 school districts participated in Tuesday's event at Dakota Wesleyan University, with dozens of awards and prizes distributed. A full list of winners will be printed in a later edition of The Daily Republic.
