A trio of Oakwood School students were given high praise for their prowess in the field of science at the 2017 Synopsys Silicon Valley Science and Technology Championship. They will now bring their projects to be judged at the California State Science Fair.
Oakwood sophomore Ashwin Viswesvaran earned first-place honors in the Physical Science and Engineering Category for her science creation titled, “The Making of a Maker: How I built my 3D Printer.” For her ingenuity, Viswesvaran received $100, a Certificate of Achievement from the American Vacuum Society, Northern California, and a BBC Microbit development kit from TechLab Education.
For her project, “Recycling Food Waste to Sequester Carbon, Improve Soil Nutrition, and Growth of Plants in Urban Environments,” Oakwood seventh grader Danya Balagopal earned first place in the Physical Science and Engineering Category. She was nominated to compete in the prestigious Broadcom MASTERS, a program of Society for Science & the Public, which is an international science and engineering competition.
For her project, “LED Gloves: A Communication Solution for Hearing Impaired in the Dark,” Oakwood sixth grader Ayana Wilmot placed second in the Physical Science and Engineering Category. She was also named the Most Promising Female Researcher for grades 6-8 and received a $100 certificate and T-shirt from the Society of Vacuum Coaters.
The 2017 Synopsys Silicon Valley Science and Technology Championship was held March 23 at the San Jose Convention Center. However, students did not know how they placed until the unveiling at the April 9 awards ceremony at the Campbell Heritage Theater.
All three student projects were recognized as being among the top 101 projects from Santa Clara County this year and were nominated to compete in the April 23-24 California State Science Fair in Los Angeles, where Oakwood will be represented for the first time.
The 814 best science projects selected from county science fairs around the state will compete at this event.
