Flintridge Prep’s STEAM and Service Fair Celebrates Student Impact and Innovation

Connecting scientific exploration and community impact, the STEAM and Service Fair is a chance for students to show off projects they’ve developed and conducted throughout the year.

8th Grade Community Impact

Building on their experiences at Middle School Community Service Day and their 7th grade introduction to conducting scientific experiments, 8th graders propose, design and conduct their own Community Impact Projects. In a philanthropic area of their choosing, they incorporate the scientific method by including surveys and other quantifiable results to measure their impact.

Community Impact Projects were categorized by impact theme. The STEAM category winner was Caroline Yamamoto ’21, who taught 10 weeks of art classes at STARS. Alexis Lara ’21 won the Youth category for “Who You Are Is Enough,” a program about self esteem presented to middle school students. In the Relief category, Kate Huntley ’21 trained with Peace Over Violence to design a presentation about Domestic Violence for the entire middle school and the senior psychology class. She was also asked by Peace Over Violence to present her talk to schools around Los Angeles.

The 8th grade class chose Will Gunter ’21 as the student-selected award winner for his work bringing police officers to the Boys and Girls Club to discuss the perception of police officers. This award entails a $100 donation to a charity of the winners choosing, in this case the Boys and Girls Club.

Many projects incorporated students’ interests with impact in surprising ways. Ella Treinen ‘21 received third place in the Relief category for her research on the effects of music therapy on Alzheimer’s patients. She visited with nursing home residents with Alzheimer’s and helped them select music tailored to their preferences. As she got to know them, the music became part of a larger conversation. “They talk to me about their past,” she says, “their worries and concerns, and their favorite things in life … I love visiting them and giving them two of the things they want most, music and company.” The results, she says, were successful. “It helped them recall autobiographical events, and it increased their love of music.”

High School Science and Engineering

High school participants took on interdisciplinary projects in such fields as engineering, physics, biology, psychology, anatomy, environmental science and chemistry. Their sources of inspiration were as diverse as the projects themselves.

First place in the High School Science and Engineering category, Maya Khurana ‘20 looked at the effects of tryptophan on chickpea seeds and kidney beans using DNA extraction and gel electrophoresis. Saya Sarma ’20 came in second for her research on the lens hardening and clouding associated with cataracts and presbyopia.

Sunay Poole ‘18 got the idea for his project while considering “all the everyday tasks that would be so hard to accomplish with painful joints. As a pianist,” he says, “a setback like this seems terrible.” He set out to find a way to train joints without using brainwaves, so he built a glove that recognizes hand movements and uses software to control the movement of another hand, in this case a 3D-printed hand. “I quickly realized that this cheaply-made hand could also be used as a prosthetic,” he says, “and I adapted my goals to fit that model.” He received third place in the High School Science and Engineering category.

STEAM in Clubs and Classes

Several campus organizations and classes also showcased STEAM work. Sewing Club, led by Cameron Bielawa ’20 and Nicole Mirzaian ’22, held an interactive, make-your-own-keychain station. The club’s booth also showed pieces from an ambitious quilting project in honor of three Prep teachers and their newborn babies. They used Project Lightbulb funding to purchase sewing machines and raised money through bake sales and donations to purchase supplies.

Robotics Club held a 3D printing demonstration that printed student-designed Prep keychains for viewers. They also set up a live robotics display, where students from the club showcased a completed robot and worked on one of their in-progress pieces.

To add more art to the mix, several of Mr. Rodriguez’s photography students showed their work with light sensitive paper, infrared and 3D photography complete with 3D goggles for viewers.

Congratulations to all of this year’s participants! View the full list of winners and an event slideshow below.

2017 Winners
High School Science & Engineering

1st Place: Maya Khurana ’20
2nd Place: Saya Sarma ’20
3rd Place: Sunay Poole ’18

Community Impact: STEAM
1st Place: Caroline Yamamoto ’21
2nd Place: Ryan Alameddine ’21
3rd Place: Jazzy Wu ’21

Community Impact: Youth
1st Place: Alexis Lara ’21
2nd Place: Audrey Ouh ’21
3rd Place: Bradley Wang ’21

Community Impact: Relief
1st Place: Kate Huntley ’21
2nd Place: Isabel Simons ’21
3rd Place: Ella Treinen ’21

Community Impact Student-Selected Award
Will Gunter ’21

ACL Award
Miller Hause ’21, Bennett Oakes ’21, Andrew Odom ’21, Devyn Walklett ’21

Honorable Mentions
Reagan Schmidt ’20
Noah Igler ’20
Julia Boberg ’20
Maggie Newhart ’20
Noelle Tamura ’20
Lucca Guzman-Gieseken ’20
Germaine Harvey ’20
James Dixon ’21
Georgia Yamamoto ’21
Sofia Echavarria ’21
Nick Palmer ’21
Charlotte Stipanov ’21
Will Gunter ’21
Nicola Iannelli ’21
Madeline Montes ’21
Alec Zackarian ’21

Judges found the following individuals and teams eligible for entry into the LA County Science and Engineering Fair:
Maya Khurana ’20

Saya Sarma ’20

Sunay Poole ’18

Reagan Schmidt ’20

Julia Boberg ’20 and Maggie Newhart ’20

Noelle Tamura ’20, Lucca Guzman-Gieseken ’20 and Germaine Harvey ’20

Noah Igler ’20

Cameron Bielawa ’20

Charlie McCormick ’20

Alex Bouquet ’20

Natalie Bax ’20

Derek Tran ’20

Grady Morrissey ’20 and Matt Son ’20

Flintridge Preparatory School, 4543 Crown Ave., La Cañada Flintridge, (818) 790-1178 or visit www.flintridgeprep.org.