William Byrd Middle and High School students win Roanoke County Science and Engineering Fair awards

By Debbie Adams

Roanoke County Public Schools (RCPS) held the annual Science and Engineering Fair on Feb.
21 at Hidden Valley High School with nearly 140 students entering individual or group projects.
According to RCPS, “The Roanoke County Science Fair brings together the best student projects
from Roanoke County’s secondary schools and the Roanoke Valley Governor’s School.”

Ninety-three projects were entered in the fair in both middle and high school divisions in
categories which included Biochemistry, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Energy:
Sustainable Materials and Design, Engineering Technology, Environmental Engineering,
Translational Medical Science, Materials Science, Physics, Plant Sciences, Microbiology,
Animal Sciences, Biomedical and Health Sciences, Behavioral and Social Science, Mathematics,
Systems Software, Embedded Systems, and Robotics.

Several William Byrd Middle and High School students placed in the competition. High school
students winning first, second, and third places will be advancing to the Western Virginia
Regional Science Fair at Roanoke College on March 14. Middle school students in first and
second place will also advance to the regional.

The WBMS award winners include:

Cormac Brady, first place in Materials Science for his project “Pick Power: The Effect of
Different Materials Used in Place of Picks on Guitar Sounds.” In his project, he researched
“How do different materials used as picks affect the sound of an acoustic guitar?” The answer:
Harder materials had a brighter sound than softer materials.

Chance Nguyen, first place in Physics for his project “Magnetism and Temperature: a Study.”
His hypothesis was, “If a magnet’s temperature increases, then it will result in more paperclips
being held.” Conclusion: Actually, as the temperature increased, the average mass of paperclips
held by the magnet decreased. The greatest mass was held by the coldest temperature.

Tenley Gussler, second place in Materials Science for her project “Moisturizer Madness: The
Effect of Moisturizer on Water Lost Through Skin.” She investigated which brand of skin
moisturizer kept skin hydrated the best. Answer: CeraVe.

Brenner Alterio, third place in Engineering Technology/Environmental Engineering/Transitional
Medical Science for his project “The Effect of Different Filtration Methods on Water Clarity.”
His investigation proved that there are ways to improve water supplies around the world using
filtration.

Other WBMS students participating included:

Anna Hemming, researching “What Materials in a Filter Make the Water Cleanest.”

Cael Sink, investigating “Infill vs. Infill: Which is the strongest? The Effect of 3D Printed Infill
Design on Strength.”

Owen Seth, Rory Grant, and Hayden Biggs, testing “The Effect of Tower Structure on Weight-
Bearing Capacity.”

Brooklynn Scott and Hanna Counts, “More Shade: The Effect of Different Color Curtains on the
Reduction of Light.”

Andrew Johnson, “Unlocking the Energy in Hydration: Measuring Electrolyte Concentration in
Drinks.”

Nine of the 10 William Byrd High School students who entered the fair placed in the
competition. Those students will advance to the regional and are:

Marygann Jenkins, first place in Earth and Environmental Sciences A for her project “The
Effects of Human Activity on the Tributaries and Watersheds of the Upper Roanoke River.” She
investigated nitrate, pH, and TDS (total dissolved solids) levels in four Roanoke River
tributaries, including Smith Mountain Lake.

Christopher Boyd won first place in Physics/Mathematics for his project “The Effect of Different
Banking Methods and Firms on Financial Income in Relation to Predicted Inflation Rates.” His
goal was to determine if online or in-person banks are more financially beneficial.

Levi Whitcomb and Jack Petersen won second place in Plant Sciences for their project “The
Effect of Hydroponic Systems vs. Soil-based Systems on the Growth Rate of Spinacia Oleracea.”
They tested whether spinach seeds grown hydroponically would have a higher growth rate than
those grown in soil.

Hudson Cain and Cooper Peery won second place in Physics/Mathematics for their project “The
Effect of Internal Composition of Baseballs Utilized by Various Age Ranges on Exit Velocity as
Measured from a Stationary Bat.” They tested tee balls, youth baseballs, high school baseballs,
and Minor League baseballs to see which had the highest exit velocity.

Norah Buck won second place in Behavioral and Social Sciences for her project “The Effect of
Music on Short-Term Memory.” Hypothesis: If people listen to classical music they will perform
with higher scores on tests of short-term memory than those using rock music or no music. Her
conclusion was that different music genres definitely have an effect on memory.

Kyleigh Ginger and Noah Wheeler won second place in Chemistry/Microbiology for their
project “Quantitative Analysis of Ion Dissociation on Freezing Point Depression.” This research
has applications for treating roadways before wintry weather to prevent ice formation.

Aaron Start won second place in Energy/Materials Science for his project “The Effect of
Temperature on the Performance of a Fuel Cell, After Electrolysis, to Determine the Efficiency
of a Fuel Cell.” His hypothesis: Fuel cells perform better in warmer temperatures.

Nate Buck won third place in Behavioral and Social Sciences for his project “An Analysis of
How Gender and Age Affects Self-Reported Intensity of Social Anxiety.” His hypothesis was
that females tend to suffer more intense social anxiety than males.

Ace Adkins won third place in Environmental Engineering/Engineering Technology with his
project “The Effects of Different Rover Wheel Designs on a Distrance on a Simulated Terrestrial
Planet.” He investigated which rover wheel design will allow a rover to travel the farthest on a
terrestrial planet surface. The answer – one with treads and an angle design.

Other WBHS students participating included Emily Robtison, Wes Wilson, and Grant Bartley
with their project “The Effect of Terrain on Home-Built Ground Drone Speed and Stability.”

Roanoke County Science Supervisor Tammy Sauls facilitated the 2026 event. During the
Awards Ceremony following the evaluation of the projects by some 40 judges, Sauls noted that
the science fair was about more than awards; it also offered students the chance to become
“Opportunity Ready.” She encouraged them to be proud of what they had accomplished and of
their ability to clearly communicate to the judges and those who attended what they had
discovered. She urged them to continue to “ask the why’s and continue to learn from the
process.”

She thanked the students for their hard work, their parents for supporting them, and their
instructors for teaching them “inquiry-based” learning.

Roanoke County Schools Executive Director of Secondary Instruction Mike Riley, a former
science teacher at Cave Spring High School, commented that science fairs teach critical thinking,
collaboration, communication, and perseverance. Students learn that “there is no right answer –
just the answer.”