Brookhaven Lab's Elementary School Science Fair Celebrates Students' Curiosity

Lab displays students' creative projects, announces competition results

June 16, 2025

UPTON, N.Y. — The annual Elementary Science Fair Competition hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory on June 7 showcased a range of hypotheses students set out to test by following the scientific method.

Students presented questions inspired by their everyday lives, their interests, and timely topics in science. This year’s project titles included, “Alexa, Do my Homework!” “Does Taylor Swift Help Make my Dog Less Anxious?” “How Does the Air Pressure of a Soccer Ball Affect how far it Travels When Kicked?” and “Words Matter: How Encouragement Affects Performance.”

Brookhaven Lab scientists and local teachers volunteered to judge 258 projects and award the top spots and honorable mentions for each grade level, from kindergarten to sixth grade. The competition also included a Judges’ Choice award for creative questions.

“Our Elementary Science Fair is all about celebrating students’ first steps in STEM and providing positive memories that will inspire them as they consider future career paths,” said Daniel Trieu, competition co-coordinator and educational programs representative with Brookhaven Lab’s Office of Workforce Development and Science Education (WDSE). WDSE provides educational opportunities that highlight the Lab’s research initiatives, preparing the next generation of scientists and engineers.

A number of projects pulled in family and friends, including four-legged ones. Kindergarten student Savanna Stidd of Riley Avenue Elementary School wondered, “Am I really my dog’s best friend?” and found that her pup named Penny ran to her the fastest when called over.

Her favorite part of the process? “I got to play with my dog,” she said.

Some students combined science and art, exploring how different types of music play into plant growth, whether music affects the way we draw, and which conditions contribute to the perfect place to hang their paintings. Others asked questions about food, including a project that tested which substance best mummified apples — complete with a life-size display prop mummy — and another that investigated why a student’s favorite ice cream flavor, chocolate, melts quickly in the summer.

Overall, the Science Fair is a chance to highlight students’ curiosity about the scientific process.

“My favorite part about being at the Science Fair is looking at my Science Fair project and seeing how hard I worked for it,” said Elijah David, a third grader from Coram Elementary School who conducted an experiment to see which liquids dissolved different types of candy the fastest.  

Students who earned first place in their grade level received medals and ribbons, along with banners to hang at their school to recognize the achievement. All participants received a ribbon in recognition of having won their grade-level competition at their school. Brookhaven Lab and Teachers Federal Credit Union sponsored the competition.

Science Fair Awards

Kindergarten

First place: "Don't Wake a Sleeping Baby" by Athena Corso, Lincoln Avenue Elementary

Judge’s Choice: “Exploring Light Absorption and Heat with Ice Cream" by Nate Doherty, Miller Avenue School

Honorable mentions:

• "Ocean Oil Spill Clean Up!" by Arjun Yelika, Laurel Hill School
• "Am I Really My Dog's Best Friend?" by Savanna Stidd, Riley Avenue Elementary School
• "Diaper Showdown" by Peyton Lauten, Frank J. Carasiti Elementary

First Grade

First place: "Electromagnet Avenue" by John Jantzen, Sunrise Drive Elementary School

Judge’s Choice: "Don't Water Your Plants" by Jack Gottesman, Tamarac Elementary School

Honorable mentions:

• "A Blast Going Fast!" by Grady McHugh, Pines Elementary School
• "Can You Spot the Real Picture?" by Cecilia Singh, Edna Louise Spear Elementary

Second Grade

First place: "Monkey Bars or Ouchy Scars: Which playground surface absorbs the most impact?" by Christopher Calvanese, Pines Elementary School

Judge’s Choice: "Leaf it to the Music" by Indie Crooke, Hampton Bays Elementary School

Honorable mentions:

• "Can I Make Plastic Out of Milk?" by Maggie Ruddick, Ridge Elementary School
• "Best Alternative to Paper Towels" by Rudhvin Maheshkumar, Bretton Woods Elementary School
• "Impact of Body Slams" by Nathan Kenny, Hiawatha Elementary

Third Grade

First place: "Lami Vs. Eddy" by Erios Pikramenos, Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate School

Judge’s Choice: "Slippery Science: How Friction Affects Hockey Puck Motion" by Colton Christian, Dayton Avenue School

Honorable mentions:

• "Alexa, Do My Homework" by Emilia Rutigliano, Tamarac Elementary
• "Caught In the Air" by Adalynn Bishop, Raynor Country Day School
• "Origami Engineering" by George Miyagishi, Park View Elementary School
• "Soccer Surfaces: Studying Speed of Grass vs. Turf" by Christopher Powell, Fifth Avenue School
• "Smart Soil: Hydrate with Hydrogels to Save Water and Prevent Wildfires" by Siena Roseto, Cutchogue East Elementary School

Fourth Grade

First place: "Upcycled Seed Paper" by Lyla Drucker, Tamarac Elementary

Judge’s Choice: "Rainbow Reaction" by Mabel Gross, Dayton Avenue School

Honorable mentions:

• "Ice Ice Baby" by Kate Unterstein, Cutchogue East Elementary School
• "Do More Pulleys Pull More?" by Myles Savage, RCK Elementary School
• "Grounds for Growth? Does Adding Coffee Grinds to Soil Help Plants Grow?" by Lily Argyros, Bretton Woods Elementary School
• "Stick'em or Trick'em: Outsmarting the Spotted Lanternfly" by Vincent Calvanese, Pines Elementary School
• "Sourdough Success" by Ruby Tafflock, Ocean Avenue School

Fifth Grade

First place: "Waste to Blaze: Which Eco-Briquette Burns the Best" by Taran Sathish Kumar, Pines Elementary School

Judge’s Choice: "Where's that Smell? Part II" by Morgan Proscia, Sunrise Drive Elementary School

Honorable mentions:

• "Sugar's Daily Dance" by Sofia Balcells, Raynor Country Day School
• "Up, Up and Away" by Ashleigh Bruno, Northport Middle School

Sixth Grade

First place: "Defeating Drought: Can Hydrogels Help?" by Luke Dinsman, Northport Middle School

Judge’s Choice: "The Effects of Aging on Reaction Time" by Aiden Napolitano, Hauppauge Middle School

Honorable mentions:

• "Genetic Transformation, An Experiment in Bioluminescence" by William Zeiger, Peconic Community School
• "The Effects of Different Sunscreens on Brine Shrimp" by Colette Breig, William T Rogers Middle School

Science Fair Expo

While the project showcase was underway, science fair participants and their families also visited the Science Fair Expo, which featured information about Brookhaven Lab, science demonstrations, and hands-on activities related to physics, nanoscale science, and more.

Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit science.energy.gov.

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