Burnsville-Eagan-Savage Public Schools: Burnsville High School Students Participated, Excelled In This Year's Virtual Science Fair

Press release from Burnsville-Eagan-Savage Public Schools, ISD 191:

Tuesday, March 16, 2021 - 07:59

Several students from Burnsville High School competed in this year’s Twin Cities Regional Science Fair, held virtually during February, and advanced to state competition.

Nearly 60 students from Burnsville High School participated in the paper competition. Yohanes Eshete, Audra Johnson, James Johnson, Evenlynn Shero and Ella White were selected for state competition.

Students named as alternates are:

• Vincent Burch
• Cade Bunnell
• Leonard Christianson
• Ava Drobnick
• Elizabeth Genis
• Emily Hey
• Tia Luong
• Irshad Moalim
• Khiya Rath
• Drew Rian
• Maisy Scheuneman
• William Sczepanski

Six out of the 18 students who participated in the project competition were selected for state competition, including Grace Affeldt, Cade Bunnell, Audra Johnson, Jacob Johnson, Evelynn Shero and Liyu Tenkir.

Students named as alternates are:

• Maria Marinero Chanta
• Ava Drobnick
• Frannys Rojas Garcia
• Elizabeth Genis
• Vilasinee Makppho
• Irshad Moalim
• Hamza Nure
• Maisy Scheuneman

Only six projects are selected for the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) from the Twin Cities area. Cade Bunnell was selected as an alternate for ISEF, which will be held virtually in May.

Students who received awards are:

• Jacob Johnson – 3M Display Materials and system Division award
• Hamza Nure – 3M Inventor Recognition award
• Liyu Tenkir - 3M Inventor Recognition award
• Maisy Scheuneman - 3M Inventor Recognition award
• Evelynn Shero – Graduate Women in Science award
• Audra Johnson – Graduate Women in Science award
• Irshad Moalim – US Agency for International Development award
• Evelynn Shero – US Metric Association award
• Irshad Moalim – Stockholm Jr. Water Prize award

“I’m incredibly proud of the students in their perseverance of overcoming obstacles in their projects this year,” said Burnsville High School science teacher and fair advisor Mike Huemoeller. “The project requirements were unchanged from past years, so the students had to work harder and without as much direct support than in a normal year. There were definitely some stressful points for the students, but I believe this has made them stronger and helped them to develop resilience.”

Huemoeller, who also received the Teacher of Excellence Award from the Twin Cities Regional Science Fair, has been teaching nearly 30 years, with 25 of those at Burnsville High School. His approach with the students, in the classroom and in the science fair, is to help facilitate learning and the exploration of science.

“I try to provide them with the tools they need to be successful, such as how to design an experiment or conduct statistical analysis of data, and then give them the opportunity to use those tools. I try to encourage them along the way and reinforce their ability to be successful.”

Huemoeller has participated in the science fair for the last 11 years. In past years, many students incorporated participation from other students into their projects. “This year due to social distancing requirements and transitioning between learning models, it was almost impossible to do that,” said Huemoeller. “However, some students were able to use surveys and other methods to navigate these restrictions. This also required some students to move outside of their comfort zone to try types of projects they may not have otherwise attempted. I think this was a beneficial experience because it allowed students to explore fields of science they may not have otherwise explored.”

“I'm optimistic for state competition because we have some very strong projects and papers in competition. Cade Bunnell advanced to international competition as an alternate, and this is a significant achievement as few students in the state are able to reach this level of competition,” said Huemoeller. “I'm hopeful next year we can return normal, but if not this year's students have provided a strong example of what can be achieved!”

The state science fair will be held virtually March 23-30.

This press release was produced by the 191 School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.