Desert High School announces 2013 science fair results Published Feb. 6, 2013 By Stephen K. Robinson 412th Test Wing Public Affairs EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- More than 24 subject-matter experts from Edwards and the surrounding areas judged more than 150 science projects over a four-day period from Jan. 30 through Feb. 2. The science projects were developed by Desert High School students in 10 different categories and 33 ribbons were awarded for outstanding work. Under the tutelage of Mrs. Debbie Lewis and Mr. Mark Grubb, science teachers at the Muroc Joint Unified School District high school on Edwards Air Force Base, the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior high school students researched, hypothesized, correlated and documented their conclusions, and developed visual presentations on experiments ranging from behavioral sciences to chemistry, biology to applied mechanics, and earth and the environment to aero and hydrodynamics. Lewis said that the students did a really great job on their presentations. "Without the subject matter experts, who were kind enough to come in and judge, it would be extremely difficult if not near impossible to get the job done at the school level," added Lewis. One junior student said that they could have chosen to take the easier route and studied for a traditional sit-in test, but they learned so much more by doing this project than just science. "I didn't earn an award this year, but I learned to use my imagination; look outside the boundaries of a textbook; ask questions; test and retest the results and findings I came up with; organize and conclude; and, last but not least, state what conclusions I came up with and present them in both written and visual formats," said one student. "I've attended one other high school on a military installation, and I have not been challenged as much as I have been here this year. I've learned to look 'outside the box,' so to speak. If anyone asked me my opinion, I'd recommend this learning technique for everyone; especially if they plan to go to school after high school." Lewis added that the winners, from here, will go on to the Kern County competition in March in Bakersfield, Calif., and the winners there will go on to the California State competition on May 1 in Sacramento, Calif. "A little background of Desert High's history in the annual Science Fair competition is that it goes back to before 1998. We usually have about 150 projects at our school, and the top 20 to 25 go on to the county-level competition with about 10 going on to the state-level," Lewis said. "Desert High usually has at least one student who places at the state-level, but last year was the first year since 1998 that no one from Desert High placed at that level. It gets really really difficult to place at state." Updates on how Desert High's students are doing will be released as they become available. DESERT HIGH SCHOOL 2013 SCIENCE FAIR RESULTS Behavioral Sciences 1st: Caitlynn Chung/Erica Tyson 1st: Taylor Garcia/ Destiny Vega 1st: Vivian & Jennifer Phan 2nd: Sh'linda Miller/ Samantha Duny 3rd: Abby & Travis Meyer 3rd: BraydenPantana Aerodynamics/Hydrodynamics 1st: Noah Close 2nd: Larson LeDuc 2nd: Daniel Fernandez/ Anthony Quinnert Applied Mechanics 1st: Maria Hanes 2nd: Dane Adams/ Derek Hanes 3rd: Whitley Guere/ Tyler Myers 3rd: Joshua Huck Earth & Environmental 1st: Eddie Bañuelos/ Benjamin Wright 2nd: Ken Ross 3rd: Amanda Bishop Chemistry 1st: Brighton Okerlund/ Jennifer Warner 2nd: Garron Ireton 3rd: James Haraguchi/ Edward Vasquez Mammalian Biology 1st: Catherine Wright Microbiology 1st: Gabby Evey 3rd: Ryan Cochran 3rd: Ron Welch Physics 1st: Miranda Brater 1st: Paula Hanes 2nd: Zach Holt 2nd: Kenton Hoshino 2nd: Jarrett & James Kok Plant Biology 1st: Sabrina Belen/ Brandon Snyder 2nd: Sarah Erickson 3rd: Elizabeth Shelton Zoology 2nd: Hunter Cleveland/ Josh Oakes 2nd: Devin Killian