Students Win Big at Science and Engineering Fair

Of the 19 Newman students who participated in the Greater New Orleans Science and Engineering Fair at Tulane University last week, five earned first place in their entry category, and many received additional awards from foundations and corporations for their projects.

The first-place winners and their entry titles are:

Newman’s first-place winners are automatically qualified to compete at the Louisiana Science and Engineering Fair in March, while second- and third-place competitors have the opportunity to participate as alternates.

Many of Newman’s participants are students in “Science Research and Design,” a special course in Newman’s science department that challenges students to develop and complete an independent research project. Science Department Chair and science fair faculty sponsor Matt Jones said participation in science fairs embodies Newman’s motto of We learn to do by doing.

“Our students are coming up with really interesting questions and figuring out how to answer them. It’s at the heart of who we are as a school,” he said.

In addition to the individual student awards, Newman won the Patrick F. Taylor Award for having more than 10 student entries and teacher Dr. David Kern received the James de la Houssaye Mentor Award. Overall, students and teachers won over $9,000 in cash prizes and scholarships.