In a thrilling showcase of scientific prowess, more than 900 k-12 students across the St. Louis area came out to compete in the 2023 Academy of Science, St. Louis Regional Science Fair, which notified its winners on May 9th.
This year’s science fair, an e-fair because it was entirely virtual, involved students from 97 different schools who came out to showcase their scientific knowledge along with their skills in technology, engineering, mathematics, and psychology. Despite the challenges the pandemic brought upon these students, the digital format only fueled their determination to lead them to victory.
One of these winning teams was Brentwood’s very own dynamic duo – Rohan Dixit and Alex Tung – who have spent many hours on their remarkable journey to secure their well-deserved win. Their project received the first place Blue Ribbon Award and two special awards, the Bayer Top Young Scientist Award and the Society of Fire Protection Engineers St. Louis Award. Beyond the academic accolades, Dixit and Tung embraced many personal growths throughout their science fair journey.
Dixit has been competing in science fairs since 3rd grade, and each year he works to improve the quality and depth of his projects to get further and further in the competition. This year, he invited his best friend, Alex Tung, to be a partner on the project with him.
“As this was my 5th year of competing, I felt confident with our process of committing to the Science Fair, and I was excited that I would also be working with one of my best friends on a project,” said Dixit. “We both wanted to do a project that was unique, and that would tackle a problem facing society.”
“I really enjoyed the science fair process. I have never participated in a science fair before, so it was really interesting,” said Tung, “when we got started, I wasn’t really familiar with our topic field, which gave me a chance to learn more about science.”
Motivated by their shared love for science, Dixit and Tung took this opportunity to showcase their skills and understanding of science to tackle a pressing issue: The hidden dangers of staircases. Their project aimed to highlight the issues of staircases and provide innovative solutions. With unwavering commitment, Dixit and Tung dedicated many weekends and spare time to discussing ideas and working on their project both over Zoom and in Person. Their relentless dedication and efficient time management to their project allowed them to stay ahead of their deadline of April 20, 2023, and maintain progress without it getting in the way of their schoolwork and sports.
“We think that the amount of time we spent creating a high-quality, thoroughly researched project is what made us win a blue ribbon along with two special awards,” said Dixit, “we kept our paper organized and concise without skipping points to slacking off at any point. We also created visual examples of our creations on a CAD software, Autodesk Fusion 360, to further enhance the conviction of our idea.”
“This science fair further enhanced my experience in science but showed me new ways in the learning process, like working with people and delivering your idea in the form of a research paper,” said Dixit.
“I wanted to grow and do something new, something out of my comfort zone,” said Tung, “doing the research paper took time and hard work, but I also learned to collaborate, share my ideas, and communicate effectively. I also learned to think in many different ways in order to find the best solution and write a strong paper.”
Their combined efforts and teamwork propelled them to new heights. The exceptional achievement that they have accomplished at the St. Louis Science Fair underscores their remarkable talent and their power of dedication, passion, perseverance, and collaboration. In addition, they would like to thank their mentors, Mr. Hamdan, Mr. Abshier, Mr. Heinrich, and others who provided guidance and support throughout the process.
“I definitely learned a lot, not just about our topic. I also see science in a new way and that we, as young people, can also have an impact or a say in a field that is relevant and important to everybody,” said Tung.
