STEM Center for Math and Science Education

We took our NWARSEF (Science and Engineering Fair) finalists and their sponsors to the International Science and Engineering Fair in Dallas, Texas, from May 14-19, 2023.

Chandra Suda and Rohan Singh from Bentonville High School, and Taksh Patel from Fayetteville High School competed against 1638 students from 64 countries, regions, and territories from around the world!

Projects:
Taksh Patel - Materials Science: Growth & Characterization of Layered Magnets: https://projectboard.world/isef/project/mats017-growth-and-characterization-of-layered-magnets
Chandra Suda - Biomedical Engineering: TB Diagnosis+Care Monitoring via ML Cough Analysis: https://projectboard.world/isef/project/enbm048-tb-diagnosis-care-monitoring-via-ml-cough-analysis
Rohan Singh - Biomedical Engineering: Novel Insulin-Glucagon Artificial Pancreas: https://projectboard.world/isef/project/enbm026-novel-insulin-glucagon-artificial-pancreas

Special Awards
All three students won Special Awards at the ceremony. Special Award Judges interview and select winners from among the Regeneron ISEF finalists on behalf of their organizations. Each year more than 50 professional organizations, representing government, industry, and education across a wide variety of scientific disciplines, affiliate with Regeneron ISEF as Special Award Organizations to provide awards from their respective organizations.

Taksh won 2nd place and a cash award for $300 for his project from the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM). King Abdulaziz & His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, “Mawhiba,” is a national educational foundation in Saudi Arabia established to help cultivate a comprehensive environment of creativity. The organization seeks to build a sustainable future by encouraging youth around the world to search for innovative means toward developing concepts in relevant fields of study. To support this goal, Mawhiba began participating at ISEF in 2007 in order to promote acoustics and recognize the accomplishments of pre-college students.

Chandra won a 4-year scholarship worth $20,000 to attend University of Texas at Dallas. As a Tier One research institution, The University of Texas at Dallas is dedicated to fostering innovation through groundbreaking research. Our diverse student population and renowned faculty represent over 100 countries, and we offer top-ranked academic programs in STEM, management, liberal arts, and social sciences. With 40+ research centers and institutes, we give students hands-on training to prepare them for successful careers in a technology-driven world. UT Dallas is proud to be the #3 medical school feeder in Texas and #17 in the U.S.

Rohan won $800 from the International Council on Systems Engineering – INCOSE. The International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) wants to help students understand systems thinking, and the importance of systems engineering to make systems: effective in meeting user needs, affordable, acceptable to all stakeholders, and suitable for the environment INCOSE and its Foundation are enthusiastic about participating in the ISEF and offering prizes and recognition for projects which exhibit the most effective use of systems engineering principles.

Grand Awards
Both Chandra and Rohan won 4th place in the category of Biomedical Engineering at the ISEF Grand Awards. They each received a $500 cash award.

Picture: L-R: Sponsor Matthew Holden, Taksh Patel, Rohan Singh, Chandra Suda, NWARSEF Fair Director Shawn Bell, and Sponsor John Russell.

The 72nd University of Arkansas Northwest Arkansas Regional Science and Engineering Fair in the Student Union Ballroom on Friday, March 10, 2023.

More than 200 5th-12th grade students in schools from 15 counties in Northwest Arkansas competed in the Northwest Arkansas Regional Science and Engineering Fair.
Over 200 University of Arkansas faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates students served as judges and volunteers for the fair, coordinated by Shawn Bell, director of the university's Center for Mathematics and Science Education.

The mission of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Science and Engineering Fair of the University of Arkansas is to endorse STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) literacy and increase STEM career awareness in Northwest Arkansas for 5th-12th-grade students and teachers through inquiry and problem/project-based learning. The vision of the NWARSEF is to improve STEM education by encouraging students — future scientists, technologists, mathematicians, and engineers — to explore STEM disciplines through their own research and problem/project-based learning, to apply the knowledge gained from their research, and to communicate their results.

Other Information: Categories for judging are animal sciences, behavioral and social sciences, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, chemistry, computer science, earth and planetary science, energy and transportation, engineering: electrical/mechanical, engineering: materials/bioengineering, environmental management, environmental sciences, mathematical sciences, medicine and health sciences, microbiology, physics and astronomy, and plant sciences.

Senior Division category winners advance to the state Science and Engineering Fair at UCA in Conway on March 31-April 1, 2023. Overall Senior Division NWARSEF winners and their teachers will be sponsored to the International Science and Engineering Fair in Dallas in May.

1st Place – Chandra Suda, Computer Science: Early Diagnosis and Treatment Monitoring of Tuberculosis Via Machine Learning Cough Analysis, Bentonville High School/Ignite
2nd Place - Taksh Patel, Physics and Astronomy: Growth & Characterization of Layered Magnets, Fayetteville High School
3rd Place – Rohan Singh, Bentonville High School/Ignite, Medicine and Heath Science: Optimizing Glycemic Control in Type 1 Diabetic Patients using a Deep Learning-Based Artificial Pancreas with a Secure Glucagon and Insulin Delivery System

The 72nd annual University of Arkansas - Northwest Arkansas Regional Science and Engineering Fair is tomorrow, Friday, March 10, 2023. Student projects will be on display in the Student Union Ballroom and open to the public from 12:00 - 3:00. Everybody is invited!

Congrats to our International Science and Engineering Fair finalists! Anish Lakkeema from Bentonville High School, Taksh Patel from Fayetteville High School, and Lucas Hayes from Alma High School competed with over 1700 students from 63 countries around the world!

Both Anish and Taksh won special awards at the ceremony.

Anish Leekkala, Bentonville High School, Bentonville, AR, United States of America
$575 Missouri S&T summer camp scholarship
ROBO075 — Early Detection of Acromegaly Using a Novel Convolutional Neural Networks
Missouri University of Science and Technology

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,200 students. Located in Rolla, a community of 20,000 in south-central Missouri, S&T offers 101 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top universities for return on investment. Missouri S&T is proud to offer these awards to ISEF participants: * FIVE $500 non-renewable scholarships for first-year (freshmen) students choosing to attend Missouri S&T * FIVE $575 scholarships for high school students choosing to attend a Missouri S&T summer camp.

Taksh Patel, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville , AR, United States of America
MATS043 — Growth and Characterization of 2D Magnetic Materials
Full Scholarship from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) and a $400 cash prize:
King Abdulaziz & his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity

King Abdulaziz & His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, “Mawhiba”, is a national educational foundation in Saudi Arabia established to help cultivate a comprehensive environment of creativity. The organization seeks to build a sustainable future by encouraging youth around the world to search for innovative means toward developing concepts in relevant fields of study. To support this goal, Mawhiba began participating at ISEF in 2007 in order to promote acoustics and recognize the accomplishments of pre-collage students.

After getting snowed out for the NWARSEF on March 11, we had the middle and junior division fair at CMASE today. The students and their projects were awesome! Thank you to all the teachers and over 100 faculty, staff, and UA volunteers to make our fair a success!