Falmouth Academy
37TH ANNUAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR
FEBRUARY 21, 2025
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
8:15 ...........................Students Set Up
8:30 ..........................Orientation for Judges
9:00-12:00 .............Judging of Projects
12:00-12:30 ............Scores and Comments Input
12:00-1:00 ..............Grade Lunches
11:30-1:00 ...............Judges and Faculty Lunch
3:15 ...........................Buses Pick Up from MV Ferry
3:00-3:45 Public Viewing for S&EF and Extended Inquiry
3:50-4:30 ................S&EF Awards Ceremony
4:30 ..........................Projects Breakdown
4:40 ..........................Buses to MV Ferry
4:45 ..........................Regular Buses Depart
ABOUT THE SCIENCE FAIR LOGO
The original Falmouth Academy Science Fair logo was a linoleum cut designed by Ira Carmel ’89 on the occasion of FA’s inaugural science fair, held on March 17, 1989. The logo was refreshed in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Fair, but retains its original whimsical representation of the depth and breadth of the research that is conducted by our students. Whether exploring the basic elements of life or building better rockets, our students’ curiosity about the world around them is reflected in this logo and in all the work presented.
SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR SPONSORS
LEGACY SPONSORS
Marine Biological Laboratory
Salt Pond Areas Bird Sanctuaries, Inc.
Sea Education Association
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woodwell Climate Research Center
NEWTON SIGNATURE SPONSOR
Scott Wayne
EDISON SPONSORS
Cazeault Roofing & Solar
McLane Research Laboratories, Inc.
Notus Clean Energy, LLC
Teledyne Marine
CURIE SPONSORS
Ament Endowed Fund for Science
Capeside Oral & Facial Surgery
Dalpe Excavation
Falmouth Water Stewards
Landschop Landscape Architecture
Lowell Instruments, LLC
Martha’s Vineyard Bank
MIT Club of Cape Cod
Pelagic Electronics
Stephen Remsen Custom Carpentry
MARCONI SPONSORS
The 300 Committee Land Trust
Associates of Cape Cod
Dr. Scott Brown ’89 and Ms. Melissa Hofer
Dr. Sophie Markovich, DMD Family Orthodontics
Sports Center Physical Therapy
The Stillman Family
ARCHIMEDES SPONSORS
Bruce & Shirley Gordon Giving Fund
Hutker Architects, Inc.
IN-KIND VENDORS
Coffee Obsession
PrintSynergy
Falmouth Academy is abuzz with activity this month, perhaps more so than usual. As we approach the 37th Science & Engineering Fair–my first as the new Head of School–I imagine the energy and the event are not mutually exclusive. Today’s Fair reflects the culmination of five months of independent, hands-on scientific research conducted by every 7th through 10th grader at FA, as well as many juniors and seniors. I look forward to being part of it with you, and am especially grateful to our science department faculty for their hard work in mentoring and supporting our students in preparation for this day.
The Science & Engineering Fair represents an important element of an FA education. The world our students will inherit is unpredictable. The jobs they will hold may not yet exist. The problems they will solve may be beyond what we can currently imagine. That’s why the Science & Engineering Fair is designed to foster problem solving and innovation. Those skills are among the most important learned at Falmouth Academy.
As we celebrate the accomplishments of each student represented here today, I also celebrate the community that has made this remarkable event possible. From mentors and judges to sponsors and vendors, today represents a remarkable amount of time, effort, and generosity from all corners of our village. As always, I’m also grateful to our students’ families for their support and encouragement throughout this process. Thank you all for the role you’ve played in bringing this exciting day to fruition.
David Perry Head of School
Welcome to the 37th Annual Science and Engineering Fair!
As I walk through science classrooms in the first half of our school year, I always take a moment to talk to students working on their projects. It is great to hear their stories: Why did you choose this project? What did you discover? What complications have you had to overcome along the way? What do you think about this anomaly? Do you think you’ll work with cockroaches again? What in the world is a C. elegan, and why would it want to smoke?
Because these are personal project topics, their answers often inspire me. Working on a five-month long project can feel like a lot, but their investment in their work is part of the point of our Fair. What happens this afternoon does not matter as much as the months of research, consultation, and creation that brought them to this day. I am proud of every single one of them.
Thank you, as always, for your amazing support of our students through this process of discovery.
Jill Reves Teacher, Science Department Chair, and Science and Engineering Fair Coordinator
2025 FALMOUTH ACADEMY
Dr. Lisa Abbo MBL, Veterinarian and Staff Scientist
Mr. Philip Alatalo WHOI, Research Associate
Mr. Alfredo Aretxabaleta USGS, National Program Manager for Youth and Education in Science
Dr. David Aubrey EOM Offshore, LLC, Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Kyle Benton ’12 EPAM Continuum, Senior Innovation Consultant, Mechanical Engineering
Ms. Nell Bowen ’19 MBL, Research Assistant I
Dr. Albert Bradley WHOI, Engineer (retired)
Mr. Brian Buczkowski USGS, Supervisory Physical Scientist
Mr. Rich Caruso INTER/COMP LLC, CEO
Dr. Victoria Centurino WHOI, Education Coordinator, Center for Chemical Currencies of a Microbial Planet
Ms. Antonie Chute NMFS, Biological Sciences Tech
Dr. Allisa Dalpe WHOI, Research Engineer
Dr. Carol DiFalco Quincy College, Professor of Psychology
Dr. John Dowling Harvard University, Gund Professor of Neurosciences Emeritus
Ms. Quincy Dowling MBL, Research Assistant
Dr. Virginia Edgcomb WHOI, Senior Scientist
Ms. Janna Gilleman WHOI, Electrical Engineer I
Dr. Elizabeth Gladfelter WHOI, Guest Investigator
Ms. Kirsty Goode Normandeau Associates, Inc., Marine Scientist
Dr. Robert Gould MBL (retired)
Mr. Chase Gray WHOI, Graduate student
Dr. Kristin Gribble MBL, Associate Scientist
Dr. Mark Hahn WHOI, Senior Scientist
Dr. Thomas Hallahan Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, Senior Director
Dr. Gregory Hinkle Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, VP, Research Informatics
Ms. Julia Holtzer MBL, Research Assistant II
Dr. Peter Hopewood Cape Cod Surgeons, Surgeon
Dr. Jeff Hughes Wellesley College, Lecturer (retired)
Mrs. Clara Hulburt Teledyne Webb Research, APEX Profiling Float Product Line Manager, Slocum Glider Commercial Sales Manager
Dr. Mike Jech NFSC, Research Fisheries Biologist
Dr. Clarissa Karthaeuser WHOI, Postdoctoral Fellow
Mr. Louie Kerr MBL, Director Imaging Services and Staff Scientist
Ms. Sarah Kerr ’19 MBL, Research Assistant
Ms. Jessica Kozik WHOI, Senior Engineering Assistant I
Mrs. Sharon Kreamer Falmouth Academy, Biology and Chemistry Teacher (retired)
Dr. Alan M. Kuzirian MBL, Senior Scientist, Emeritus
Mr. John Lazarus Foley Lardner LLP, Partner - Patent Attorney
SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR JUDGES
Ms. Natalie Leva USDA, Biological Laboratory Technologist
Ms. Marinna Martini NOAA, Engineer
Dr. Anna Michel WHOI, Associate Scientist
Mr. Amit Millo USGS, Geologist
Mrs. Maureen Nolan Teacher (retired)
Ms. Jin-Si Over USGS, Geographer
Mr. Charles Perry McLane Research Laboratories, Electro-mechanical Technician
Dr. Steve Phillips USGS, Research Geologist
Dr. James Preisig JPAnalytics, President
Dr. Kate Rawlinson MBL, Assistant Scientist/Professor
Mr. Rob Reynolds Zephyr Education Foundation, President
Dr. Charles Robertson Physicist and Developer (retired)
Ms. Madeleine Rogers WHOI, Guest Student
Dr. Michael Sackville MBL, Postdoctoral Scientist
Mr. David Santamauro IFI CLAIMS Patent Services (Fairview Research LLC), Chief Technology Officer
Mr. Jared Schwartz WHOI, Research Engineer
Ms. Chloe Starr Aquacultural Research Corporation, Operations Manager
Mrs. Mel Stephen Plymouth Public Schools, Physics Teacher (retired)
Dr. Bill Waite USGS, Geophysicist
Dr. Nancy Walbek (retired)
Ms. Valerie Walbek Falmouth Women’s Health, Nurse Practitioner
Dr. Kerry Walton NYU School of Medicine, Professor (retired)
Mr. Scott Wayne (retired)
Mr. JC Weber MBL, Senior Research Assistant
Dr. Jacquelyn Yanch Falmouth Academy, Chemistry and Physics Teacher (retired)
Dr. Andrew Zimmerman MGH & UMass, Pediatric Neurologist (retired)
MBL Marine Biological Laboratory
NFSC / Northeast Fisheries Science Center, NMFS / National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Dr. James Akin, BioSphere Bio
Dr. Carrie Albertin, MBL
Dr. Neel Aluru, WHOI
Evie Fachon, WHOI
USDA United States Department of Agriculture
USGS United States Geological Survey
WHOI Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Dr. Jed Goldstone, WHOI
Daniel Gomez-Ibanez, WHOI
Dr. Mark Hahn, WHOI
Marko Horb, MBL
Dr. Anna Michel, WHOI
Jonathan Romine, MBL
EXHIBITORS AND PROJECTS
Alexander Abbo GMO or Non-GMO Foods: Which Do Animals Prefer?
Milo Allison The Effect of Acid Rain and Sea Level Rise on Freshwater Plants
Alanna Andrews Exploring the Effects of Environmental Contaminants on Radish Growth
Ari Aretxabaleta Squid Embryonic Development and Ocean Acidification
Kai Aretxabaleta Which Boat Hull Is the Fastest?
Alden Bank Building a Wind Tunnel to Test Different Airfoils
Isabelly Belo Water Intrusion Prevention System
Esmee Bush Food Preservatives in Your Everyday Breads
Adrian Carreno-Vogt Different House Shapes and Their Resistance to Wind
Katie Connelly Testing the Flexibility on New vs Old Hockey Sticks
Charlie Dube The Effectiveness of Water Purification Methods
Oliver Dube The Fastest Lacrosse Shot
Cassidy Eldredge Exploring Different Woods’ Reaction to Fire
Josephine Gautier Which Color Attracts the Most Plankton?
Samuel Giguere Designing a Room Automation
Miguel Gomez-Ibanez Detecting Solar Flares by Monitoring VLF Radio Waves
Wesley Greendeer Best Basketball Angles to Score
Lucas Guadagno Which Type of Sail Makes a Boat Go the Fastest?
Aliyha Holder T4r Bacteriophage Resistance of E. coli
Tyler Holmes How Preservatives Affect Melt Time in Ice Cream
Niamh Honjo Cullinane The Effect of Acidity on Phaseolus vulgaris
Dean Kalkanis Best Soccer Angles to Score
Katarina Kalkanis What Is the Dirtiest Place in the School?
Jack Lerner What Are the Best Dimensions for Stone Skipping?
David Lupo-Colonna Is Online Studying More Efficient Than Studying Without Devices?
MIDDLE SCHOOL (GRADES 7-8)
Ashlyn McGettrick The Impact of Different Wind Angles on Sailboat Velocity
Adelaide Metters and Wind Versus Water Erosion
Lydia Remsen
Alessia Mezzacappa How Time Delay Affects the McGurk Effect
Evelyn Moffatt The Impact Salt Water Has on Plants
Jackson Murchison How BMX Racing Affects Blood Pressure
Nadalia Najarian The Effect Color Has on People’s Perception of Presentations
Sumaiya Noury The Effects of Hydrogen Peroxide on Plant Germination
Mabel O’Connor Is Natural Lip Balm Better Than Artificial Lip Balm?
Sophie Perry Preservatives Effect on Mold
Beckham Peterson Waves of Wealth: Analyzing the Impact of Stock Market Variability
Alana Rosbeck The Effects of Acid Rain on Plants
Phineas Schrader What Fan Placement Makes a Convection Oven Most Efficient?
Henry Sciortino Which Metals Can Be Plated With Potassium Sulfate?
Addison Shemit Which Solution Best Preserves Flowers
Charlotte Silveira The Effects of Caffeine on Lima Bean Plants
David Soule What Are the Strongest Kinds of Fishing Lines and Knots?
Araminta Stevens The Effect Sodium Citrate Has on Popping Boba
Griffin Tiernan Do Different Types of Music Affect the Germination of Seeds?
Avery Todd-Weinstein Will Contaminated Water Affect Plant Growth?
James Tormey The Effects of Diet Soda on Daphnia
Lochlan Tyrrell-Evans Sesarma vs Fiddler Crab Burrows
Haoa Vanderhoop Learning About Aerodynamics With Paper Airplane Engineering
James Vincent Best Ramp Angle for an RC Car
Reese Williams What Food is Drosophila melanogaster Most Attracted To?
Dominic Zuluaga Which Kitchen Scraps Make the Most Biofuel?
EXHIBITORS AND PROJECTS
L. Virginia Adams The Effects of Ocean Erosion on Bricks and Cement Blocks
David Aubrey Biophysical Determinants of T-Cell Receptor Signaling in Danio rerio
Sofia Canelos and Exploring Algae Growth Under Varying pH Levels in Ocean Water
Chloe Ebanks
Emme Carroll Nest Bedding Preference in Chickens & Their Effect on Egg Cleanliness
Elise Casso Identifying Microplastic Levels in the Sands of Cape Cod Shores
Xuanyu Chang How Does Depth and Cover-Crop Treatment Affect Soil Respiration and pH?
Gabriel Coughlin Comparing Naturally Made Inks Against Commercial Inks
Mason Crowley How Does Fruit Decompose in a Household Setting?
Alessandra Cugini The Effectiveness of Soy Milk as a Binder in Natural Dyeing Processes
Jackson Cummings Assessing the Environmental Impact: Pollution Levels in Marinas
Mira Davis and Shoreline Configurations and Their Effect on Wave Attenuation
Sophia Famely
Declan Diriwachter Which Variation of Noise Provides the Best Sleep?
Max Donovan Discerning the Sustainability of Biofuels for Use in Energy Production
Cassie Duarte How Does the Strength of Bread Dough Affect the Quality of Bread?
Ryannne Ferney Vermicomposting Organic Waste Management
Hannah Flanders How Does Ocean Acidification Affect Sclerochronology?
Bradley Forcier How a Biased Presentation of Data Can Affect Human Opinion
Veronica Foureman and Can Hydrogels Sustainably Conserve Water In Farming?
Sylvie Parsons
Taleena Gonneea Defining the Role of abcg2a on Hematopoietic Processes in Danio rerio
Raven Guinta-Tavares What Substances Provide a False Positive During a Luminol Reaction
Sophie Holmes Particulate Matter Emissions of Various Wood Species
Torsten Houtler The Effects of Different Types of Fertilizer on Danio rerio
Magdalena Jazo
UPPER SCHOOL (GRADES 9-12)
Oleksandr Kaplenko
The Presence of Toxins in Organic and Non-Organic Tampons
The Creation of Mutant GJB2 Knockout in Xenopus Utilizing CRISPR Cas9
Matthew Kellogg and Examining the Forces That Drive a Crookes Radiometer
Robert Ronan
Giulia King
The Effect of LED Lights on the Growth of Pleurotus ostreatus
Jack Leach and How Can Mobile Wind Turbines Can Most Efficiently Capture Energy?
Finley Muric
Nickolas Leach Algae’s Effect on Nitrate and Carbon Dioxide in Aquariums and Beyond
Noah Leveque
The Living Machine: The Future of Water Purification?
Justin McNeil Nitrate Reduction With Ulva lactuca
Samuel McGuire How Do Different Drinks Affect Grass Growth?
Nina McKim Kight Do Silver Nanoparticles Enhance the Efficacy of Antibiotics?
Sophie McSherry Ocean Acidification Mitigation Effects on Brachionus sp. Reproduction
Valentina Mendez
The Effect of Different Fertilizers on Martian Soil
Mathilda Moehnke and Creating a Machine That Crochets
Zoë Van Keuren
Weston Mogul
Abby Moore
The Practicality of Using Drones for Mass Product Delivery
How Different Stimuli Affect Short Term Brain Function
Andrew Muldoon How Does a Synthetic Food Dye Affect the Heartbeat of Daphnia magna?
Tatum Nelson
Luke Okoshi-Michel
Hollis Oliver
Gabriela Otoni
Maverick Pil
The Effects of Methylparaben on Daphnia magna
Storm Effects on the Concentration of Microplastics in Coastal Waters
The Effects of Salinity on Hydroponically Grown Lactuca sativa
Seeing Through AI: Smart Glasses for the Visually Impaired
Benthic Microbial Fuel Cells: A Novel Power Source
Chase Renzi Effect of Sanding on Brown Chicken Egg Hatch Rates
EXHIBITORS AND PROJECTS UPPER SCHOOL (GRADES 9-12)
Ava Rickard How Will Different Germination Methods Affect Radish Seeds?
Ryan Ronan Optimizing the Mastering of Songs for Streaming Services
Amelia Russell Schaeffer Climate Change’s Effect on Tree Carbon Sequestration
Dhara Sananikone-Evans The Effect of Anthropogenic Sound on Larval Settlement
Felix Shannon How Will Certain Metals be Affected by Sulphuric Acid?
Elyse Sharpe Creating an Eco-Friendly and Cost Effective Runoff Barrier
Mary Snell Age Groups Discerning AI Photos
Siana Solarazza The Effects of CYP450 Enzyme Knockout on Acetaminophen Toxicity
Elise Soule Effects of Water Quality on Harmful Algal Growth
Mira Street Effects of Fertilizer on Daphnia magna
Ellery Takach How Different Factors Affect a Sunset
Liv Tanionos The Effect of Temperature on Hand Strength
Zara Taylor-Keefer The Effect of Benzoyl Peroxide on Artemia salina
Hogan Teles The Phantom Gut: Unmasking Additives in Coffee and Curry
Tama Tiapula Cherry Tomato Plants Reaction to Caffeine
Nolan Van Keuren Building and Testing a 3D Printed Robotic Arm
Siehanna Vazquez How Does Soil Affect the pH of Water?
Willow Wakefield The Effects of Toxins on C. elegans Behavior and Reproduction
Amanda Wei How Light Affects Vitamin C Levels?
Good Luck Future Scientists and Engineers
Make Some Magic at Falmouth Academy!
- Scott Wayne
Thank you to all our Science & Engineering Fair sponsors!
Maria Mitchell
www.notuscleanenergy.com
