Fryeburg Academy Students

Place 1st and 2nd at the Maine State Science Fair

LAURA S. AYER DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Three Academy students were recognized for their outstanding science projects on Saturday, April 1st, at the Maine State Science Fair held at the University of Maine Orno. May Shin ’23 and Jiwon Choi ’24 took first place in the Plant Sciences (Growth & Development) category out of ten submissions with their project entitled “The Effects of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Mushroom Substrate on the Plant Growth and Soil Characteristics for PE MicroplasticsContaminated Soil.” The pair studied the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizae and mushroom substrate on plant growth in soils that are contaminated with microplastics.

Additionally, the duo earned a special award from the Association for Women Geoscientists and won second place overall for the state of Maine, which qualifies them to compete in May at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering

Fair in Dallas, Texas. Choi was also awarded a $1,000 scholarship from The University of Maine’s College of Engineering.

Senior Phuoc (John) Le was awarded second place out of 11 entries in the Behavioral Sciences (Clinical Psychology & Neuroscience) category with his project entitled “The Effect of Native Tongue on Pitch Perception and Differentiation.”

The Maine State Science Fair (MSSF) is an exciting opportunity for Maine high school students to pursue their interests in science and engineering and present the results of their projects to fellow students and expert STEM professionals. MSSF is open to all students from all public, private, parochial, and home schools (grades 9-12) throughout Maine and is organized by The Jackson Laboratory and Reach, a program of the MMSA. To learn more about the Maine State Science Fair, visit https://www.maine-state-science-fair.com