The 64th Annual Orange County Science and Engineering Fair Awards (2019)

Applied Mechanics / Structures & Mechanisms / Manufacturing

JUNIOR DIVISIONFirst PlaceBrianna Vu from Fairmont Private Schools – Historic Anaheim Campus, advisor: John Briner
Second PlaceMarcus Yoo from Mariner’s Christian School, advisor: Bing Liu
Third PlaceZhongxuan An and Dory Meng from Bonita Canyon, advisor: Chuck Nelson
Honorable MentionIsabella Hidalgo from Heritage Oak Private Education, advisor: Annie Shaw
SENIOR DIVISIONFirst PlaceAshutosh Kandala from Irvine High School, advisor: Luna Bai
Andy Kapoor from Crean Lutheran High School, advisor: Tami Engel
Third PlaceLizbeth Romero, Elissa Monterroso, and Patricia Limon from Santa Ana High School, advisor: Joshua Gagnier

Fluids / Aerodynamics

JUNIOR DIVISIONFirst PlaceMartin Ok from McPherson Magnet, advisor: Kayee Conrad
Second PlaceJacob Cho from Fairmont Private Schools – Historic Anaheim Campus, advisor: John Briner
Third PlaceAmber Wang and Changhuyn Lim from Oak Creek Elementary, advisor: Matt Lien
SENIOR DIVISIONFirst PlaceFiras Qureshi from Valencia High School, advisor: Leina Rizzo
Honorable MentionMadeleine Yee from Sage Hill School, advisor: Anie Robinson

Electricity and Electronics

JUNIOR DIVISIONFirst PlaceKatherine Robertson, Basim Cheema-Sabir, and Michael Shen from Beacon Park School, advisor: Sandra Lee
Second PlaceBraedyn Hutchison from Sierra Vista Middle School, advisor: Jenny Lam
Agam Randhawa from Alderwood Basics Plus, advisor: Katheryn Leishman
Third PlaceKatherine Hua from Jeffrey Trail Middle School, advisor: Nicole Kubo
SENIOR DIVISIONFirst PlaceRachel Chae from Woodbridge High School, advisor: Crystal Cooper
Thomas Wheelock from Villa Park High School, advisor: Paul Hunt
Third PlaceSuhina Sharma from San Juan Hills High School, advisor: Rita Kolenic
Honorable MentionJake Goldberg from Villa Park High School, advisor: Paul Hunt
Yi Qian from Northwood High School, advisor: Beverley Matsuda

Physics / Astronomy

JUNIOR DIVISIONFirst PlaceGrant Gallagher from Gallagher Academy, advisor: Mark Gallagher
Second PlaceJason Dong from Fairmont Private Schools – Historic Anaheim Campus, advisor: John Briner
Third PlaceWinston Wall from Alderwood Basics Plus, advisor: Katheryn Leishman
Honorable Mention
Kyle Reisinger from Marine View Middle School, advisor: Kristin Spencer
Sara Yu from Bonita Canyon, advisor: Charles Nelson
SENIOR DIVISIONFirst PlaceAlexander Kwon from Sage Hill School, advisor: Anie Robinson
Second PlacePatrick Rim from Troy High School, advisor: Kurt Wahl
Third PlaceYizheng Chen from Trinity Christian Schools, advisor: Ryan Brown

Mathematics and Software

JUNIOR DIVISIONFirst PlaceAllison Hung from Turtle Rock Elementary, advisor: Sumer Dakak
Second PlaceVibha Srinivas from Sierra Vista Middle School, advisor: Jean Philip Mathot
Third PlaceJude Alexis from Sierra Vista Middle School, advisor: Trevor Johnson
Honorable MentionDaniel Clancy from La Madera Elementary, advisor: Erin Hansen
Arjun Gupta and Raghav Mehrotra-Venkat from Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, advisor: Alison Linden
SENIOR DIVISIONFirst PlaceAndrei Mandelshtam from University High School, advisor: Valerie Thompson
Jian Park from Sage Hill School, advisor: Rena Dear
Second PlaceArjun Neervannan from University High School, advisor: David Knight
Nathan Oh from Portola High School, advisor: Jeralyn Newton
Third PlaceJustin Lin from Oxford Academy, advisor: Jin Young Chang
Honorable MentionSu Kara from Capistrano Valley High School, advisor: Cheryl Johnson

Chemistry

JUNIOR DIVISIONFirst PlaceSamira Mehrinfar from Fairmont Private Schools – Historic Anaheim Campus, advisor: John Briner
Second PlaceIsaac Miller from Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle School, advisor: John Wood
Anthony Perez from McPherson Magnet, advisor: Kayee Conrad
Third PlaceChloette Hobbs from Orchard Hills Middle School, advisor: Henry Nguyen
Saebyeok Keum and Daniel Calleros from Woodsboro Elementary School, advisor: Tracy Chung
Rehan Khan from Heritage Oak Private Education, advisor: Annie Shaw
Honorable MentionJongmin Chae from Oak Creek Elementary, advisor: Matt Lien
Alexis Tran and Jolette Hernandez from McPherson Magnet, advisor: Kayee Conrad
SENIOR DIVISIONFirst PlaceKelly Pham from Villa Park High School, advisor: Paul Hunt
Second PlaceKellen Lai from Villa Park High School, advisor: Paul Hunt
Third PlaceJaeho Lee from University High School, advisor: David Knight

Earth Science / Physical Environment

JUNIOR DIVISIONFirst PlaceSophie Wang and Ethan Luu from Fairmont Private Schools – Historic Anaheim Campus, advisor: John Briner
Second PlaceJackson Paul from Heritage Oak Private Education, advisor: Annie Shaw
Third PlaceDylan Jatwani from Carden Hall, advisor: Miss Veneziale
Honorable MentionAneliese Aaron from Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle School, advisor: John Wood
Elizabeth Kim, Annabella Luo, and Annie Jiang from Turtle Rock Elementary, advisor: Sumer Dakak
SENIOR DIVISIONFirst PlaceSophia Francis from Villa Park High School, advisor: Paul Hunt
Second PlaceJames Chen from University High School, advisor: Tim Smay
Honorable MentionEmma Wagner from Villa Park High School, advisor: Paul Hunt

Environmental Science / Environmental Engineering

JUNIOR DIVISIONFirst PlacePreston Wang from Stratford Schools, Mission Viejo, advisor: Heather Rydzeski
Second PlaceAkshit Gupta from Venado Middle School, advisor: Robert Evans
Third PlaceSia Vij from Fairmont Private Schools – Anaheim Hills, advisor: Stephanie Conklin
Honorable Mention
Mason Nguyen and Kyle Kim from Alderwood Basics Plus, advisor: Katheryn Leishman
Allen Weng from Venado Middle School, advisor: Robert Evans
SENIOR DIVISION
First Place
Connie Chang-Chien from Valencia High School, advisor: Linda Crossno
Second Place
Ryan Brown from Villa Park High School, advisor: Paul Hunt
Third Place
Alicia Hans from University High School, advisor: Tim Smay
Honorable Mention
Joanmarie Hardcastle from Woodbridge High School, advisor: Crystal Cooper
Allison Hernandez and Samie Baclig from Cornelia Connelly High School, advisor: Helen Wagner

Zoology

JUNIOR DIVISION
First Place
Rishank Pillay from Fairmont Private Schools – Historic Anaheim Campus, advisor: John Briner
Second Place
Chloe Dorman from Stratford Schools, Mission Viejo, advisor: Heather Rydzeski
Third Place
Lara Tseng from La Madera Elementary, advisor: Annie Gorrien
Honorable MentionMalia Mai from Fairmont Private Schools – Anaheim Hills, advisor: Stephanie Conklin
SENIOR DIVISION
Sweepstakes
Nadia Ansari from Sage Hill School, advisor: Dan Thomassen
Second Place
Madeline Christopher from Villa Park High School, advisor: Paul Hunt

Botany

JUNIOR DIVISIONFirst Place
Aniyah Shen from Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, advisor: Sandi O’Brien
Leann Tai from Orchard Hills Middle School, advisor: Henry Nguyen
Second PlaceNicholas Dorgan from Fairmont Private Schools – Anaheim Hills, advisor: Stephanie Conklin
Cosette Monson from Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle School, advisor: John Wood
Third Place
Chloe Pajaro from Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle School, advisor: John Wood
Rayyan Sattar from Bonita Canyon, advisor: Charles Nelson
Honorable Mention
Khadija Hashim, Kenda Alhariri, and Amirah Saucedo from CORE Academy, advisor: Nasreen Khan
Roma Kapoor from Fairmont Private Schools – Historic Anaheim Campus, advisor: John Briner
SENIOR DIVISIONHonorable MentionAaron Tang from Villa Park High School, advisor: Paul Hunt

Botany Applications

JUNIOR DIVISION
First Place
Pola Pietrzkowski from Fairmont Private Schools – North Tustin Campus, advisor: Afsaneh Miller
Third Place
Kareem Salem from Orange Crescent School, advisor: Oumama Belkhayat
Honorable Mention
Matthew Chang from Eastshore School, advisor: Lauren Leblanc
Nathan Gov and Ryan De Haas from Lakeside Middle School, advisor: Kelly Orosz
Fionnuala Mcclain from Stratford Schools, Mission Viejo, advisor: Heather Rydzeski
SENIOR DIVISION
First Place
Pranav Moudgalya from University High School, advisor: Joseph Huber
Second Place
Anya Ibasco and Elyssa Savellano from Cornelia Connelly High School, advisor: Helen Wagner

Biochemistry / Molecular Biology

JUNIOR DIVISION
First PlaceIshan Ghosh from Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle School, advisor: John Wood
Second Place
Laurel Manion from McPherson Magnet, advisor: Kayee Conrad
Third PlaceJay Ananth from Brywood Elementary, advisor: Brian Cady
Honorable MentionJoelle Cheeseman and Ariana Chen from Santiago Hills Elementary, advisor: Heather Manchester
SENIOR DIVISION
First PlaceLaya Pullela from Woodbridge High School, advisor: Donald Buckley
Second PlaceSamuel Alber from University High School, advisor: Tim Smay
Lakshman Athappan from Aliso Niguel High School, advisor: Monica Bhaskar
Third PlaceSreekar Kasturi from Northwood High School, advisor: David Monge

Microbiology and Cell Biology

JUNIOR DIVISION
First PlaceCourtnie Bui from Fairmont Private Schools – Historic Anaheim Campus, advisor: John Briner
Second Place
Samagra Pandey from Sierra Vista Middle School, advisor: Trevor Johnson
Third Place Anika Bhat from Eastwood Elementary School, advisor: Jennifer Parrino
Honorable Mention Zachary Piedad from West Park Elementary, advisor: Annette Shoemaker
Khyathi Ramakrishna from Sierra Vista Middle School, advisor: Grace Pankau
SENIOR DIVISION
First PlaceSasha Ronaghi from Sage Hill School, advisor: Tanya Lerch
Second Place Sabreen Alam from Portola High School, advisor: Erin Arredondo

Pharmacology / Toxicology

JUNIOR DIVISION
Sweepstakes Jonathan Tabb from McPherson Magnet, advisor: Kayee Conrad
Second Place
Sahil Vaidya from Fairmont Private Schools – North Tustin Campus, advisor: Afsaneh Miller
Third Place Aubrey Valdez and Juliet Allred from McPherson Magnet, advisor: Kayee Conrad
Honorable MentionKirin Bhasin from Fairmont Private Schools – Historic Anaheim Campus, advisor: John Briner
SENIOR DIVISION
First Place Daniel Feng from University High School, advisor: Lynette Burnside
Second Place Sydney Adcook from Woodbridge High School, advisor: Donald Buckley

Third Place Asna Tabassum from Ruben S. Ayala High School, advisor: Lisa Garcia

Physiology / Medical Biology

JUNIOR DIVISION
First Place Amogha Akkati from Sierra Vista Middle School, advisor: Robert Jones
Second Place
Jude Tahrawi, Alesha Qureshi, and Raya Abu-Tarif from New Horizon, advisor: Sarah Nasr
Third Place Sarah Bacha from Minaret Academy, advisor: Noor Zaweti
Honorable Mention Ben Garrett and Daylan Weedn from West Park Elementary, advisor: Annette Shoemaker
SENIOR DIVISION
First Place Melina Ghodsi from Lutheran High School, advisor: Majid Sarrafzadeh
Lan Jiang from University High School, advisor: David Knight
Second Place Benjamin Chang from Woodbridge High School, advisor: Crystal Cooper
Stephanie Zhang and Patrick Cui from Portola High School, advisor: Michael Tang
Third PlaceKellie Cao from University High School, advisor: Tim Smay
Karen Chung from Northwood High School, advisor: Kent Paris
Honorable Mention
Louise Anderfaas and Christine Nguyen from Westminster High School, advisor: Huy Pham
Patrick Liu from University High School, advisor: David Knight

Behavioral Sciences

JUNIOR DIVISION
First Place Paulina Wodarz from Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, advisor: Sandi O’Brien
Second Place
Danna Coria from McPherson Magnet, advisor: Kayee Conrad
Third Place Sean Halperin and Mia Henry from McPherson Magnet, advisor: Kayee Conrad
Honorable Mention Tarini Neeladaran from Portola Hills Elementary, advisor: Gina Scott
Omar Tailakh from Orange Crescent School, advisor: Oumama Belkhayat
SENIOR DIVISION
First Place Elaine Noh and Amy Shimizu from Woodbridge High School, advisor: Jennifer Blackie
Second Place Vanessa Tieng from Villa Park High School, advisor: Paul Hunt

Cognitive Science

JUNIOR DIVISION
First Place Reeya Singh from Fairmont Private Schools – Historic Anaheim Campus, advisor: John Briner
Second Place
Matthew Hoang and Adnan Harianawala from Woodsboro Elementary School, advisor: Tracy Chung
Third PlaceDiya Sreedhar from Turtle Rock Elementary, advisor: Sumer Dakak
Honorable Mention Rayan Shaban and Zakariya Baker from New Horizon, advisor: Sarah Nasr
SENIOR DIVISION
First PlaceMahum Khan from Portola High School, advisor: Jeralyn Newton
Second Place Anya Avendano from Trinity Christian Schools, advisor: Ryan Brown

Third Place Haneefah Syed from Valencia High School, advisor: Leina Rizzo

Biological Product Science

JUNIOR DIVISION
First Place Arshia Anand from Lakeside Middle School, advisor: Kelly Orosz
Second Place
Kamran Ansari from Fairmont Private Schools – North Tustin Campus, advisor: Afsaneh Miller
Third Place Inayah Khan from Minaret Academy, advisor: Noor Zaweti
Honorable Mention Annabelle Ko, Kailee Quant, and Aarushi Ghildyal from West Park Elementary, advisor: Annette Shoemaker
SENIOR DIVISION
First PlaceJayna Patel from Woodbridge High School, advisor: Crystal Cooper
Second Place Ashlyn Burrus from Renascence School International Orange County, advisor: Katayoon Setodehnia

Physical Product Science

JUNIOR DIVISION
First Place Hunaina Hirji from Minaret Academy, advisor: Noor Zaweti
Nuha Iftekhar from Minaret Academy, advisor: Noor Zaweti
Second Place
Darina Dang from McPherson Magnet, advisor: Kayee Conrad
Third PlaceChristopher Guerrini from Classical Conversations Cypress, advisor: Julie Dennis
Honorable Mention Megan Lee, Lana Makarem, and Zahra Sarwono from Lakeside Middle School, advisor: Kelly Orosz
Malak Salem from Orange Crescent School, advisor: Oumama Belkhayat
Oneal Wang and Hemkesh Chenupati from Beacon Park School, advisor: Donnie Mai
SENIOR DIVISION
First PlaceJunho Park from Portola High School, advisor: Anthony Pham

Energy Conversion / Alternative Energy

JUNIOR DIVISION
First PlaceVincent Doan from Fairmont Private Schools – Historic Anaheim Campus, advisor: John Briner
Second Place
Muhammed Qaanith Kamal from Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, advisor: Kynnette Molway
Third Place Yusuf Alnajjar from Eastwood Elementary school, advisor: Jennifer Parrino
John Courtiss and Humam Alajeely from University Park Elementary, advisor: Breanne Koontz
SENIOR DIVISION
First PlaceArya Joshi from Oxford Academy, advisor: Clay Elliott
Second Place Ian Weiss from Edison High School, advisor: Greg Gardiner

Special Awards

American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC), Southern California SectionJUNIOR DIVISIONIshan Ghosh from Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle School, advisor: John Wood
Neel Kumar from Fairmont Private Schools – Anaheim Hills, advisor: Stephanie Conklin
Alexis Tran from Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, advisor: Kennette Molway
SENIOR DIVISION
Karen Chung from Northwood High School, advisor: Kent Paris
Chris Collins from University High School, advisor: Timothy Smay
Suhina Sharma from San Juan Hills High School, advisor: Rita Kolenic
American Chemical SocietyJUNIOR DIVISION
Samira Mehrinfar from Fairmont Private Schools – Historic Anaheim Campus, advisor: John Briner
SENIOR DIVISION
Daniel Feng from University High School, advisor: Lynette Burnside
American Institute of Aeronautics & AstronauticsJUNIOR DIVISION
Abhishek Rao from Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, advisor: Sandi O’Brien
SENIOR DIVISION
Yizheng Chen from Trinity Christian Schools, advisor: Ryan Brown
American Vacuum SocietySENIOR DIVISION
First Place:
Alexander Kwon from Sage Hill School, advisor: Anie Robinson
Second Place:
Firas Qureshi from Valencia High School, advisor: Leina Rizzo
Association of Women in Water, Energy, and Environment (AWWEE)JUNIOR DIVISION
Cosette Monson from Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle School, advisor: John Wood
SENIOR DIVISION
Joanmarie Hardcastle from Woodbridge High School, advisor: Crystal Cooper
California Association of Professional ScientistsSENIOR DIVISION
Joanmarie Hardcastle from Woodbridge High School, advisor: Crystal Cooper
California Society for Biomedical ResearchSENIOR DIVISIONNadia Ansari from Sage Hill School, advisor: Dan Thomassen
Center for Inquiry, Los AngelesSENIOR DIVISIONElizabeth Mui from Calvary Chapel High School, advisor: Susan Ackermann
Community Action Partnership of Orange CountyJUNIOR DIVISION
Riya Gupta and Akhila Dhurjati from Stonegate Elementary, advisor: Jennifer Hughes
Muhammed Qaanith Kamal from Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, advisor: Kynnette Molway
Sharani Pancharapula from Stonegate Elementary, advisor: Kelsey Nass
Engle LabJUNIOR DIVISION
Kamran Ansari from Fairmont Private Schools – North Tustin Campus, advisor: Afsaneh Miller
SENIOR DIVISION
Louise Anderfaas and Christine Nguyen from Westminster High School, advisor: Huy Pham
Harald Biessmann Memorial AwardJUNIOR DIVISION
Dheeksha Bhima Reddy from Lakeside Middle School, advisor: Kelly Orosz
Sia Vij from Fairmont Private Schools – Anaheim Hills, advisor: Stephanie Conklin
SENIOR DIVISION
Anish Patel from Woodbridge High School, advisor: Jamie Sodorff
Los Angeles Society of Petroleum EngineersJUNIOR DIVISION
Vincent Doan from Fairmont Private Schools – Historic Anaheim Campus, advisor: John Briner
SENIOR DIVISION
Arya Joshi from Oxford Academy, advisor: Clay Elliott
NACE International, The Corrosion SocietyJUNIOR DIVISION
First Place
Isaac Miller from Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle School, advisor: John Wood
Second Place
Hunaina Hirji from Minaret Academy, advisor: Noor Zaweti
OCSEF David Walkington Memorial AwardJUNIOR DIVISION
Leann Tai from Orchard Hills Middle School, advisor: Henry Nguyen
SENIOR DIVISION
Pranav Moudgalya from University High School, advisor: Joseph Huber
OCSEF Lon Isenberg Memorial AwardSENIOR DIVISION
OCSEF Lon Isenberg Memorial Award
OCSEF Nat Lamm Memorial AwardJUNIOR DIVISION
Jonathan Tabb from McPherson Magnet, advisor: Kayee Conrad
SENIOR DIVISION
Allison Hernandez and Samie Baclig from Cornelia Connelly High School, advisor: Helen Wagner
Office of Naval ResearchJUNIOR DIVISION
Yusuf Alnajjar from Eastwood Elementary school, advisor: Jennifer Parrino
Braedyn Hutchison from Sierra Vista Middle School, advisor: Jenny Lam
Cosette Monson from Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle School, advisor: John Wood
Dina Naziri from Orange Crescent School, advisor: Oumama Belkhayat
Tarini Neeladaran from Portola Hills Elementary, advisor: Gina Scott
Zachary Piedad from West Park Elementary, advisor: Annette Shoemaker
Khyathi Ramakrishna from Sierra Vista Middle School, advisor: Grace Pankau
Ammar Soliman from Orange Crescent School, advisor: Oumama Belkhayat
Emily Whitcher from Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle School, advisor: John Wood
SENIOR DIVISION
Arya Joshi from Oxford Academy, advisor: Clay Elliott
Shaivi Shah from Tesoro High School, advisor: Kimberly Roberts
Suhina Sharma from San Juan Hills High School, advisor: Rita Kolenic
Asna Tabassum from Ruben S. Ayala High School, advisor: Lisa Garcia
Orange County Sanitation DistrictJUNIOR DIVISION
Rishank Pillay from Fairmont Private Schools – Historic Anaheim Campus, advisor: John Briner
SENIOR DIVISION
Joanmarie Hardcastle from Woodbridge High School, advisor: Crystal Cooper
Orange County Water DistrictJUNIOR DIVISION
Kelsey Coppa from Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle School, advisor: John Wood
Jenna Darwish from Minaret Academy, advisor: Noor Zaweti
Giselle Duregger, Yousef Alsharif, and Berra Ozgun from University Park Elementary, advisor: Breanne Koontz
Akshit Gupta from Venado Middle School, advisor: Robert Evans
Hunaina Hirji from Minaret Academy, advisor: Noor Zaweti
Swara Kulkarni, Prakruthi Praveen, and Poorvi Kheni from Venado Middle School, advisor: Bob Evans
SENIOR DIVISION
First Place
Pranav Moudgalya from University High School, advisor: Joseph Huber
Second Place
Joanmarie Hardcastle from Woodbridge High School, advisor: Crystal Cooper
Third Place
Allison Hernandez and Samie Baclig from Cornelia Connelly High School, advisor: Helen Wagner
Fourth Place
Ryan Brown from Villa Park High School, advisor: Paul Hunt
Professional Engineers in California Government (PECG) Orange County SectionSENIOR DIVISION
First Place
Ian Weiss from Edison High School, advisor: Greg Gardiner
Second Place
Nathan Oh from Portola High School, advisor: Jeralyn Newton
Third Place
Sophia Francis from Villa Park High School, advisor: Paul Hunt
Fourth Place
Andy Kapoor from Crean Lutheran High School, advisor: Tami Engel
Ron Orta Humanitarian Award (California Society for Biomedical Research)SENIOR DIVISIONNadia Ansari from Sage Hill School, advisor: Dan Thomassen
Sea and Sage Audubon SocietyJUNIOR DIVISION
Lara Tseng from La Madera Elementary, advisor: Annie Gorrien

Intel ISEF Finalists

Nadia AnsariUse of Pulsed Photobiomodulation in Nerve Regeneration after Injury-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Danio Rerio
Andrei Mandelshtam
Dynamics of the Tangent Map
Daniel Feng
Discovering Antibacterial Molecules in a Previously Uninvestigated Native American Medicinal Herb
Alexander Kwon
Analyzing the Electrical Properties of Strontium Titanate: Can It Replace Silicon for Power Electronic Applications?

OCSEF School Award

JUNIOR DIVISION

Fairmont Private Schools – Historic Anaheim Campus

SENIOR DIVISION

University High School