Posted March 17, 2021
Skinner Middle School is pleased to announce winning students at the CoorsTek Denver Metro Regional Science and Engineering Fair (DMRSEF) held February 15 – 22, 2021 at the University of Colorado – Denver.
Three Skinner student scientists participated in the 2021 DMRSEF and all three were award winners in the Junior Division Category (for middle school students).
Elizabeth (Elsa) Vossler, 8th grade, won both Best in Fair and Behavioral & Social Sciences First Place in the Junior Division for her project entitled: “Blink-183; The Effect of Projected versus Reflected Light on Blinking Rate”.
Samuel Calkin, 6th grade, won Engineering and Material Sciences Second Place for his project titled “Biosourced Flame Retardant is a Viable Alternative to Toxic PFAS (poly/fluoro/alkyl substances)/‘forever chemical’ Retardant”.
Louis Calkin, 8th grade, won Earth and Environmental Sciences Third Place for his project titled “Extended Use of Oil Phylic Hydrophobic Sponges in Stormwater Remediation Prove Effective and Economical”.
Elsa Vossler describes her project, “due to our current life circumstances, almost everyone uses an array of electronic devices — which could affect their eye health in a detrimental way. I wanted to discover the difference of blinking rate between screens and paper documents. I am honored to have received these awards for my project, but the most important part of it all was that I gained new experiences and knowledge that I can use in the future.”
While Skinner normally has a school-wide science fair each year, due to remote schooling in 2020-2021, the school was unable to have a science fair this year. Says Christopher Martin, Skinner Science Department teacher and Team Lead, “The dedication and grit these students showed by doing science fair projects on their own while at home is an inspiration. All of us at Skinner are so proud of them and excited they were honored in this way. We’re so fortunate to have these incredible student scientists as part of our school community.”
In addition to Best in Fair and First Place, Elsa also won the Junior Student Choice Award and the Denver Mensa award. Louis won awards from the Colorado Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society, Denver Water Quality Team, One World One Water Center at MSU, and the Office of Naval Research. Samuel Calkin also won an award from Ricoh USA, Inc..
For complete list of 2021 DMRSEFwinners, please go to https://clas.ucdenver.edu/denversciencefair/students
About the CoorsTek DMRSEF – The Denver Metro Regional Science and Engineering Fair (DMRSEF) was established in 1963 to give pre-collegiate researchers an outlet to engage their scientific interests and an opportunity to interact with professional researchers and scientists. Serving eight counties in the Denver metropolitan area (Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, and Summit), the CoorsTek DMRSEF provides area middle school and high school students a vehicle to develop their scientific skillsets and an annual opportunity to present their research. This year, the top 2 Junior and top 3 Senior category winners will represent the CoorsTek DMRSEF at the Colorado Science and Engineering Fair (CSEF). Additionally, our three Senior Best in Fair winners will represent Colorado at the prestigious Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). For more information, please visit https://clas.ucdenver.edu/denversciencefair/