The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair wrapped today, bringing this year’s science fair competitions to a close. From May 9-15, students from around the world gathered in Phoenix to present their findings — including Yuma.
Jorge Covarrubias, Yessica Perez, Alba Sampson and Estefany Regalado from Harvest Preparatory Academy qualified to compete at ISEF.
“I'm very proud of my students. I mean, not just the [four], but my entire class because every student in my class created a different science project,” said Alfred Santos, their science teacher. “I've seen them work really hard, very curious about different topics and I’m just super proud of them.”
Each year, schools hold science fairs and for many students, the story’s over once they complete their project. But for others, that’s just the beginning.
In Yuma County, students who win at their schools go on to the Yuma County Science and Engineering Expo. Their journey can stop there, too, unless they enter a regional fair, like the Southern Arizona Regional Science and Engineering Fair (SARSEF).
Winning at SARSEF or another affiliated fair means a chance at competing in ISEF, and that’s how four high schoolers from HPA went on to represent Yuma at the global level this week.
“I was nervous that I didn't really do as well as I thought I did, but it was a fun time. I think I did really good, and I had an amazing time talking to my judges and getting to know the people around me and my category,” Covarrubias said about his time at SARSEF. “And then after I won, I was — at first I couldn't believe it. It was like a dream. But then I got really excited for, like, the next steps coming up and then preparing to go to ISEF. It's all very exciting.”
Covarrubias won a first place award in plant science at SARSEF, and he took home best of show at the Yuma County Science and Engineering Expo, too.
His project, titled “KáktosPatch,” involved engineering a smart bandage and mobile app to monitor necrosis in saguaro cacti. The app detects color changes in the bandage, which allows Covarrubias to diagnose the cactus and determine the best course of treatment. Through this project, he created a treatment plan using extracted garlic allicin.
“My mobile application will help either gardeners or people that take care of the city's landscape be able to stop the saguaro necrosis uptick in this species,” he said. “So, like, if one cactus gets infected, it can easily be treated and then won't affect all the cactuses and it'll make the landscape so much nicer.”
Covarrubias added that ecologists could benefit from his project when they grow saguaros for study or replanting efforts.
“My projects would help protect the saguaros from any necrosis outbreaks that could happen during those critical times,” he said.
But why saguaros? His inspiration came from researching Arizona plants.
“I decided to pick the saguaro cactus because I felt like it’s the most connected to it, and I felt like it had the biggest impact not only to us, but the ecosystem,” he said.
As a senior nearing graduation, Covarrubias is focusing on college next.
“I don't really know exactly, like, if I want to pursue plant pathology or I'm also looking into biomedical engineering,” he said. “and then I'm just trying to weigh my options before I head to college in the fall.”
At ISEF, Yessica Perez, a junior, won a scholarship to Arizona State University, and despite the scope of her project, she’s mainly interested in neuroscience.
“I hope to become a neuroscientist one day, but with this project, I got to observe behavior,” she said. “Unfortunately, I wasn't able to look at the neurological aspect of it, but it definitely helped and I enjoyed working with behavior.”
Perez’s project was titled “Drawn by Scent,” and looked into creating an eco-friendly pesticide using microbial volatiles.
“I was actually researching agriculture, and I came across the amount of pesticide usage and I went down that rabbit hole,” she said. “And living in Yuma, Arizona, we’re exposed to a lot of pesticides and agriculture, and I decided to try to help find an eco-friendly alternative to the pesticides that are already in use.”
Microbial volatiles, she explained, are basically smells.
“Like for instance, the smell that you smell after it rains — that’s Streptomyces griseus — and so in nature, these bacteria have a very fundamental role. One of their roles is serving as chemical signals for all kinds of insects,” Perez said. “So for a certain species it might indicate a good mating site, so inducing attraction, or for others, it might indicate pathogens which could trigger repulsion. And seeing how these bacteria already work in the environment, what better way to find an eco-friendly alternative than using already ecological processes?”
Perez accomplished this by encapsulating bacteria that are commonly found in the fields into two substrates, or surfaces for them to grow on: cellulose fiber paper and beta-cyclodextrin, a type of sugar.
“With the results that I got, they could definitely be used as, like, a stepping stone to something bigger,” she said. “And because at the stage that I have it right now, I found that encapsulating microbial volatiles doesn't affect their potential in attracting insects, but I haven't been able to test how long these effects would last on insects, which would be a great way to expand on this project.”
Perez hopes to expand on this project in the future and see how long the substrates last and how they affect the magnitude of attraction.
Alba Sampson’s project also looked into microbes, but with the purpose of fighting them.
Her project, titled “Hermosura Natural,” produced an antimicrobial lipstick using epazote, guayaba leaf, jamaica and cochineal pigment.
“I did research on how many infections people get throughout the year, and as a young woman, well, obviously I love makeup,” she said. “So I was, like, ‘I need to find a safer way to, like, go about this issue.’”
Samspon explained that she focused on using all natural, traditional Mexican plants that would be good for the skin. Guayaba, for example, was chosen for its vitamin E and epazote was used for its antibacterial properties. Jamaica was used because it’s consumable.
“This could possibly be something to replace, like, chemicals or, like, harsh preservatives that cosmetic companies use in their lipsticks or cosmetics,” she said.
Sampson found she was able to reduce Staphylococcus epidermidis, a bacterium, and Candida albicans, a fungus.
“I also did a colony count test, and it did reduce the colonies of bacteria that did grow,” she said. “And the color was very consistent, so that means, like, the color wouldn't vary throughout the days when you use it.”
Sampson shared that she hopes her project will provide a safer alternative to commercial lipsticks, and she thinks this research opportunity was really good for her future career and goals.
Becoming a nurse is her main goal, and competing at ISEF has become a surprise along that journey.
“I was really in shock because I didn't expect me to, like, be an ISEF finalist because it's like, this is my second year doing a research project and to accomplish something so big already was, like, really shocking to me,” she said.
Lastly, Estefany Regalado’s project also dealt with traditional Mexican plants. Titled “De la Raiz al Remedio,” Regalado infused fiber gauzes made of maguey, or agave.
“The goal of this study was to determine how yerba de manso and cempasuchil compare in antibacterial effectiveness when incorporated into a fiber based biomaterial, and how chemical pretreatment influences the performance of the gauze,” she said.
In her project description for ISEF, she explained that access to medicine remains a high challenge due to costs, especially in developing countries. Because of this, she wanted to engineer a cost-effective and practical alternative to conventional gauze and antibiotics.
Her results showed that both plant extracts inhibited bacterial growth, but yerba de manso had a slightly stronger and more consistent antibacterial effect.
“Overall, this study demonstrated that chemically engineered, plant-infused fiber gauze can function as an effective, low cost and biodegradable wound dressing, translating traditional medicinal knowledge into a modern biomedical material,” Regalado said.
Regalado hopes to become a pharmacist, and after she graduates this year, she’ll most likely be studying bioscience at ASU.
As she and her peers prepare for the next chapter of their lives, they’ll be doing so with the distinction of competing on an international stage.
None of the students placed this time around, but after SARSEF and ISEF, they’re walking away with several accolades and scholarships to their names.
To see the students’ ISEF presentations, visit the following links:
- “De la Raiz al Remedio: Engineering Fiber-Gauze Infused With Traditional Mexican Plants” by Estefany Valenzuela Regalado
- “Drawn by Scent: Effects of β-Cyclodextrin and Cellulose Fiber Paper-Encapsulated Microbial Volatiles on Insect Olfactory-Mediated Attraction” by Yessica Perez
- “Hermosura Natural: Development and Analysis of an Antimicrobial Lipstick Using Epazote, Guayaba Leaf, Jamaica, and Cochineal Pigment” by Alba Emily Sampson
- “KáktosPatch: Monitoring Necrosis in Carnegiea gigantea (Saguaro Cactus) Using an Engineered Smart Bandage and Mobile Application” by Jorge Antonio Covarrubias
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Reporting for this article is supported by a grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation.
