“I didn’t think we would make it this far. There were some parts where we were unsure of what we were doing. But clearly we did something right, so, I’m really proud of how far we’ve gotten,” BVH junior Victoria Takaki said.
On Mar. 14, Bonita Vista High junior Paulina Iniguez and Takaki placed first in the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair (GSDSEF), under the “toxicology” category. The GSDSEF held its 70th annual science fair where sixth to 12th grade students in San Diego county showcased their science projects, with professional scientists, engineers and educators evaluating them.
For Iniguez and Takaki, their project examined how runoff pollutants affect the growth of wheat grass. Their idea was inspired from a list created by the International Baccalaureate Environmental Science and Societies and Advanced Placement Environmental Science teacher Jennifer Ekstein, who shared it to her classes. Takaki explains the extensive process of conducting their experiment for their project.
“We started by soaking the seeds for 24 hours. We then placed them on top of the soil, wet paper towels and water growing trays. We watered them two times a day, with their according solutions and measured them once a day,” Takaki said. “From there, we analyzed our data using standard deviation, which is something Ms. Ekstein taught us.”
Throughout Iniguez and Takaki’s experiment, they received help to gather successful results. Takaki’s mother, Myrna Takaki, helped the two juniors with providing necessary material. Additionally, they feel that Ekstein has been a great help while collecting data and working on calculations.
“M. Takaki helped us in setting up and purchasing the things that we needed, like the water trays, the seeds and the growth fertilizer that we use in our experiments. She also let us conduct the experiment at her house. Additionally, Ekstein gave us inspiration which led us to our final topic idea,” V. Takaki said.
Ekstein strongly believes that their award winning experiment was self-driven by the students’ passion and she was not directly involved. She explains that the only help she provided was reminding students of their deadlines and providing feedback.
“I’m always pushing out deadlines and encouraging them. It’s not my project. I’m along for the ride to help them understand what deadlines are made and I give them feedback when necessary. But they’re in the driver’s seat. I’m just the guider and it’s their motivation to go far, not me,” Ekstein said.
As the mentor and advisor, Ekstein mentions that the GSDSEF provides “amazing opportunities” for students. Some of them include gaining connections and “authentic” experiences in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) field, as well as allowing for experiences that will better their future.
“We’re a title one school and we compete against private schools. I feel that makes our students competitive for universities. The other thing is they’re able to get scholarships, which is super important when paying for college. As they’re designing their own labs and analyzing it, they’re also talking to scientists. [They’re] building connections and possibly internships for the future,” Ekstein said.
With their project, Iniguez and Takai advanced to the California Science & Engineering Fair (CSEF) where they competed against other students on the state level. V. Takaki mentions that on Tuesday, April 16, they underwent online interviews and examinations for their project.
“We had to make our project into a slide with our abstract. We also had a sign of a couple of toxicity forms because of the chemicals that we use. If [the judges] interrupted us by asking a question, we had to format our responses to how they would want to see it,” Iniguez said.
Initially participating in the GSDSEF, the two juniors did not have any high expectations. Instead, they entered the event with the intent to expose themselves to new experiences that could potentially guide them in the future, especially considering their career goals.
“We definitely didn’t think we would win. We figured it would be good because my partner and I both want to be in the science community. She wants to be a doctor and I want to do something in environmental sustainability. We came in with zero expectations, so this is a complete surprise for us,” V. Takaki said.
As someone who has been on the sideline encouraging and mentoring Iniguez and V. Takaki, Ekstein feels proud of their achievements. She appreciated the students being self-driven and passionate about their work.
“For our school, the number of state qualifiers probably fits in two hands—maybe on one, so it’s not common. That’s why I’m saying placing first place and moving on to state is such an accomplishment in comparison to who they’re competing against,” Ekstein said.
Similarly to V. Takaki and Ekstein, Iniguez finds great pride in the work that she and V. Takaki completed and finds it meaningful to have tightened her bond with V. Takaki. Although the CSEF results have not been announced as of April 21, Iniguez reflects on her overall experience of placing first place in the GSDSEF.
“I’m really nervous, but not too nervous. I feel like V. Takaki is more nervous than me. But overall, if we do go to nationals or not, it was a really good experience. It’s also good for resumes and I’m just glad I got to experience it,” Iniguez said.
