Indianapolis – Two local middle-schoolers recently travelled to Indianapolis to compete in the prestigious Hoosier Science and Engineering Fair sponsored by the Science Education Foundation of Indiana. Only 185 participants in grades 4 – 12 from the entire state qualified to compete in the event, held at Indiana University at Indianapolis on Saturday, April 6.
Eighth-grader Corbin Arthur and seventh-grader Chase VanderMeer earned the right to compete as two of the 15 projects chosen at the Northern Indiana Regional Science Fair held previously at Notre Dame University. To get to Regional, their projects were first selected as one of the top three projects of each grade at the local Kankakee Valley Middle School Science Fair held back in February.
Arhtur’s project was titled “Breaking Bonds” and VanderMeers was “A Cool Breeze of Electricity.” Both boys are students at Kankakee Valley Middle School.
Both boys endured a full day of judging explaining their respective projects multiple times and answering numerous questions from the judges. They were also invited to attend a presentation on the then upcoming eclipse.
VanderMeer was awarded the Lemelson Foundation Early Inventor Prize. This award goes to a student whose project emphasizes how STEM knowledge and technology come together to create solutions that protect, preserve, save, improve, or promote quality of life or nature.
The Lemuelson Award is named for Jerome Lemelson who amassed more than 500 patents, including essential parts of dozens of products in common use today, including the VCR, Camcorder, Walkman, cordless Phone, FAX machine, word processors and industrial robotics. Born in 1923, Jerome Lemelson was already inventing as a child.