At a time when so much hangs on the promise of science, these Hillcrest High students give us cause for hope.
Five Hillcrest students claimed podium finishes in the 2020 University of Utah Science and Engineering Fair, an event that was scaled back to include only the Senior Division due to mounting concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak. Faced with a directive to avoid mass gatherings and practice social distancing, event organizers postponed the Elementary and Junior divisions until May 18-20.
But that didn’t diminish the excitement for the Huskies who, in the head-to-head regional competition with their high school-aged peers, won several top prizes and sponsored awards. Additionally, Wentao Zhang qualified to be an Observer for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for his project, “Building Air Quality Predictions With Machine Learning Techniques.”
Students from seven school districts and schools under the umbrella of the Salt Lake Catholic Diocese competed at the event.
Let’s hear it for these future inventors, seekers of cures, and fighters of disease.
2020 Regional Science and Engineering Fair Winners
Warren Ellsworth, Hillcrest High, First Place, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Diana Alzen, Hillcrest High, Second Place, Chemistry
Wentao Zhang, Hillcrest High, Second Place, Earth & Environmental Science
Wensen Zhang, Hillcrest High, Fourth Place, Electrical & Computer Science Engineering
Matthew Simmons, Hillcrest High, Fourth Place, Materials & Biomedical Engineering