Experimenting with Excellence! MTLSD Middle School Students See Success At PJAS Regional Competition

Six Mt. Lebanon  Middle School Students are heading to the state competition after earning first-place honors at the recent Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS) regional event! The first-place winners will move on to the state competition in May at Penn State University.

Congratulations to the following students for earning first place recognition: 
8th graders Sanvi Banka, Colin Bozick, Liam Furey, Eli Lasus, and Alaina Raff 
7th grader Alex Petrie 

Several MTLSD Middle School Students earned recognition at the regional competition. 

• Sanvi Banka (Mellon) received first place in Behavioral Science for her project "Where's Waldo?" 
• Colon Bozick Mellon) received first place in Behavioral Science for his project The Effect of Colored Noises on Tests
• Liam Furey (Mellon) received a first place in Botany for his project The Effects of Regenerative Agriculture on Plant Growth. He also won the Sustainability Leadership Award from The Creation Care team and a cash award of $50. 
• Durgam Hameed  (7th grade, JMS) second place in Botany for project titled How Different Fertilizers Affect Plant Growth.
• Sofia KlasSen (Mellon) received a second place award in Botany, for The Effects on Plants Growth With Chamber Music.
• Henry Kohler (Mellon) received a second place for his Ecology project Grass Showdown: Organic vs. Commercial Fertilizers. Henry also received the Ecology Director's Award for his project.
• Eli Lasus (Mellon) received a first place win for his project in microbiology on the the Effects of Herbal Rinses on Bad Breath. He also won the director's award for Excellence in Microbiology, plus $100.
• Everett Macphail, (7th grade, JMS) second place project How Electrical Current Effects HHO Production.
• Alex Petrie, (Mellon) received a first place for his project The Impact of Anxiety on Test Performance. 
• Alaina Raff (JMS) received a first place for her project in Microbiology titled The Effect of Carbohydrates on Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
• Amelia Siemianowski (8th grade, Mellon - second place in Behavioral Science for her project titled Colors and Memory.
• Maya Walker (8th grade,Mellon) second place in Behavioral Science for her project titled Second Lives.
• Zimo Wang (7th grade, JMS) second place for project titled Buoyancy of Various Fruits.

The Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS) is a statewide competition that fosters a passion for science by encouraging students to develop and present their own research projects. This year, hundreds of students from Allegheny and Westmoreland counties showcased their scientific investigations at the regional level.

Mrs. Kathryn Duchin and Mr. Ed Petsko are the PJAS sponsors for the middle schools.