Four of Mead’s Energy Academy students got the opportunity to attend the Intermountain Junior Science and Humanities Symposium at Montana Tech on March 8, 2019, and present their research and experiments they’ve been working on this school year.

The event focuses on students who show interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). It provides one-on-one assistance and tools to help students be successful.

“It can be a great opportunity if you’re leaning towards science or engineering. It can also be very helpful if you’re worried about GPA or grades, this can help with that,” explains Mr. Will Pratt, an energy academy teacher.

This trip not only gives students many opportunities, but is enjoyed by many of the participants.

All of the students who participated in the event explained that they enjoyed presenting as well as seeing all the other participants’ projects. One of the most enjoying parts was watching the awards at the end of the event.

All of the students that went on the trips have been working on their presentations for a while to prepare for this event.

Sydney Bell, a junior, presented a model of the hydrology of spill events in Weld County, CO. Bell’s model was meant to test how far the oil used went into the ground.

“Me and Jared Berg came up with the idea and from there we looked into the Montana competition. You had to write a scientific paper about your research. We then finalized results and created a slideshow presentation that will be put on the poster for the trip,” said Bell.

Yarahi Campuzano, a freshman, has been working on the effect of ice-melt salts on lawn grass at MHS to present at the event. Mr. Pratt helped her with her project as well as high support from her peers. In her project, Campuzano tested what the effect of different brands of ice melt had on the grass at Mead High School.

Matthew French, a junior, tested the evaluation of thermal storage by Brines using a student-fabricated model solar power-tower. This model was created to represent real solar power-towers and use them to see if the model towers would get the same result as real solar towers. He felt confident and enjoyed presenting his information as well as watching his classmates and other students present.

Finally, Beau Klein, a senior, brought his research about the design of a novel hydroelectric generator using the thermal expansion of water to present at the Montana event. Klein explained and provided more information about the most conservative and efficient way to produce energy. He explains this by providing information about his experiment getting the energy that comes from frozen water.

All of the students had a great time and enjoyed their trip together. Mr. Pratt loved watching his students grow and learn through this experience. He is very proud of his students’ work and they should be proud of themselves for the hard work and dedication they put into their experiments.