LEXINGTON, Ky. — The 37th annual Kentucky American Water Science Fair gave Fayette County Public School (FCPS) students the opportunity to shine in fields like chemistry, engineering, physics and plant science.
FCPS coordinated the event, which hosted students at Frederick Douglass High School, where 347 projects were judged by 188 professionals.
What You Need To Know
- Kentucky American Water collaborated with Fayette County Public Schools for the 37th annual Kentucky American Water Science Fair
- The science fair hosted nearly 400 students from FCPS with attendance from Superintendent Demetrus Liggins
- Olivia Agee, Emerson Easley, FCPS elementary students presented can bacteria research
- Faisal Syed, a FCPS high schooler, presented melatonin sales research
Nearly 400 FCPS students put their best foot forward at the annual science fair. One of the many students in Saturday’s science fair was Olivia Agee, a 5th grader attending Rosa Parks Elementary School in Lexington.
“I’m here because I want to make a difference and show people that girls can do science,” said Agee.
That’s exactly what Agee and her best friend Emerson Easley are doing. Their project is called “Bacteria Bust,” which examines cleanliness of the cans you buy at the grocery store.
“We went to three different stores to buy cans: Walmart, Kroger and Meijer. To transfer bacteria, we rubbed the q-tip on the petri dish for 15 seconds in a zigzag motion,” said Easley.
The pair has been best friends since fourth grade. Now they’re taking part in their first science fair as something to do other than soccer.
“Based on our results, we concluded that you should not buy and drink cans from Walmart, and that Kroger is the best and cleanest store to buy cans,” said Easley.
Agee and Easley have worked on their findings since October 2021, and that dedication is what FCPS Superintendent Demetrus Liggins is proud of.
“Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is a major focus of future careers and the future of our nation and our world. So to see such diverse interest in it is just really exciting, and it makes you hopeful of what’s to come,” said Liggins.
The science fair didn’t leave anyone in the district out. Middle and high-schoolers like Faisal Syed could also take part. Syed’s a junior at Paul L. Dunbar High School who presented findings on melatonin sales, which took six months.
“I feel great doing it because I mean working in a lab is an honor and to start it in high school, I feel very privileged to do so. As a minority in the STEM field, I feel that it is great to do work in there. I feel more women and minorities should be a part of the STEM field,” said Syed.
According to Census data, the STEM field comprises only 27% women, Agee and Easley are hoping to beat the odds.
“Most people think oh no it’s for the boys, boys are smarter in science, no! I can be as smart as I want to in science and I know I can beat some of the boys here if I really, really want to,” said Agee.
The science fair awarded 124 students’ projects and eight received recognition from Kentucky American Water for their efforts with water science projects.
Students who received awards will go on to the Central Kentucky Regional Science and Engineering Fair which will be held virtually Feb. 25-26.