Scientists’ Society of Southwest Florida’s annual dinner to highlight area students and their science fair projects
Thirteen students have been invited to attend the Scientists’ Society of Southwest Florida annual dinner to present their science fair projects before its members.
President and Scholarship Chair Trudy Sampson said the society holds an annual student/teacher recognition dinner.
This year the event will be held at Heritage Palms Golf & Country Club next Thursday, April 20. The dinner meeting is open to the public for $32 per person. Reservations and advanced payment can be made at www.science-swfl.org.
The featured speaker is Dr. Derek Buzasi, Whitaker Eminent Scholar, College of Arts and Sciences, Florida Gulf Coast University, whose topic will be “Behind the Veils of Dust and Time: Science with the James Webb Space Telescope,” launched just over two years ago as the successor to the Hubble.
“Every year we do this event. Our organization judges a lot of science fairs during the year for different schools in Lee County,” she said. “We have been doing it for 20 something years, or more.”
Every year, Sampson said they have key teachers who conduct the science fairs and choose some of their best students with their science projects to attend the meeting to present to the society’s board before the meeting starts.
“Our members go around and look at the boards. It gives members a good opportunity to see what is happening in schools and students (the opportunity) to present their science fair to scientists,” she said. “We are encouraging them. We also give them science feedback. Everybody loves the annual meeting.”
She said it is a very good experience to help the students with their presentation skills and self-confidence.
This year nine schools will attend the meeting with 13 kids presenting their science fair projects.
“I love working with the kids, to see how smart they are and how hard they work,” she said, adding this a reason she enjoys the annual dinner. “The teachers are amazing and do all of this work on their own. It’s very encouraging, I think, to see the kids doing all of this work.”
Teachers and students:
• Bonita Springs Middle School for the Arts: Marilyn Stevens and Michael Dougherty
• Canterbury: Kati Morris and Mehereen Chowdhury
• Classical Conversation New Hope: Janet Fadayomi and Bridget Springer
• Community School of Naples: Michael Carpenter and Adrian Deoarine and Josie Byers
• Dunbar High School: Catherine Griffin and Advaith Menon
• Lehigh Acres Middle School: Angela Goicoechea and Anne Levesque and Alejandra Quintana
• Oak Hammond: Andrew Urnezis and Charlie Della-Luna and Emma Yancy
• Oasis Elementary North: Christi Llanes and Zoe Molina
• Oasis Elementary South: Tina Pink and Ava Larson and Aleczander Santos
• St. Andrew: Jim Less and Sephora Esperance
“The best science fair projects are projects where the kids are interested in something,” Sampson said.
In addition, two $2,000 scholarships will be given to students.
The students include Donatty Lemieux from Cape Coral Technical College and Autumn Pepper Rhodes from Cypress Lake High School.
“We used to have them come to our website and fill out this huge form. It wasn’t the best way to do it,” Sampson said. “We work with the teachers that we have done science fairs in the past. We pick one, or two schools and let the teacher and guidance counselor pick the person. They know who is excelling in the field and wants to go to college.”
This is the first year a student was chosen from Cape Coral Technical College in the IT technology field.
The Scientists’ Society of Southwest Florida has provided more than $35,000 for STEM education.
“Our focus is really middle school to get them excited,” Sampson said. “Studies show that is where they get interested in science. Our goal is to get kids excited about STEM. It is an exciting thing.”