Littleton High School Students Compete in Regional Massachusetts Science & Engineering Fair; 9 Students Advance to State Fair

LITTLETON — Superintendent Dr. Kelly Clenchy is proud to share that 16 Littleton High School (LHS) students recently participated in the Region IV Massachusetts Science & Engineering Fair (MSEF), nine of which will advance to the state fair in April.

On Friday, March 7, 16 LHS students traveled to Tufts University for the Region IV MSEF. The fair featured 154 projects from 32 Region IV schools. Littleton presented a total of 10 projects, six of which will move on to the state fair on April 4 at Gillette Stadium.

LHS students spent months researching, designing, carrying out, and analyzing their own original scientific investigation in preparation for the fair. Each of the participating students either took the STEM Research Class or is a member of the STEM Research Club, both of which were led by LHS Biology Teacher Valerie Finnerty.

Littleton students who participated in the fair included:

• Grade 9 student Anika Gosukonda: “Wildfire Detection System.”
• Grade 10 students Lily Graham and Gigi Malvi: “The effect of B12 on the lifespan of Bombyx mori fed a high-glucose diet.” Graham and Malvi received a third-place award and will be advancing to the state fair.
• Grade 10 student Samhita Gowda:“The effects of different molecules on the regeneration of planaria.” Gowda’s project will be advancing to the state fair.
• Grade 10 students Suma Bhiravarasa and Emma Lu:“Incorporating Aquaponics into Fish Farms to Increase Efficiency.” Bhiravarasa and Lu received the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Mission Award, which recognizes outstanding projects in ocean, coastal, great lakes, weather, and climate sciences. They will be presenting their project at the state fair. 
• Grade 10 students Lasya Muthyala and Caitlin Stimpson: “Assessing Ascophyllumnodosum as a Natural Solution for Coastal Erosion Mitigation.” Muthyala and Stimpson received the Outstanding Environmental Science Award and will be advancing to the state fair.
• Grade 10 students Lia Pratt, Asish Sahoo and Mia Tiernan: “The effect of climate change on Pyrocystis fusiformis.”
• Grade 11 student Medha Sri: “Nutrition and Alzheimer’s Disease: Analyzing the Effect of Fenugreek Extract with and without Turmeric on Amyloid Beta in Alzheimer’s Disease Using Caenorhabditis elegant.” Sri will be attending the state fair.
• Grade 11 student Anika Jacob:“The Effects of Environmental Concentrations of Caffeine on the Neurobehavioral and Neurobiological Development of Zebrafish Embryos.” Jacob received a first-place award and will be advancing to the state fair. In the fall, Jacob was selected as a Marjot Foundation Scholar for her project proposal and was awarded a Marjot Foundation grant to use for her project.
• Grade 11 student Jackson Doucette: “PSEN1 and other gene effects on Caenorhabditis elegans containing trace amounts of caffeine with Alzheimer’s disease.”
• Grade 11 students Arohan Pathak and Siddarth Padamati: “Experimentally Evaluating the Effects of Temperature on Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Production and Electrolyzer Efficiency.”

Finnerty started the STEM Research program at LHS four years ago. Starting with just a couple of students in the first year, the program has since grown to include more than 25 students in grades 9-12 who are excited about conducting their own research. The program is supported by the District and donations from community members and Takeda Pharmaceuticals.

“Each of these students show their persistence and passion for their projects as they conduct their own research outside of their normal curriculum,” said Finnerty. “They are truly talented young scientists and all of them deserve a heartfelt congratulations for their hard work and dedication.”

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