Shawnee Mission Students Shine at International Science Fair

Shawnee Mission Students Shine at International Science Fair
Shawnee Mission School District

Four students from the Shawnee Mission Biotechnology signature program qualified to compete against students worldwide in the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Dallas, Texas.

The team spent a week in May showing off their independent studies to students and advisors from 75 different countries. 

“ISEF qualifies about 1600 students a year. About 500 of those get awards. 1600 students and we had four of those qualify, and then we had a student win two awards out of the award winners. I think people who aren't part of this don't realize that it's such an achievement, even the students I think, won't realize it until they get older,” Dr. Lee said.

Dr. Kenneth Lee is the teacher for the SMSD Biotechnology Signature Program. He had attended the event once before as an advisor, however, this was the first time he had the chance to bring regional champions to the in-person event.

“I am so proud of them! It validated the hard work they had been doing all year. The Greater Kansas City Region sent for students, and all four were my students,” said Dr. Lee.

Below is a list of the students who competed at the international fair and their projects:

 

  • Characterization of Engineered Protein LLHP Repression Through the Induction of DNA Looping- Mia Stamos, Junior, Shawnee Mission East.
  • The Use of Topological Scoring and Chemical Cross-Linking to Identify Direct Protein Interactions in the Sin3 Complex- Abigail Rose West, Senior, Shawnee Mission West High School.
     
  • Alzheimer's and Aftins: Understanding the Role of Mitochondria in Alzheimer's Disease- Caleb Andrew Gilmore, Senior, Shawnee Mission East.
  • EAEV070 Analysis of the Extent of Microplastic Contamination Through the Study of Beach Sand- Elizabeth Rose Barnes, Freshman, Shawnee Mission West High School.

 

Elizabeth Barnes was a freshman when she was invited to attend the competition and had only discovered her love for biotechnology the year before while attending the Biotechnology Summer Enrichment program in eighth grade. Following the summer program, Barnes reached out to Dr. Lee to express her interest in joining the class. 

“ISEF was an amazing experience that I was honored to attend as a freshman. I hoped to go sometime in high school but never expected I would go my freshman year,” Barnes said. 

Junior Mia Stamos from Shawnee Mission East brought home two awards from Dallas. She received a Special Award from the University of Long Island in New York, which included a full scholarship. She also won a biotech award that included a $500 grant. Stamos says she’s dreamed of attending ISEF since she was in middle school.

“Our science teachers showed us a documentary about ISEF,” Stamos reflected. They shoved us in a room, all three science classes, and they put it on the big display. That is when I knew I wanted to do that. I didn't think I'd even make it to ISEF. I was surprised when I won inside my division at regionals.  All of this just in one year, it's been surreal.”

After presenting her findings at ISEF, Stamos was offered a 6-week long, paid, summer internship with MRI Global. She will be using her independent study work learned in the biotechnology class to research classified diseases.