From the cancer-tracking properties of green fluorescent protein in jellyfish to the principles of ion propulsion, the curiosity and talent of Bromfield middle and high school students were on display last week in the more than 55 projects assembled in the school cafeteria for the 2024 Science Fair.
Leo Sullivan, winner of the best-in-show blue rosette.(Courtesy photo)
The fair drew 80 participants this year, a lower number than last, but the quality was excellent, opined Charles Oliver, who had volunteered to coordinate the work of six Parent Teacher Organization judges from among the more than 50 school and community volunteers who evaluated the student’s investigations.
Senior Leo Sullivan won this year’s best-in-show blue rosette, awarded each year by the Bromfield science faculty, for his demonstration of ion propulsion. Sullivan also won the PTO’s Marc Thompson award as well as an award from the Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Association. Thompson was a Harvard resident, an international expert on magnetic levitation, and a devoted leader of past Bromfield science fairs who died in 2017. Sullivan’s name will be added to a plaque on display at the school that commemorates Thompson’s contributions.
The fair was open to students enrolled in eighth through 12th grades. Advanced Placement students were required to participate, although allowed to double up with a partner. Students could choose one of three categories: experimental, engineering, or non-experimental educational display. Experimental exhibits dominated, with more than two dozen on display, and within that category, chemistry experiments led the way.
Community organizations, including the Lions Club, Harvard Schools Trust, and Harvard Conservation Trust, fielded teams of judges and handed out 21 awards at the evening awards ceremony. The Bromfield science faculty awarded 17 more.
