The Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) has announced the winners of the 2024 Riverside County Science and Engineering Fair, which took place at the Riverside Convention Center. As per an RCOE press release, 72 students were awarded gold medals and numerous prizes and entries into state and international fairs.
According to the same press release, the event held on March 2nd saw its highest participation since 2016, attracting 515 students from 29 affiliate fairs. These students represented a diverse range of public, charter, and private schools, presenting their findings across 19 subject matter categories.
Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Edwin Gomez said in the release: "The STEM leaders who will shape our shared future are developing their skills and exploring new findings inside our school classrooms and laboratories every single day."
The release also highlighted several standout projects that earned sweepstakes awards in different divisions. Senitha Weerakoo from John F. Kennedy Elementary School won the elementary division sweepstakes with her project on "Surface Comparison for Basketball Bouncing." In the junior division, Vienna Zhou of El Cerrito Middle School was recognized for her project titled "Decoding the Matrix of Movement: Using Python to Determine Physical Activities," while Angelina Yang from Eastvale STEM Academy/Eleanor Roosevelt High School received the senior division sweepstakes award for her project "Fabrication and In-Depth Evaluation of Reconfigurable Metallo-Polyelectrolyte Complexed Gels for Heavy Metal Ion Filtration." These winners, along with their peers, will represent Riverside County at state, national and international science fairs where they will showcase their projects against students from around the globe.
Furthermore, according to the release, five senior division students will progress to compete at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), scheduled to take place in Los Angeles from May 11-17. The fair acknowledged gold medal winners across different grade levels, from elementary to high school. Community awards and sponsorships were also distributed, sponsored by companies and organizations such as HDR, Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Regeneron ISEF.
Gomez assumed the role of Superintendent of Schools in November 2020, according to another RCOE press release. Before this appointment, Gomez served as the chief administrative officer of RCOE, where he was responsible for daily operations. His current term is set to conclude in January 2027.