Yorktown High School Student Wins Grand Prize at Science/Engineering Fair

Yorktown High School science research student Elizabeth R. Crumley is one of three Westchester students who have won a spot at the International Sustainable World Project Olympiad following this Saturday's Westchester Science and Engineering Fair. 

The Fair brought together more than 350 students from 33 high schools in Westchester and Putnam counties where they presented their science research projects. Students showcased their multi-year research science projects in a competitive venue featuring individual and team poster presentations, director of the science fair and Yorktown High School teacher Michael Blueglass said.

The students were judged by local experts in the fields of life science, physical science, environmental studies, psychology and engineering. 

This competition known as ISWEEEP brings together over 700 students from over 60 countries whose projects have focused on sustainability in the areas of Energy, Environment and Engineering 

Crumley's project was called "Freestanding Bamboo Gridshell Shelters for Sustainable Relief Efforts."

After a natural disaster, an easy to build and reliable relief shelter needs to be made to help those in need. A gridshell is an ideal structure to use because it’s easy to build and can be made of local materials, like bamboo. Compression tests were run on 30 samples of Tonkin Cane to find the compression strength and modulus of elasticity for the material. Connection tests for square lashings were also completed. The data showed that even though the Tonkin Cane had a smaller modulus of elasticity than most woods, it would still be suitable material for a gridshell. Also, the connections failed at angles that would not be achieved in the structure, therefore lashed connections are a good option. The gridshell was built, tested, and set up during Hurricane Sandy to see how it would hold up. Future research would be to create a better cover and test it in the field.

Edward Aryee and Daniel M. Scanteianu, both Ossining High School students, also won a spot at the International Sustainable World Project Olympiad, which brings together more than 700 students from over 60 countries.

The following students represent the 13 projects (10 individuals and 3 teams) that won a trip to the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF) are:

Sheida Takmil, Ossining High School

Claudia Mimoso, Ossining High School

Charlotte Herber, Fox Lane High School

Daniel Fulop, John Jay High School

Ryan Malpass, Dobbs Ferry High School

Caleb Hersh, Ossining High School

Abigail Orlando, Eastchester High School

Sarah Ruthen, Briarcliff High School

Brett Bell, Pelham Memorial High School

Haoxuan Yuan, Pelham Memorial High School

Amrita Ramesh and Sania Khalid, Ossining High School

Haris Nair (Hastings High School) & Samantha Prashad (Rockville Center High School)

Zhun Che and Julia Kavanaugh, Pelham Memorial High School

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