Judges had hundreds of science experiments and demonstrations to review at the 2013 Elkhart Science Fair Feb.2, making it difficult to narrow down the winning science projects. Three students were awarded a trophy for their best-of-grade-level projects. Lucas Grieg of Cornerstone Montessori received the trophy for Best of Grades K-2. Eric Haworth of Pinewood Elementary won Best of Grades 3-5, and West Side Middle School's Aaron Russell won Best of Grade 6-8 and Best of Show.  Almost 50 medals were awarded at this year's fair. All of the gold and silver medallion winners in grade three and above earned the right to compete at the Northern Indiana Regional Science and Engineering Fair at the University of Notre Dame in March.   A separate Senior Science Fair for high school students was held Feb. 12 at ETHOS (Encouraging Technology and Hands On Science). For the fourth year in a row, Memorial High School's Michael Tripepi took top honors.

2013 Elkhart Science Fair trophy winners, from left, Lucas Grieg, Best of   Grade K-2, Cornerstone Montessori; Aaron Russell, Best of Grade 6-8 and  Best of Show, West Side Middle School; and Eric Haworth, Best of Grades 3-5, Pinewood. The trophy presenter is Matt Yeakey, board president of ETHOS

Memorial's Michael Tripepi, left, and his research partner, Samuel Sharkey from Penn High School, explain their project to the judges.Tripepi has won the Senior Science Fair all four years. His science research also garned him semi-      finalist status in the  Siemens Science and Engineering Competition.

Tripepi and research partner Samuel Sharkey from Penn High School entered their project, "Optimizing Optical Signal Quality for High Energy Particle Detection," from the research they conducted this past summer and fall at the University of Notre Dame's QuarkNet Center. The pair's research also earned them semi-finalist status in the Siemens Competition, a prestigious science competition funded by the Siemens Foundation and administered by the College Board. Their project was chosen as one of the top 300 outstanding research reports from more than 1,600 entries worldwide. The pair's physics research involves testing the viability of optical diffusers and quartz capillary tubes for use in detecting particles. Other high school winners include Memorial students Kate Luft and Danielle Conrad, first place, Behavioral Science; Carly Lochmandy, first place, Physics; Giovanni Alvarez and Jason Pace, first place Engineering; Carlie Manges, first place, Biochemistry; Makenzie Todd and Brittney Joy, second place, Engineering; and Delaney Gilbert, second place, Plant Science.

Michael Gaff of Bristol Elementary School

Emilee Mosso of Cleveland Elementary School

Henry Gatesmeyer of Pinewood Elementary

Madeline Bargerhuff of Cleveland

Jared Reid of Pierre Moran Middle School

Carolina Gallegos of Bristol Elementary

Gold Medallion Winners

Grades 3-5

Emilee Mosso	Cleveland	Tyler Ellis	Riverview
Mara Hakaj	Pinewood	Hannah Litka	Woodland
Henry Gatesmeyer	Pinewood	Samantha Sarber	Pinewood
Alex Arce	Pinewood	Eric Haworth	Pinewood
Clay Grubbs	Pinewood	Trevor Kehoe	Feeser

 Leila Soliman                                        Cornerstone                   Amelia Redding                                   Riverview

Grades 6-8

Aaron Russell	West Side	Cadence Lee	Pinewood
Madelin Lapp	Pinewood	Daniel Lindley	Pierre Moran
Madeline Bargerhuff	Cleveland	Amy Wyse	Eastwood
Kayla Gardner	Pierre Moran	Michael Wyse	North Side

Silver Medallion Winners


Grades 3-5

Carson Richards	Pinewood	Michael DeBartolo	Cleveland
Carlitos Jimenez	Cornerstone	Lucy Circosta	Pinewood
Maya Glass	Cleveland	Sarah Al-Shamri	Bristol
Shepard Raymond	Riverview	Jonathan Jelinek	Pinewood

                                   
Grades 6-8

Olivia Haworth	North Side	Jonathan Miller	North Side
Darci Lindhe	Cleveland	Brook Simmons	Riverview

  Diane Garnett                                  Monger

Medallion Winners

Grades K-2

Laura Baker	Pinewood	Selita Jimenez	Cornerstone
Robert Baker	Pinewood	CJ Leiby	Pinewood
Alex Germain	Bristol	Julian Rosales	Pinewood
Lukas Greig	St. Vincent	Abigail Siegrist	Bristol
Sophia Grubbs	Pinewood	Kate Smith	Bristol
Carson Gull	Bristol	Ezekiel Waits	Woodland