Science Fair

Landrum Middle School Science Fair 2025-26

The St. Johns County Science and Engineering Fair was held Tuesday, February 2^nd at First Coast Technical College in St. Augustine.

Landrum Middle School was represented by:

Liana Yerkin                  “Computer Based Identification of Growth-Affecting Factors on Duckweed”

Juliet Tsai                       “Depth of Radish Seed and Its Effects on Germination”

Saanvi Chaudhary      “Your Essential Guide to Natural Bug Repellant”

Sophie Liu                      “Sensing the Snack: How Far Can Ladybugs Detect Different Food Sources?”

Liam Heffernan            “Does a little bit of Caffeine help you Jump Higher?”

Maahi Ailawadhi         “Brainwaves and Heartbeats: Decoding Mental Effort”

L. Bridges & S. Brant       “ Does the Placebo Effect Apply to Caffeine?”                     

Zack Hanburry             “The Salty Spark”

Chelsea Nelson          “Hydrogel: Which Works Best?”

Wylan Osgood              “How Does Shape and Camber of a Wing Affect Lift?”

Piper Ross                     “The Bottom Line: Breaking Point Battle”

Charles Clark               “The Effect of Pick Thickness on Decibel Level”

Awards were given to:

Wylan Osgood, Office of Naval Research Award

Liana Yerkin, Stockholm Junior Water Award

Juliet Tsai, 3^rd Place Earth, Plant, and Animal Science

Lucy Kate Bridges and Samantha Brant, 2^nd Place Behavioral Science

Maahi Ailawadhi, 1^st Place Behavioral Science

Liam Heffernan, 1^st Place Microbiology and Biomedical Science

Piper Ross, 1^st Place Physics

Maahi has been selected to represent both Landrum Middle School and St. Johns County at the 2026 Science and Engineering Fair of Florida.  She was one of only two middle school students to receive this honor.

Maahi is also the 4^th consecutive LMS student to advance to the State Science Fair (2023-26), a feat that has never been matched. 

Friday, November 21st  

On Friday, November 21^st, more than 120 Landrum Middle School students competed in the Annual Landrum Science Fair.  One hundred projects were judged in five different categories. 

 Landrum congratulates all of our student scientists!

Behavioral-1

1^st – Liam Heffernan – Does a little bit of Caffeine help you Jump Higher?

2^nd – Emi Stamova – Does the Sport You Play Affect Your Hand-Eye Coordination?

3^rd – Gabriella Akers and Evie Raider – The Affect Caffeine Has on Body Temperature

HM- John Treace and Jack McLeod  – Does Cleat Type Affect Sprint Acceleration?

Behavioral-2

1^st – Maahi Ailawadhi – Brainwaves and Heartbeats: Decoding Mental Effort

2^nd – Avery Slucker – Does Reading Before Bed Result in Better Sleep?  

2^nd  – Alaina Decker and Emily Pak – Handedness and the Brain: How are They Related?

3^rd – Jaxie Zarczynski – The Color of Music!

HM – Arabella Sprague –  The Effect of Music Genres on Human Heart Rate

Behavioral-3

1^st – Lucy Bridges and Samantha Brant – Does the Placebo Effect Apply to Caffeine?

2^nd -Benjamin Kimber and Keegan Carroll – Auditory or Visual: Who Wins the Memory Game?

3^rd – Maggie and Nate Black – Twin Telepathy: Real or Fake?

HM – Milana Franke and Kathryn Routhe – Does Study Preference Influence Test Performance?

Life Science

1^st – Juliet Tsai – Depth of Radish Seed and Its Effects on Germination

1^st – Saanvi Chaudhary –  Your Essential Guide to Natural Bug Repellant

2^nd – Seth Helt – Live Bait vs. Lures

2^nd – Sophie Liu – Sensing the Snack: how Far Can Ladybugs Detect Different Food Sources?

3^rd –  Charlotte Schmidt and Elizabeth Ster – The 5-Second Fule: True or False?

Chemistry

1^st – Zack Hanburry – The Salty Spark

1^st – Chelsea Nelson – Hydrogel: Which Works Best?

2^nd – Luke Finnemore – How Does Ascorbic Acid Affect Oxidation in Apples?

3^rd – Grant Vu and Ceren Sareyyupoglu – Corrosion in Different pH Levels

HM – Emma Berutti – The Science of Apple Browning

Physics 1

1^st –  Wylan Osgood – How Does Shape and Camber of a Wing Affect Lift?

2^nd – Natalie Deaton and John Stone – Analyzing the Relationship Between Water Density & Angle of Refraction

3^rd – Charlie Sompi and Drew Adrian – Temperatures Impact on Magnetic Strength

HM – Luke Tsao – Modeling the Coriolis Effect Using Rotation Velocity

HM – Matt Freda – Golf Ball Distance

Physics 2

1^st – Piper Ross – The Bottom Line: Breaking Point Battle

2^nd – Charles Clark – The Effect of Pick Thickness on Decibel Level

3^rd –  Elijah Hatfield – How does Dust Covering a Solar Panel Affect Energy Output?

3^rd– Reid Miranda – How Does 3d Printer Nozzle Heat Affect a 3d printed Object?

HM – Bennett Effler – Does the Price of Golf Ball Change the Distance the Ball Will Go?

Environmental Science

1^st – Liana Yerkin – Computer Based Identification of Growth-Affecting Factors on Duckweed

2^nd –  Joseph Andrew  – Carbon Sequestration 101

3^rd–  Gia Moyer and Jane Lowry – Effectiveness of Ancient Water Filtration

HM – Elliana Kotovets and Kateri Basile – Ocean Acidification: How Do pH Levels Affect Coquina?

HM – Lila Hill – Water Salinity Along the Guana River

What do I need to do to participate in the Science Fair?

1. Come up with a project idea.
2. Fill out the Student entry form 2023
3. Attend Science Fair checkpoint meetings Tuesdays at 1:50 (Room 355-Mr. Anzelmo).
4. Complete background research and develop a research plan.
5. Complete all required paperwork and get project approval.
6. Conduct experiment, create presentation, and compete in the Science Fair. 

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