2025 Award Winners

In the senior division, the Certificate of Excellence Award is given to those students whose project was determined by the judges to be of exceptional merit and deserving of higher honors. Each Certificate of Excellence winner will receive $50.

Identifying Key Factors to Improve Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis with Machine Learning

By: Cailyn Lawson and Brandon Bonamarte from Oak Ridge High School, taught by Jessica Williams

The Effects of NaCl on Plant Growth

By: Hafsa Lachheb from Annoor Academy, taught by Laila Alharithi

Analysis of Environmental Influences on Saccharomyces cerevisiae IRE1 Mutant Misfolded Protein Response and Its Implications for Neurodegenerative Diseases

By: Harshita Nagar and Shriya Khule from L & N Stem Academy, taught by Bryan Schultz

Raman Spectroscopic Analysis of Multiphase Uranium Mixtures

By: Addison Malone from Malone Home School, taught by Jennifer Malone

How Much Caffeine is in Your Coffee?

By: Lupe Morales from Career Magnet Academy, taught by Cindy Brown

Utilizing a Novel Temporal Sequence Transformer for Enhanced Streamflow Prediction

By: Ruhaan Singh from Farragut High School, taught by Matthew Milligan

El Nino Effect on Coral Bleaching

By: Yuqi Wang from L & N Stem Academy, taught by Bryan Schultz

Analysis and Quantification of PFAS in Surface Waters of an Urban Watershed

By: Gabriel Ensminger and Jacob Anderson from L & N Stem Academy, taught by Bryan Schultz

Recycling Polymers for Use in Additive Manufacturing Through Screw-Based Extrusion

By: Levi Dunn from L & N Stem Academy, taught by Bryan Schultz

Modeling Magnetic Field Strength in Fusion Reactors for Clean Energy Production

By: Silas Rowden and Cyril Meredith from Oak Ridge High School, taught by Jessica Williams

Analysis of Siderophore producing bacteria from Southern Appalachian Soils

By: Abhradeep Chanda from Science Hill High School, taught by Arpita Nandi

Assessing Future Flash Drought Trends in the Southeastern U.S. with Machine Learning

By: Rachel Mao and Olivia Wu from Farragut High School, taught by Yuefeng Hao

Determining Elasticity with a Thermal Bound

By: Zachary Ibanez from Oak Ridge High School, taught by Jessica Williams

Identifying Key Parameters for Personalized Cancer Treatment Simulations Using Machine Learning

By: Lily Shelton and Edie Weston from Oak Ridge High School, taught by Jessica Williams

Tracking and Predicting Societal Exposure to COVID-19 through Nighttime Light Data

By: Uday Sujithkumar from Farragut High School, taught by Matthew Milligan

Assessing the Ecotoxicological Impact of Sucralose on Freshwater Phytoplankton Dynamics

By: Bethanie Bryant from Greeneville High School, taught by Cynthia Propst\

Photosynthetic phenomenon: How variations of light effects Brassica oleracea, Brassicaceae, and Raphanus sativa micro-greens.

By: Michael Fox from North Greene High School, taught by Olivia Kuper

Assessing Transformer Reinforcement Learning as a Graph Sparsification Strategy for Autonomous Robotic Exploration Algorithms

By: Adithya Sastry from Farragut High School, taught by Matthew Milligan

The distinction of honorable mention is awarded to students whose projects were determined to be of exceptional merit.

Cindy  Li

Madylyn Holloway

Phoenix Bennett

Zen Bennett

Grace Thompson

Thomas Stalsworth

Emma Jarman

John Woods

Kristen Moor

Josie Bales

Ru Syuan Cheng

Aaron Fiscor

Odelia Kneiser

Adam Huynh

Grayce Barnes

Reiker Griffin

Abigale Liu

Hisato Kurosaki

Zhiyan Leyton Lu

Marvin Hicke

Sybella Crane

Makenzie Self

Samuel Swanger

Chloe Kepper

Cooper Freeman

Isabel Kao

Abigail Range

Amara Sunil-Zottarelli

Jared Li

Yunpeng Tan

Emily Xu

Grace Im

Isha Patel

Rowan Morelock

Ian Anderson

Elsa Anderson

Leena Doleh

Leonhard Ehlers

Marissa Kenworthy

Joanna Lee

Sophia Chen

The Certificate of Excellence Award is given to those students whose project was determined by the judges to be of exceptional merit and deserving of higher honors. Each Certificate of Excellence winner will receive at least $50.

Pollen Collected by East Tennessee Honey Bees

By: Samuel Kimutis from St. John Neumann Catholic School, taught by Jennifer Amori

Brainwave Boogie

By: Caroline Coates from Maury Middle School, taught by Lisa Walker

How Does UV Light Affect Yeast Colony Growth?

By: Ridwan Quraishi from Annoor Academy, taught by Anna Edwards

Electrifying Dough!

By: Amelia DiGennaro from St. Joseph School, taught by Ashley Mitchell

Colorful Chemistry: Using Cabbage To Explore Ocean Acidification

By: Eli Andersen from St. John Neumann Catholic School, taught by Jennifer Amori

Stock Price: Forecasting and Investment Strategies

By: Elena Wu from Farragut Middle Home School, taught by Dan Wang

Electrolysis. The Effect of Voltage on the Rate of Water Electrolysis

By: Lily Terrazzino from Pigeon Forge Junior High, taught by Nora Clabough

Turn milk into casein plastic

By: Mia Prado-Parra from St. John Neumann Catholic School, taught by Jennifer Amori

Build More Heat in a Solar Oven

By: Noah Martin from St. Mary’s Catholic School, Oak Ridge, taught by Janet Topper

Breathing Easy? Exploring the Air Quality Impact of 3D Printers

By: Joseph Moazen from Hardin Valley Middle School, taught by Rachel Harmon

Where’s the fat?

By: Olivia Broussard from St. John Neumann Catholic School, taught by Jennifer Amori

Spray the Germs Away

By: Frances Shafer from Sacred Heart Cathedral School, taught by Marti Boder

How High Can a Rocket Fly?

By: Samuel Dunn from St. Joseph School, taught by Ashley Mitchell

Shells and Sprouts

By: Brooks Hennessey from St. Joseph School, taught by Ashley Mitchell

Clabots Robot

By: Diesel Artrip from Jefferson Middle School, taught by Lisa Walker

Spin Smart: How Gyroscopic Sensor Orientation Affects Robot Turns

By: Natalie Shanafield from Shanafield Home School, taught by Janie Shanafield

Ultrasonic Trash Bin

By: Sara Sayed from Annoor Academy, taught by Anna Edwards

At SASEF, we award the distinction of honorable mention to those students whose projects were determined by the judges to be of exceptional merit.

Jayden Han

Adeline Edmonds

Andie Harmon

Camilla Cass

Alice Cruzado

Brielle Corley

Sofia Plemons

Isabelle Swindeman

Sophia Dill

Kobe Santiago

Caleb Moor

Suhaib Rahman

Aadil Saeed

Yusuf Quraishi

Abdalrahman Tagiuri

Paisyn Turner

Taylor Carter

Josie Mundy

Benjamin Biddix

Kamila Perez

Stefania Gallo

Zia Toor

Steven Heller

Angel Tadeo-Haynes

Mikyha Mayes

Katy Lee

Barnes Shafer

Clay Myers

Leslee Givens

Tiberius Sheahan

Aubrey McGinnis

Sarah Lord

Liam Gallagher

Graham Barnett

Wyatt Patterson

Vivian Stock

Caroline Basile

Nicholas Hester

Arianna Paoletto

Elizabeth Johnson

American Psychological Association

The American Psychological Association Education Directorate is pleased to award one certificate recognizing outstanding research in psychological science under the category of behavioral and social sciences or any category related to psychology (e.g., animal sciences, biomedical and health sciences, translational medical science). This year’s recipient is Caroline Coates from Maury Middle School, taught by Lisa Walker

Association for Women Geoscientists

The Association for Women Geoscientists provides a Certificate to students whose projects exemplify high standards of innovativeness and scientific excellence in the geosciences. Special consideration is given to projects that increase the public awareness of the geosciences, illustrate the interdisciplinary nature of the geosciences, or promote the sensitivity to the earth as a global system.  This year’s winner is Emily Xu from Farragut High School, taught by Matthew Milligan

Lemelson Early Inventor Prize

The Lemelson Early Inventor Prize is given to a middle school student who displays entrepreneurial thinking by developing a tangible invention which may improve the lives of others. The certificate and $100 award go to Sarah Sayed from Anoor Academy, taught by Anna Edwards

NASA Earth Systems Science Award

The NASA award is given to the student with an outstanding project offering the greatest insight into Earth’s interconnected systems.  The winner receiving this award is Isabel Kao from Farragut High School, taught by Matthew Milligan.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

NOAA’s Taking the Pulse of the Planet award is given to the student whose project best emphasizes NOAA’s Science, Service, and Stewardship mission. This year’s winner, receiving a certificate is Yuqi Wang from L & N STEM Academy, taught by Bryan Schultz

Office of Naval Research

The Office of Naval Research sponsors Junior Division awards for excellence in Science or Engineering.  The winner, receiving a certificate and medallion is Elena Wu from Farragut Middle Home School

The Office of Naval Research also sponsors two Senior Division prizes for excellence in Science or Engineering which includes a medallion and gift card.  The winner is: Abhradeep Chanda, Science Hill High School

Ricoh Sustainable Development Award

This award recognizes the student whose technological and scientific innovations best reflect the principles of sustainability – balancing economic development with environmental responsibility. The winner is The winner is Kristen Moor from Christian Academy of Knoxville, taught by Deborah Wakefield

Regeneron Biomedical Science Award.

This award recognizes a student or team of students that demonstrates an impressive command of biomedical science and research and also embodies Regeneron’s core values and behaviors, known as The Regeneron Way, which are reflected in the award selection criteria. The prize is for $375. The winner is: Sopha Chen from Farragut High School, taught by Matthew Milligan.

Society for in vitro Biology

The society for in vitro Biology provides an award for a project showing excellence in in vitro biology and microbiology. The winner receives a student membership in the Society for In Vitro Biology and free access to their scientific journal. The winner is: Amara Sunil-Zottarelli from West High School, taught by Jennifer Ufnar

U.S. Metric Association

The U.S. Metric Association recognizes students, usually in the Senior Division whose project involves quantitative measures and best uses the metric system for those measures.  The winner is Hafsa Lacheb from Anoor Academy, taught by Laila Alharithi.

U.S. Air Force

The U.S. Air Force recognizes an outstanding project in science, technology, math, engineering or medicine that is of interest to the Air Force. The winners, receiving a certificate, sling pack and portable technology devices are:

Levi Dunn from L & N Stem Academy, taught by Bryan Schultz
Mia Prado-Parra from St. John Neumann Catholic School taught by Jennifer Amori
Bethanie Bryant from Greeneville High School, taught by Cynthia Propst
Caroline Coates from Maury Middle School, taught by Lisa Walker

Stockholm Junior Water Prize

The Water Environment Federation recognizes projects involving water quality, water resource management, water protection, or water and wastewater treatment.  The winners receive a certificate and a chance to compete for the Stockholm Junior Water Prize state competition. This prize is highly time sensitive and was provided at the fair itself so we ask the winners to stand so we can all recognize them.

Gabriel Ensminger and Jacob Anderson from L & N STEM Academy, taught by Bryan Schultz.
Ruhaan Singh from Farragut High School, taught by Matthew Milligan.
Sybella Crane and Marvin Hicke from Webb School of Knoxville, taught by Jason Abercrombie

Yale Science and Engineering Prize

The Yale Science and Engineering prize goes to a Junior in High School with the top project in engineering or the physical sciences.  This year, noted by the judges as a project with excellent knowledge, experiments, results, and presentation, the certificate and medallion go to  Ruhaan Singh from Farragut High School, taught by Matthew Milligan.

American Chemical Society, East Tennessee Section

The East Tennessee Section of the American Chemical Society presents $50 cash to the best projects in the chemical sciences in either division.  The winner from the Junior Division is Eli Andersen from St. John Neumann Catholic School, taught by Jennifer Amori.

The winners from the Senior Division winner are Lupe Morales from Career Magnet School, taught by Cindy Brown.

American Institute of Chemical Engineers

The Oak Ridge/Knoxville Section of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers presents $75 cash awards and certificates to the top project in each division for the applications of chemical engineering principles or practices. 

The winner from the Senior Division is Mia Prado- Parra from St. John Neumann Catholic School, taught by Jennifer Amori.

The winner from the Junior Division is Lupe Morales from Career Magnet School, taught by Cindy Brown.

American Meteorological Society Award

The AMS national organization presents an award for creative scientific endeavors in atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences.  Receiving a certificate of outstanding achievement and recognition in the AMS national newsletter is:

Emily Xu from Farragut High School, taught by Matthew Milligan

Biology Teacher Award

Anonymous donors provide an award for excellence in life science research.  The winner of the $100 cash prize and certificate is Bethanie Bryant from Greeneville High School, taught by Cynthia Propst.

 IEEE – East Tennessee Section

The East Tennessee Section of the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers is pleased to award prizes for the best demonstrations of electrical or electronics design or computer science.  $100 cash awards and certificates go to Junior Division  Caleb Moor from Christian Academy of Knoxville, taught by Sandra Welshan. 

The Senior Division winner is Adithya Sastry from Farragut High School, taught by Matthew Milligan.

Joanne Logan Sustainability Award

Dr. Joanne Logan, who is retired from the University of Tennessee, served in all SASEF offices. The $50 Joanne Logan Sustainability award honors a student whose project has the sustainability mission at its core. Also, in keeping with Dr. Logan’s passion for teaching, the student’s teacher also receives a $100 prize.

This award goes to Kristin Moor from Christian Academy of Knoxville, taught by Deborah Wakefield.

KCS Student Award

The Knox County Schools Science  Award of $25 recognizes a Knox County Schools student whose project presents a unique or creative solution to a real-world problem and conveys a deep understanding of their topic. The winners are Jayden Han from Farragut Middle School, taught by Jennifer Dudley and Rowan Morelock from Career Magnet School, taught by Cindy Brown.

Oak Ridge National Lab Computer Science Award

We are pleased to announce the award for excellence in computing by one of our largest sponsors of the fair, the Oak Ridge National Lab. This is an award of $500.  The winner is Ruhaan Singh from Farragut High School, taught by Matthew Milligan

SASEF Awards 

Southern Appalachian Science and Science and Engineering Fair staff present $50 cash awards and certificates and to our favorite projects. This year’s award winners are:

• Sybella Crane and Marvin Hicke from Webb School of Knoxville, taught by Jason Abercrombie
• Jayden Han from Farragut Middle School, taught by Jennifer Dudley
• Rowan Morelock from Career Magnet Academy, taught by Cindy Brown
• Samuel Kimutis from St. John Neumann Catholic School, taught by Jennifer Amori

SeER Teacher Awards – The Science Education Research Foundation is proud to present awards to two projects in the Junior Division.  Winning projects are selected for creative investigation, personally meaningful learning, and engaged project leadership and execution. Winners will be recognized with certificates of achievement and the teacher sponsor of each winning project will additionally receive a $100 cash prize to recognize contributions to their students’ research.

The winners are:

• Rachel Mao and Olivia Wu from Farragut High School, mentored by Yuefeng Hao
• Emily Xu from Farragut High School mentored by Jitendra Kumar

 Society for Women Engineers, Smoky Mountain Section

The Society for Women Engineers, Smoky Mountain Section presents three $50 Awards to recognize sound applications of engineering principles.  The winners are

Junior Division: 

• Mia Prado-Parra from St. John Neumann Catholic School, taught by Jennifer Amori.

Senior Division:

• Grace Thompson  and Thomas Stalsworth from L & N STEM Academy, taught by Bryan Schultz

 Strata-G

Strata G presents a $1000  scholarship award to an outstanding senior division project related to environmental stewardship and sustainability. This award goes to Levi Dunn from L & N STEM Academy, taught by Bryan Schultz.

Tau Beta Pi

The Great Smoky Mountain Alumni Chapter of Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society awards $100 cash and certificates to outstanding projects in engineering. The winners are:

Junior Division: 

• Caleb Moor from Christian Academy of Knoxville, taught by Sandra Welshan

Senior Division: 

• Grace Thompson  and Thomas Stalsworth from L & N STEM Academy, taught by Bryan Schultz

Tennessee Academy of Sciences

The Tennessee Academy of Science presents three awards of $135.00 each.  The awards are:  

• Biology Award:  Harshita Nagar and Shriya Khule, from L & N STEM Academy, taught by Bryan Schultz
• Medicine, and Health Award:  Lily Shelton & Edie Weston from Oak Ridge High School, taught by Jessica Williams
• Physical Science Award: Isabelle Swindeman from St. Joseph School, taught by Ashley Mitchell 

Tennessee Science Teachers Association

TSTA presents $50 cash awards to projects that exemplify outstanding adherence to the scientific method. This award goes to Frances Shafer from Sacred Heart Cathedral School, taught by Marti Boder.