Projects from Rainbow Schools selected for Canada-Wide Science Fair

Once again this year, the Sudbury Regional Science Fair projects selected for the Canada-Wide Science Fair are all from Rainbow Schools. Students from R.L. Beattie Public School, Lockerby Composite School, Chelmsford Valley District Composite School and MacLeod Public School will head to Ottawa from May 10 to 18, 2008 to compete among the best of the best from coast to coast.

Tyler Landry and Spencer Slaney of R.L. Beattie Public School developed a project called "You are Under Fall Arrest". Justine Tarini of Lockerby Composite School will present "Plant Coma: A New Tool for Forensic Scientists." Kari Vierimaa of Lockerby Composite School and Tamsen Lahnalampi of Chelmsford Valley District Composite School completed research on "Taxol and Flaxseed: A more effective treatment for breast cancer." Christian Murphy and Lauren Rainsford of MacLeod Public School will showcase their project on "Waste to Warmth".

This is the third consecutive year that students from R.L. Beattie Public School are selected to represent the Sudbury area at the national level. Tyler Landry and Spencer Slaney built an alarm device to be used as a fall arrest system. It is made up of an alarm, tethered strap and an activation pin attached to a safety harness. If a fall occurs on a job site, the activation pin is disconnected from the alarm. The alarm is then activated, signaling other workers that an individual has fallen and is suspended in his/her harness. Tyler and Spencer captured 1st place in the Junior Division Engineering Category at the Sudbury Regional Science Fair and won the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Innovation Award.
   

Justine Tarini‘s project evolved through the Forensics course at Lockerby Composite School where she was introduced to Laurentian University professors Dr. Gerard Courtin (Plant Biology) and Dr. Scott Fairgrieve (Forensic Science).  They helped Justine develop a key that could be used to determine the type(s) of seed(s) that may be found on a dead body. This could be useful in identifying if a body had been moved from a crime scene.  For her efforts, Justine Tarini tied for 1st place in the Senior Division Life Sciences Category at the Sudbury Regional Science Fair, received the Founding Members’ Award and an Ontario Association of Medical Laboratories Award and won the honour of representing our area at the Canada-Wide Science Fair.

Kari Vierimaa of Lockerby Composite School and Tamsen Lahnalampi of Chelmsford Valley District Composite School explored the effectiveness of supplementing taxol, a chemotherapy drug treatment, with flaxseed.  Last year, Kari Vierimaa and Monique House discovered that the combination of taxol and flaxseed increased the kill rate of the cancer cells.  This year, Kari teamed up with Tamsen to continue the research by looking at the type of death induced by this treatment. The research was completed with the assistance of Dr. Robert Lafrenie at the Northeastern Ontario Regional Cancer Centre.  Kari and Tamsen tied for 1st place in the Senior Division Life Sciences Category of the Sudbury Regional Science Fair, received the Extreme VR 3D Technology Award, a University of Ottawa Admission Scholarship, the NSERC Award, the LifeLabs Award and the Sci-Tech Ontario Stepping Stone Award for best in the fair. They also won the honour of representing our area at the Canada-Wide Science Fair.

In "Waste to Warmth", Christian Murphy and Lauren Rainsford of MacLeod Public School developed an effective way to make insulation out of plastic grocery bags. Turning non-degradable items into something useful helps the environment by diverting waste from landfill sites. Christian and Lauren won 2nd place in the Junior Division Engineering Category at the Sudbury Regional Science Fair. They also received VIA Rail Canada’s EnviroExpo Special Award.

"We congratulate all winners of the Sudbury Regional Science Fair and wish our Canada-Wide Science Fair participants all the best at the national level," says Rainbow District School Board Chair Judy Hunda.

Sudbury Regional Science Fair winners from Rainbow District School Board

Award – Project Title – Student Name(s) – School
           
2nd Place Junior Division Engineering
Waste to Warmth – Christian Murphy Lauren Rainsford – MacLeod Public School

1st Place Junior Division Engineering
You are Under Fall Arrest – Tyler Landry and Spencer Slaney – R.L. Beattie Public School

1st Place Junior Division Life Sciences
Bread Mould – Keiran Geverding – MacLeod Public School

Honorable Mention – Senior Division Life Sciences
Chiari Malformations and its Effect on Personality – Haley Sanderson – Lockerby Composite School

1st Place Senior Division Life Sciences
Taxol and Flaxseed: A More Effective Treatment of Breast Cancer – Kari Vierimaa and Tamsen Lahnalampi – Lockerby Composite and Chelmsford Valley District Composite School

1st Place Senior Division Life Sciences
Plant Coma: A New Tool for Forensic Scientists – Justine Tarini – Lockerby Composite School

Honorable Mention Junior Division Physical Sciences
White and Brite – Alexandre Zmijowskyj and Nikita Ravi – MacLeod Public School

4th Place Junior Division Physical Sciences
Consume Less: Avoid the Mess – Han-Sen Belzile – R.L. Beattie Public School

3rd Place Junior Division Physical Sciences
See the Light – Christopher McDonald – Carl Nesbitt Public School

2nd Place Junior Division Physical Sciences
Keep the Heat – Kayla Kelly and Isabelle MacLean – R.L. Beattie Public School

3rd Place Intermediate Division Physical Sciences
Old Idea = New Thinking – Avryl Evans and Robin Beaudry – Lasalle Secondary School

Bill Roman Award (Best in fair as judged by the exhibitors)
Heating from Head to Toe – Brian Lauzon and Alexander  Bertrand – R.L. Beattie Public School

Extreme Virtual Reality 3D Technology Award
(The project that best used 3D technology to enhance or explain the science behind their science fair project.)
Taxol and Flaxseed: A More Effective Treatment of
Breast Cancer – Kari Vierimaa and Tamsen Lahnalampi – Lockerby Composite and Chelmsford Valley District Composite School

Founding Members’ Award
(The project that exemplifies effort and perseverence.)
Plant Coma: A New Tool for Forensic Scientists – Justine Tarini – Lockerby Composite School

Laurentian University Computer Sciences or Mathematics Award
Driving Distractions – Kiran Dhatt-Gauthier – R.L. Beattie Public School

Laurentian University Engineering Science Award
Homemade Batteries – Daniel McNeilly – Northeastern Elementary School

LifeLabs Award
(Best health related project)
Taxol and Flaxseed: A More Effective Treatment of Breast Cancer – Kari Vierimaa and Tamsen Lahnalampi – Lockerby Composite School and Chelmsford Valley District Composite School

Ontario Power Generation Award
(Best application of renewable energy or electrical principles to solve a technical or practical problem in the industrial, commercial or residential fields)
Old Idea = New Thinking – Avryl Evans and Robin Beaudry – Lasalle Secondary School
Homemade Batteries – Daniel McNeilly – Northeastern
Elementary School
The Sound of the Future – Keegan Pitre and Conor Blayney – R.L. Beattie Public School

VIA Rail Canada’s EnviroExpo Special Award
(A project that takes on a pressing environmental issue and applies the combined skills of art and science to attack it.)
Waste to Warmth – Christian Murphy and Lauren Rainsford – MacLeod Public School

Ontario Association of Medical Laboratories Award
(Outstanding project in Biochemistry, Chemistry, Microbiology, Toxicology or Forensic Sciences exhibiting exemplary use of analytical laboratory methods.)
Plant Coma: A New Tool for Forensic Scientists – Justine Tarini – Lockerby Composite School

Ontario Ministry of the Environment Environmental Innovator Award
(Demonstrating a creative approach to an environmental problem that could lead to cleaner air, land or water)
What’s Your Concrete? – Anne Dawson and Emily Smith – R.L. Beattie Public School

University of Ontario Institute of Technology Innovation Award
(Demonstrating the most innovative development, adaptation, or use of technology in any subject area)
You Are Under Fall Arrest – Spencer Slaney and Tyler Landry – R.L. Beattie Public School
Driving Distractions – Kiran Dhatt-Gauthier – R.L. Beattie Public School

University of Ottawa Admission Scholarship
(Most deserving senior project)
Taxol and Flaxseed: A More Effective Treatment of Breast Cancer – Kari Vierimaa and Tamsen Lahnalampi – Lockerby Composite
Chelmsford Valley District Composite School

Canada Wide Science Fair Participants

You are Under Fall-Arrest – Tyler Landry and Spencer Slaney – R.L. Beattie Public School

Plant Coma: A New Tool For Forensic Scientists – Justine Tarini – Lockerby Composite School

Taxol and Flaxseed: A More Effective Treatment of Breast Cancer – Kari Vierimaa and Tamsen Lahnalampi – Lockerby Composite School and Chelmsford Valley District Composite School

Waste to Warmth – Christian Murphy and Lauren Rainsford – MacLeod Public School

Extreme VR Competition (MIRARCO)
 
2nd Place Overall
Chiari Malformations and its Effect on Personality – Haley Sanderson – Lockerby Composite School

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Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,
Rainbow District School Board, 705.674.3171, ext. 7217.