Students from Cedar Cliff High School, Middletown Area High School and SciTech High School showcased their research recently at the 59th annual Capital Area Science and Engineering Fair as part of Penn State College of Medicine’s year-long Epidemiology Challenge. The challenge is part of an NIH-funded study directed by Robin Taylor Wilson, associate professor of public health sciences, to assess high school students’ interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, and whether participation in extracurricular activities like these can increase their interest.
At the Feb. 25 event, the six teams from Cedar Cliff High School claimed two second place awards, two third place awards, and two honorable mentions; all three teams from Middletown Area High School received third place awards; and the two teams from Sci Tech High School received one third place award and one honorable mention. Two of the Sci Tech mentors who participated in last year’s Epi Challenge also competed, and won first place and third place awards for their efforts.
Each team of students gave a brief presentation to several category judges and answered interview questions about their research study design, survey collection methods and results, as well as the implications that their findings have for the field of epidemiology. The fair took place at the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts in Harrisburg.
RELATED: Learn more about the Epidemiology Challenge in this Penn State Medicine article.