Hundreds of MT students compete in statewide science fair

These musings from her home kitchen led her to devote much of the last few months to a science project that would answer this very question.

“I know they taste good,” Honzel said. “But I wanted to see if they had as many antioxidants. I learned they have some, but not the same amount.”

Along with hundreds of other students from all over the state, Honzel competed at the annual Montana Science Fair held at the University of Montana this week. First started in 1955, the fair showcases the work of middle- and high-school students statewide. Young scientists compete at local or school-based competitions to qualify for the statewide contest.

Awards are given by grade group and the type of science studied in the project. Overall winners receive one of the few coveted all-expenses paid trips to the national science fair, which this year will be held in Los Angeles. Category winners receive cash prizes.

The hundreds of school-aged Montanans gathered in UM’s Adams Center on Thursday reflected many corners of the state. Missoula was well-represented, (call it home court advantage) with high schoolers from Hellgate, Sentinel and Big Sky and multiple middle schools present. Austin Habets traveled down from North Toole County High School near Sunburst. Makailey Petronek came from Sun River Middle School near Simms, west of Great Falls. Ryder Reynolds made the trip from Twin Bridges on the banks of the Beaverhead River.

Many of the 270 projects on display were directly tied to students’ own interests outside of science class.

Reynolds, a seventh grader, wanted to find the best natural water filter. While the young angler prefers doing something once and not worrying about things being perfect, the process of getting the best outcome in this case will help him in the future.

“If I ever get stranded out in the mountains, I’ll know how to make a good water filter,” Reynolds said.

Chase Royse from Sentinel High School in Missoula studied fossil leaves to decipher how temperatures changed in the area’s paleoclimate period. That matters, he said, because understanding how things fluctuated in the past can help predict the future impact of climate change.

Faith You, a junior at Hellgate High School, investigated why flies overeat. She’s interested in how neuroscience interacts with obesity, which affects nearly 40% of the country’s population. Habets, the North Toole County High School student, created a handmade, affordable water dispenser simply because “I needed one.”

The Montana Science Fair is made possible by the curiosity of students and the generosity of educators who believe in its importance. An all-volunteer team plans the event every year. Over 100 judges, many of whom have ties to UM, give up their day to interview students about projects and score them on creativity, scientific thought, thoroughness, presentation and understanding. Most students work closely with science teachers outside of class in the months leading up to the fair, and those same teachers travel with students to Missoula to compete.

But it’s becoming harder to pull off the event each year, according to the fair’s co-directors.

Lu Hu is a chemistry professor at UM, and he started volunteering with the fair as a judge in 2017. He recalls the Adams Center being totally full those first few years he was involved. Students scrunched along the back walls and overflowed onto the balconies to set up their poster presentations.

Today, the number of participants has declined notably, a trend Hu calls “concerning.”

“If you don’t have students participating at this age, how can you sustain a society in the long-term?” he said.

It’s not a matter of student interest simply declining, Hu believes, but rather a reflection of larger systemic barriers that make it difficult for students, teachers and districts to invest in activities outside the classroom.

Hu and his co-director and fellow chemistry professor Dong Wang, who have been leading the fair since 2021, hope they can grow participation over time. They’d like to focus especially on rural districts that might be under-resourced.

They are working with UM and Montana State University scientists to host a four-day training this June for all high school science teachers in the state. The workshop will focus on the importance of supporting student science research projects and how to successfully mentor students in their efforts. Both also hope to beef up fundraising efforts so the fair can subsidize the trip to Missoula for school districts that might not otherwise be able to afford it.

“Science is the foundation of the future of this country,” Wang said.

2024 Winners 

Hunter Bailey from Baker High School in eastern Montana was the overall winner. Amy Boote from Sentinel High School in Missoula and Devyn Deschamps from Hellgate High School in Missoula took 2nd and 3rd place, respectively. 

All three will travel to Los Angeles for the national science fair competition. 

For a full list of winners, visit the Montana Science Fair website.