Students participated in the highly anticipated 10th Annual M-A STEM Fair on Thursday night. With cutting-edge projects, eye-catching posters, and dynamic presentations, they impressed a panel of judges and captivated students and teachers.
Junior Emile Freeman earned first place with his project, Superimposing Homographic Projections to Enhance Image Recognition Models. Freeman’s project focused on improving the efficiency of image recognition systems through a simpler A.I. model. “My project is a method that proposes to use a simpler A.I. model when you’re doing image recognition,” he said. “It lets you have an image that can be passed through a simpler A.I., saving energy.”
“My favorite part about my project is the math because I wanted to find a way where I could apply linear algebra,” Freeman said.
“The winning project was very sophisticated,” science teacher Martha Richards, who picked the Stem Fair’s winner annually with a panel of judges, said. “The student had an in-depth knowledge of the project and conducted it independently. He presented very well and the poster was very professional.”
In second place were seniors Lexi Chua and Katelyn Chao* with their project Food for Thought (Gum for Anxiety). Their project aimed to create a solution to help reduce anxiety symptoms. “We wanted to make a project that combats symptoms of anxiety, especially in teenagers in high school, and have an affordable solution,” Chua said.
They created an advanced gum by combining Sichuan peppercorn with gum, which serves as a sensory distraction for people dealing with anxiety. “I think it’s very important because mental health is really expensive to take care of, so having something very affordable like this would be really good for people, especially our age,” Chua said.
“My favorite part of the STEM fair is the buzz of excitement when the students, audience, and judges and community are talking with each other about science,” Richards said.
For future applicants Richards emphasized the qualities of a winning project: “A winning project has good science, a clean, clear poster, and a presenter who is professional and charismatic. Not only are they good at conducting science, but they are also good at presenting it as well.”
“My favorite part about the STEM fair is that it allows our community to come together,” Freeman said. “It’s really all thanks to Dr. Richards. She’s an amazing teacher who has done a lot for the school community and especially the science community at the school.”
*Katelyn Chao is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle.
