Colorado’s electric cooperatives once again sponsored the Colorado EnergyWise Awards at the annual Colorado Science & Engineering Fair in Fort Collins April 7-8.
Judge Stuart Travis, a board member from Y-W Electric in Akron who is also on the CREA board, judged the energy projects at the fair. He selected the top energy project in both the senior and junior divisions as well as a runner-up in each division.
Science Fair winners (from left to right): 1st place – 8th grade – Saatwik Das of Peak to Peak Charter School in Lafayette; 1st place – 7th grade – Skyelyn Lefever of Wiggins Middle School in Wiggins; 1st place – 12th grade – Alec Mallinger, Oliver Schmitz and Davis Cutforth all of Centaurus High School in Lafayette; and 2nd place – 12th grade – Chinmay Jayanty of Sargent High School in Monte Vista.
This year’s top winner in the senior division was a project titled “Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle/Station” by Centaurus High School seniors Alec Mallinger, Oliver Schmitz and Davis Cutforth of Lafayette. Second place went to Sargent High School senior Chinmay Jayanty of Monte Vista for his project on “Reversing Climate Change with Direct Air Capture.”
The top winner in the junior division was a project on “Magnetic Levitation” by 8th grader Saatwik Das of Peak to Peak Charter School in Lafayette. Second place went to Wiggins Middle School 7th grader Skyelyn Lefever for her project on “Homemade Batteries.”
The electric co-ops awarded $175 to the first-place winners and $75 to the runners up.