Marlborough High School STEM Expo Attracts Education Commish

A day of science and engineering exhibits, competitions and awards on June 10 at Marlborough High School was capped off by a special visit from a top state education official.

The annual MHS STEM Expo brought freshman and sophomore STEM Early College High School student teams together in the MHS fieldhouse, where they used exhibits and prototypes to showcase their projects. Ninth-graders focused on “Going Green,” with projects in the areas of renewable energy, alternative energy sources, and real-world energy-efficient solutions.

“We researched the four types of alternative energy—water, solar, wind, and human—to come up with ways to make our school more eco-friendly,” said freshman Steph Carrasquillo.

The tenth-graders were tasked with colonizing Mars, and projects fell in the areas of energy solutions, biospheres and transporters.

“With the invoices and grants, we had to keep close track of what we were using,” said sophomore Suhani Bhatia. “A lot of the time people waste materials. If we go over budget or waste materials, we’d lose points on our grade.”

Guests from the business community – including representatives from Raytheon, Boston Scientific, Parametric Technology Corp. and more – judged the projects on set criteria and encouraged students to continue to explore the world of science and engineering.

Awards were presented in various categories, then Massachusetts Commissioner for Elementary and Secondary Education Mitchell Chester dropped in to talk with students, teachers, administrators, and college and business partners about the importance of the STEM program and to glean insights about what makes Marlborough’s program exemplary. 

“The fact that you’re already thinking about [STEM] now and pursuing a program at Marlborough High School that incorporates that is very smart on your part,” Chester told the students. “A lot of the jobs of the future are going to be jobs where you need a strong math, science, engineering, and technology background.”

Mitchell is shown here examining the biosphere display by Team ACES, the tenth-grade team that won multiple awards, including “NASA Contract Winner.” Members of Team ACES are Suhani Bhatia, Shayna Fine, Julia Dougherty, Kyle Mager and Michael MacCormac.

Other results:

9th Grade Winners

• 1st Place – Judges’ Choice: The Sunny Science Lecture Hall - Nick Buckley, Kevin Dos Santos, John Naoum, and Sebastian Pascal
• Best Solution: Renewable Energy: It’s a Breeze! - Amanda Cameron, Kim Konar, Susan Rambridge, and Meghan Taylor
• Best Presentation: Reading into the Sun - Michael Alonzi, Joe Tunnera, Kevin Uyleman, and Nick Vassiliadis
• Best Prototype: One Dam Good Field - Jennifer Marino, Ryan Moore, Sasha Stanley, and Ryan Vermilyea
• Best Overall Display: Pedaling to the Goal - Steph Carrasquillo, Leticia Dos Santos, Meaghan McCabe, and Sammie Merrill

10th Grade Winners

• Overall NASA Contract Winner: ARES - Suhani Bhatia, Julia Dougherty, Shayna Fine, Michael MacCormac, and Kyle Mager
• People’s Choice Award: Scholars Inc. - Matthew Bertochi, Tyler Hardy, Zachary Huaman, and Ivan Tashchuk

Design Awards

• Best Colony Design: ARES - Suhani Bhatia, Julia Dougherty, Shayna Fine, Michael MacCormac, and Kyle Mager
• Best Biosphere Design: H.A.C.K. - Christian Buckley, Kevin Falvey, Alexander Parravicini, Harrison Steier
• Best Transporter Design: ARES - Suhani Bhatia, Julia Dougherty, Shayna Fine, Michael MacCormac, and Kyle Mager
• Best Energy Solution Design: Gemini IV - Brandon Claire, Benjamin Hettinger, Connor LaFrankie, and Rehan Rauf
• Performance Awards
• Best Performing Transporter: ARES - Suhani Bhatia, Julia Dougherty, Shayna Fine, Michael MacCormac, and Kyle Mager
• Best Performing Biosphere: H.A.C.K. - Christian Buckley, Kevin Falvey, Alexander Parravicini, Harrison Steier
• Best Performing Energy Solution: Mars Stars Corporation - Garbriel Cunha, Philip Lee, Andrew McCarthy, and Eric Nicholls

Submitted by Beth Wagner, communications liaison, Marlborough Public Schools.