LEWISTON – Lewiston High School has named the four winners in the school’s eighth annual science fair held May 10. The students received cash awards for their projects and were honored with plaques during the school’s annual “Night of Excellence” on June 4. The high school presents the fair with support from Bates College. Assessed by judges from Bates and the community, the projects were eligible for first, second, third and fourth prizes.

Out of some 300 sophomores taking part in the fair, the first-place winner was Kelsey Cote, who investigated the relationship between temperature and the growth of radish seeds. Michael Butler won second with a project that examined roof stress.

In third place, Athena Andoniades worked with water wheels in her project, “Go with the Flow.” The fourth-place winner was Timothy Stretton, with a project titled “Global Cooling.” The Harward Center for Community Partnerships at Bates partners with the high school in producing the fair, providing logistical support funded by a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Student Fellowship. In addition, Bates faculty, staff and students spend an afternoon judging the projects and talking to participants, and the college supports the event through a science education outreach grant also funded by the Hughes institute.

An objective of the fair is to introduce students not only to the information and skills specific to their chosen research projects but, also, to the principles and rigors of the scientific method.