research

​Sofia Matrisciano (Bend Senior High)
Project: These Bacteria Are Very Cultured! An Exploration of the Effects of Copper (II) Chloride on Methylotuvimicrobium buryatense 5GB1C

Research shows that methane has more than doubled in our atmosphere over the past 200 years and now causes up to 30% of global warming. Most of it comes from human activities like farming, landfills, and fossil fuels. Warmer temperatures also release methane from frozen ground, creating a feedback loop that speeds up climate change. One solution? Special bacteria that “eat” methane. Sofia studied how to help these bacteria grow faster - by adding copper to their growth medium- so they can be used to reduce methane and fight climate change.

 

What Sofia discovered: The consistent growth boost with higher copper levels and a significant difference on day 13 indicate that Methylotuvimicrobium buryatense 5GB1C may grow better with more CuCl₂.

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State Awards: 1st place Microbiology; Regeneron Biomedical Science Award; Tom Owen Statistics Award - Honorable Mention, U of O $9,000 Renewable Scholarship
Regional Awards: 1st place Life Science; Outstanding Geoscience Project; OSU One-Time Scholarship ($2,000)

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Connor Huet and Tristan Huet (Summit High School)
Project: Developing and Evaluating Conductive Filaments for 3D Printing Applications

This project explores how additives like carbon black can improve the conductivity and strength of 3D printing filament. To do this, Connor and Tristan made their own 3D filaments with varying concentrations of carbon black.  These filaments were then tested by printing simple, functional circuits—offering a more sustainable alternative to traditional circuit board manufacturing, which produces a lot of waste.

 

What Connor and Tristan discovered: Both 10% and 20% carbon black filaments conducted electricity, with the 20% filament showing significantly better conductivity. A printed circuit using 20% carbon black successfully lit an LED, proving it can function in a real application. Importantly, adding carbon black didn’t reduce the filament’s strength. Overall, the project successfully created a strong, conductive filament suitable for 3D-printed electronics.

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State Awards: U.S. Air Force Outstanding Project; Tom Owen Statistics Award - Honorable Mention; Regional ISEF Finalists
Regional Awards: 1st place Engineering; 2025 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) finalists (second consecutive year)

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Brandon García Huerta (Caldera High School)
Project: An exploration of radon concentrations emitted from two Bend, Oregon neighborhoods

Radon is a radioactive gas that comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil and rock. It’s a health risk - studies show long-term exposure can cause lung cancer. Last year, Brandon tested 34 homes in Bend and found that 9 had radon levels above the EPA’s recommended limit, despite what official maps suggested. However, home differences like basement size and ventilation may have affected the results. This year, to get more accurate data, he designed a chamber to measure radon directly from the soil and compared radon levels in two Bend neighborhoods with different types of bedrock.

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What Brandon discovered: His study found that radon levels vary significantly between neighborhoods in Bend. One local butte had much higher average radon concentrations than the Old Bend neighborhood. Old Bend sites showed stable, lower levels, while the butte data was more erratic, with some spikes over 3,700 Bq/m³. This may be due to differences in bedrock and the presence of vents or faults under the butte, a dormant volcano, which could allow more radon to escape.

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State Awards: 3rd place Environmental and Earth Sciences; Tom Owen Statistics Award - Honorable Mention
Regional Awards: 3rd place Life Science; NASA Earth System Science Award; U.S. Air Force Outstanding Project

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Luke Shirtcliff (Summit High School)
Project: An exploration of phosphate concentration on the growth of the upside-down jellyfish (Cassiopea xamachana)

Luke was inspired by a 2011 study in the Bahamas that found more upside-down jellyfish (Cassiopea xamachana) in areas with higher phosphate levels, likely caused by human activity. This raised an interesting question: Could phosphate be helping jellyfish grow by boosting their symbiotic algae? Unlike typical jellyfish that float, Cassiopea lives on the ocean floor, with its tentacles facing up to capture sunlight for its endosymbiotic algae.

 

What Luke discovered: Data showed trends suggesting that phosphate may help support the health of Cassiopea xamachana. Jellyfish exposed to phosphate maintained more mass, covered more area, and appeared darker in color—indicators of lower stress and better overall condition. While the results were not conclusive, they provide a foundation for further understanding how nutrient enrichment might influence the health of marine species in eutrophic environments.

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State Awards: 3rd place Animal Sciences
Regional Awards: 2nd place Life Science; Outstanding Use of the International System of Units​

 

Max Knoth (Summit High School)
Project: The Effect of Fire Retardant (PHOS-CHEK) on the germination and growth of Pinus ponderosa
Max’s project was inspired by his love of the outdoors and curiosity about the chemicals used to fight our more frequent and powerful forest fires. Over 440 million gallons of fire retardant have been used across the U.S. since 2009, but little is known about its effects on specific plants like Ponderosa pine. His study tested how PHOS-CHEK, a common fire retardant, impacts Pinus ponderosa. Specifically, Max looked at ponderosa seed germination and seedling growth.

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What Max discovered:  PHOS-CHEK prevented Pinus ponderosa seeds from germinating, with 0% germination compared to over 90% for the control treatments. Conversely, it slightly boosted seedling growth, with PHOS-CHEK treated plants growing taller than those given only water.

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State Awards: 3rd place Plant Sciences
Regional Awards: 1st place Life Science; NOAA's Taking the Pulse of the Planet Award

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Vida Halpern (Bend Senior High)
Project: An exploration on the effects of low-density polyethylene plastic and biodegradable plastic on the Blue Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotusostreatus columinus)

This project explores how different kinds of plastic affect both the growth of Blue Oyster Mushrooms and the breakdown of the plastic itself. Inspired by a documentary on mushrooms’ ability to decompose tough materials, Vida wondered if they could also help tackle the issue of single-use plastics - one of the biggest threats to our environment. By growing mushrooms on different types of plastic, she measured both mushroom yield and signs of plastic degradation to see if fungi might offer a sustainable solution.

 

What Vida discovered: Adding plastic - whether LDPE or biodegradable - did not impact the number of mushroom caps or their dry weight. Although it was initially expected that type of plastic might affect mushroom growth, the results showed no significant differences across treatments. This project is in progress as the oyster mushrooms continue to grow. Once fungal growth ceases, Vida plans to excavate the plastics and measure levels of degradation.

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State Awards: Tom Owen Statistics Award - Honorable Mention
Regional Awards: 3rd place Engineering; Ricoh Sustainable Development Award

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Bodie Dimmig (Summit High School)
Project: The effect of the color of light on asphalt-reflected light pollution

As technological development increases, so does light pollution—a growing environmental concern that not only obscures the night sky but also disrupts wildlife by altering natural behaviors such as sleep, foraging, and migration. Research suggests that modifying the direction, color, and wavelength of artificial light can mitigate these impacts. To explore this locally, Bodie constructed a testing apparatus using an asphalt surface and custom light fixture to evaluate how different streetlight colors used in Bend affect ground-level illumination and reflected light, key contributors to light pollution.

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What Bodie discovered: All tested streetlight colors provided similar brightness directly beneath the light, meaning safety wasn’t affected. However, purple and orange lights reflected more off the asphalt, potentially increasing light pollution. These results suggest that green or red lights could offer the same ground-level visibility while reducing upward light reflection and light pollution.

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Regional Awards: 2nd place Engineering; Outstanding Project by an 11th Grade Student; OSU One-Time Scholarship ($2,000)

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Evelyn Crossman (Homeschool)
Project: Does my dog watch TV? A Study on Television Preferences of Canis familiaris Ranking Interest in Content and Audio-Visual Stimuli

This project explored whether dogs react more to videos with sound, movement, or both—especially when their owner is on screen. Evelyn tested her own dogs using videos of people, dogs, and other animals with different combinations of sounds and visuals.

 

What Evelyn discovered: Both dogs looked at the screen the most when their owner was on it, especially when there was sound. One dog reacted a lot to howling coyotes, showing that dogs may have favorite content too. While the differences weren’t dramatic enough to be conclusive, the study suggests that dogs can notice and respond to digital content - especially when it includes their humans.

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State Awards: 3rd place – Animal Science and Microbiology; Tom Owen Statistics Award - Honorable Mention

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