More than 400 students in grades six through eight from the Socorro Independent School District showcased their creativity and critical thinking skills while pursuing their interest in science at the district's 2024-25 middle school science fair on Dec. 7 at Socorro High School.
Victoria Delgado, an eighth grader at William D. Slider Middle School, won first place in the biomedical and health sciences category for her project titled “Diabetes Detective.” She tested four different chocolate bars to determine which one had the lowest glucose level.
“I feel like this is the best project I've done, and I'm very proud of it and the results, and I feel my presentation was pretty good,” said Delgado, a member of the school’s Synergi^4 T-STEM Academy.
She has been participating in science fairs since the third grade.
“I always enjoy it,” Delgado said. “Every year, it’s a fun experience.”
The annual districtwide fair featured 440 science projects covering topics such as robotics, bioinformatics, search engine optimization, and more.
Sixth, seventh and eighth grade students competed in 21 categories under three main areas: life science, engineering, and physical science. Winners were announced for first, second, and third place in each category, along with three individual sweepstakes winners and one campus sweepstakes winner.
Cindy Apodaca, SISD secondary science instructional officer, said the number of projects centered on robotics, embedded systems, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, grew in 2024.
"That's amazing to see that the students are keeping up with the science and with the technology and the engineering that we want to see," Apodaca said.
William D. Slider eighth-grader Graciela Gamez was inspired to pursue a career in bioinformatics after working on her project analyzing the DNA in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic disease that causes progressive muscle weakness and wasting. Bioinformatics combines computer programming and big data to interpret biological data.
Gamez learned how to manage a database of biological information and data and compare reference sequences. She was excited to share this knowledge with the judges.
“It’s fun! Just the adrenaline that rushes when the people just come in and I'm like, ‘OK, get ready!’ And you just start, and the information just flows. That's amazing!” said Gamez, who won third place in the computational biology and bioinformatics category.
Apodaca said students not only learn about scientific concepts, but they also gain valuable skills that positively impact their daily lives, such as organizational skills.
“They go through the scientific process, which is a process that could be used throughout life,” Apodaca said. “They also get those public speaking skills that a lot of us don’t learn until we’re adults. It gives them that college and career readiness that we talk about all the time and that rigor as well. It prepares them for life.”
Seventh-graders Orlando Maravilla and Seth Wise from SGG. Manuel R. Puentes Middle School won second place in the robotics and intelligent machines category. Their project, titled “The Wheeled Race,” compared a robot's rear-wheel drive and front-wheel drive to determine which was faster.
The teammates, who are both in robotics and the school’s Gifted and Talented program, went through three different designs before creating a robot that enabled them to test their hypothesis. They determined that the front-wheel drive was faster.
Wise said that the best part of the science fair was the fun they had.
“I’m excited, like if we win or lose. It’s just to have fun,” Wise said.
2024 SISD Middle School Science Fair Winners
Life Science
Animal Sciences
1st place – Serenity Valles, John Drugan School
2nd place – Jose Heredia, Eastlake Middle School
3rd place – Paulina Berumen, Eastlake Middle School
Behavioral and Social Sciences
1st place – Logan Williams, Sun Ridge Middle School*
2nd place – Alina Dominguez, Eastlake Middle School
3rd place – Noemi Lira, Salvador H. Sanchez Middle School
Biomedical and Health Sciences
1st place – Victoria Delgado, William D. Slider Middle School
2nd place – Bellarose Yucom, SGG. Manuel R. Puentes Middle School
3rd place – Sergio Lujan, John Drugan School
Microbiology
1st place – Maria DuBois, Sun Ridge Middle School
2nd place – Charlotte Feely, John Drugan School
3rd place – Joshua Alvarado, SGG. Manuel R. Puentes Middle School
Translational Medical Science
1st place – Julian Lopez, Eastlake Middle School
2nd place – Alejandra-Catarina Rodriguez, Desert Wind School
3rd place – Nathaniel Hull, Eastlake Middle School
Cellular and Molecular Biology
1st place – Delilah Villanueva, Col. John O. Ensor Middle School
2nd place – Alysa Gonzales, John Drugan School
3rd place – Olivia Trejo, John Drugan School
Plant Sciences
1st place – Jake Urrabazo, John Drugan School
2nd place – Luciana Rodriguez, Salvador H. Sanchez Middle School
3rd place – Eiza Alvarado, Sun Ridge Middle School
Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
1st place – Alexa Castillo Nevarez, Eastlake Middle School
2nd place – Elian Estrada, Hurshel Antwine Middle School
3rd place – Graciela Gamez, William D. Slider Middle School
Engineering
Environmental Engineering
1st place – Yaretzi Salais, John Drugan School
2nd place – Pablo Hernandez, Col. John O. Ensor Middle School
3rd place – Sofia Arostegui, John Drugan School
Engineering Technology: Statistics and Dynamics
1st place – Perla Ramirez, Desert Wind School
2nd place – Darcy Aranda, William D. Slider Middle School
3rd place – Daniela Retana, Col. John O. Ensor Middle School
Biomedical Engineering
1st place – Zoey Andazola-Garcia, Capt. Walter E. Clarke Middle School*
2nd place – Edgar Romero, Capt. Walter E. Clarke Middle School
3rd place – Arriel Almeraz, Salvador H. Sanchez Middle School
Robotics and Intelligent Machines
1st place – Valentina Moreno, Capt. Walter E. Clarke Middle School
2nd place – Orlando Maravilla & Seth Wise, Salvador H. Sanchez Middle School
3rd place – Derek Muro, Hurshel Antwine Middle School
Systems Software
1st place – Vincent Carpio, Eastlake Middle School
2nd place – Sebastian Fraire, Sun Ridge Middle School
3rd place – Roman Rosales, Eastlake Middle School
Embedded Systems
1st place – Trinity Seelig, Eastlake Middle School
2nd place – Eli Aguirre, Eastlake Middle School
3rd place – Elena Rodriguez, Desert Wind School
Mathematics
1st place – Julian Armendariz, John Drugan School
2nd place – Christian Parra, John Drugan School
3rd place – Xavier Telas, William D. Slider Middle School
Physical Science
Biochemistry
1st place – Noah Jacobo, Col. John O. Ensor Middle School*
2nd place – Jocelynn Molina and Ariana Yon, SSG. Manuel R. Puentes Middle School
3rd place – David Aranda, Capt. Walter E. Clarke Middle School
Physics and Astronomy
1st place – Adwoa Adu-Gyamfi, John Drugan School
2nd place – Aurelius Silva, Col. John O. Ensor Middle School
3rd place – Madison Lauturner, Col. John O. Ensor Middle School
Materials Science
1st place – Alba Loayza Rojas, John Drugan School
2nd place – Madelyn Rivera, Col. John O. Ensor Middle School
3rd place – Monik Fierro, Eastlake Middle School
Energy: Sustainable Materials and Design
1st place – Aeden Diaz, William D. Slider Middle School
2nd place – Fernando Garcia, SSG. Manuel R. Puentes Middle School
3rd place – Jayden Franco, Montwood Middle School
Chemistry
1st place – Julieta Ortiz, Capt. Walter E. Clarke Middle School
2nd place – Liam Medel, William D. Slider Middle School
3rd place – Edward Daniel Vallejo, Ernesto Serna Fine Arts Academy
Earth and Environment Sciences
1st place – Sebastian Carrillo, John Drugan School
2nd place – Kambrah Garner, Sun Ridge Middle School
3rd place – Alejandro Torres, John Drugan School
Campus Sweepstakes
John Drugan School
*Sweepstakes Winners