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UT Tyler Innovation Academies, GLOBE Partner Schools Recognized in Regional Science Fair

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June 10, 2016

Media Contact:  Hannah Buchanan
Editor/Writer–Strategic Communications & Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.539.7196 (cell)

Middle and high school students from The University of Texas at Tyler Innovation Academies were recognized at the 2016 'Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment' Southwest Regional Science Fair, Dr. Michael Odell, vice president for research and technology transfer, announced.

Prior to the event, students had collaborated in groups of two or three and created a research question that focused on the atmosphere, hydrosphere or biosphere. They presented their findings at a campus-level science fair, and from there teams were chosen to move on to the regional fair in Houston. IA students competed against other students in Texas and teams from Colorado.

"I was impressed with the level of complexity of the student research projects," said Odell. "These projects utilized global data sets as well as data collected by the students. Some of the projects will be eligible for the International Virtual Science Fair next academic year."

UT Tyler's GLOBE Partnership led the event. As a GLOBE U.S. partner, UT Tyler recruits, trains and mentors area K-12 teachers in GLOBE Program activities that facilitate student research in schools across East Texas, such as Hawkins and Big Sandy Independent School Districts, which also placed in the science fair.

"This was a great opportunity for the UT Tyler Innovation Academy students to experience real-world research and data analysis. They also put their data into the GLOBE database where scientists and students all over the world can use it in their own research," said Kelly Dyer, IA science instructional coach.

Results were as follows:

High School

• First Place: "Hawkins High School Water Quality Collaboration Project" – Hawkins Independent School District, Hawkins – Students: Triston Dodson, Allyson Edwards, Madison Jaco and Brady Stone.
• Second Place: "Nitrates of Upper and Lower City Lake" – Innovation Academy, Palestine – Students: Weston Davis and Daniel Garner.
• Third Place: "The Effect of Study Site Scale on MUC Determination" – Innovation Academy, Longview – Students: Kaylian Thomas, Chloe Hicks, Jason Moore and Nathan Sharpe.

Middle School

• First Place: "The Effects of Weather Conditions on Engineering Principles by Manipulating the Structure of Fundamental Materials such as Wood" – Innovation Academy, Tyler – Students: Jacqueline Wiebe, Ryan Humphrey and Tejas Narayanan.
• Second Place: "Cloud Coverage, Surface Temperature and East Texas" – Innovation Academy, Tyler – Students: Matthew Fisher, Katie Shuler and Tasnia Bari.
• Third Place: "Passive Solar Stills" – Westview Middle School, Longmont, Colorado – Students: Paola Rubi and Victoria Gomez.

Honorable Mention

• "Watershed Inventory and Stream Monitoring" – Harmony Junior High School, Big Sandy – Students: Isaac Edwards, Brandon McNeil, Alex Barton and Jake Byrd.
• "Passive Solar Stills" – Westview Middle School, Longmont, Colorado – Students: Allison Gallegos, Melanie Garces and Bruno Gallegos.

The GLOBE Program is an international science and education program that provides students and the public worldwide with the opportunity to participate in data collection and the scientific process and contribute meaningfully to the understanding of the Earth system and global environment. Announced by the U.S. Government on Earth Day in 1994, GLOBE launched its worldwide implementation in 1995.

International UT Tyler students working at the university's Office of International Programs take daily GLOBE measurements ensuring that the UT Tyler GLOBE database has ongoing data from 2009 to the present. IA students may access this massive data collection for various research projects.

From 2009 – 2012, UT Tyler served as the home of the GLOBE Program Office International Division and Help Desk assisting 112 GLOBE countries, as well as the North America Regional Office working with 140 U.S. GLOBE Partners, for the University Corporation of Atmospheric Research and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

For more information, contact Dyer, kdyer@uttyler.edu or visit uttyler.edu/globe/.

One of the 14 campuses of the UT System, UT Tyler features excellence in teaching, research, artistic performance and community service. More than 80 undergraduate and graduate degrees are available at UT Tyler, which has an enrollment of more than 8,500 high-ability students. UT Tyler offers courses at its campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine as well as a location in Houston.