On Wednesday, April 12th, Quartz Hill High School successfully executed its 3rd annual STEM Expo. This district-wide science fair allows students to show their extensive knowledge on STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Founder and creator of the expo Mr. Millings, a teacher at Quartz Hill and often referred to as “Chem God” by his students, organized the logistics of the event. Mr. Harris, also a teacher at Quartz Hill, offered a helping hand during the event by ensuring all projects were correctly placed in their respective categories.

The STEM expo offers a variety of categories for students to choose from, including Environmental/Agricultural Innovation, Invention, Reverse Engineering, Robotics, Rube Goldberg, Science Fiction, and Scientific Inquiry.

Each category contained different rubrics; some of the general requirements included a composition log notebook and a display board. From 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., students presented their projects to a minimum of two judges. Students were graded on a 1-5 scale based off the rubric for their category.

The judges recorded scores for each project electronically on a Google form that was later submitted using an iPad. Once a student completed their presentation, the judges attached a sticker to their display board.

Mr. Millings expressed his thoughts on the judging process: “We want all the projects to have at least two stickers, meaning two judges came by to look at the project. However, it is highly recommended to have three. We have a lot of students participating this year, so we really want all of our judges to get a taste of every project that is displayed today.”
After judging, the public was allowed to see the students’ projects from 5-7 p.m. During those two hours, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for each category was announced. Students received trophies or medals based off their placing.

First place winner of the Invention category Michael Ruddy shared details about his project: “We created a 3D scanner that scans a foot, creating custom orthopedics for people with bad backs using 3D printing at 1/20th of the price of normal orthopedics. Then, we integrated under the curve to find the volume of filament that we used to compare the prices.”

Ruddy reflected, “We did our project with the intention of using science, math, and technology to the best of our abilities, and I think that is what we did.”

Winners from the school site STEM Expo advance onto the district-wide expo held at Eastside High School on Saturday, April 22nd, 2017. This expo will determine the final 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place and will be an event that one should not miss.