Focused on health – LWSD students perform well at state youth science contest

Eight students from Tesla STEM High School and Eastlake High School competed against students from all over the state in a science contest, and they did quite well. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) hosted the fourth annual Washington Tracking Network (WTN) Youth Science Contest. One student from Tesla STEM High School took first place in her division while three other LWSD teams finished in the top three. Students submit their work in February and March, a panel of public health professionals judges the projects in April and May, and the winners are announced later in May.

According to its website, the competition gives high school students across Washington the chance to explore local health and environmental data while developing their scientific and communication skills. Students submitted a range of creative and analytical projects including research essays and social media campaigns across three categories: health science, community engagement and science communication. A panel of DOH experts in each field reviewed submissions based on their subject matter, relevance to health and equity, and overall presentation.

“We created this contest to engage a wider range of students than traditional science competitions,” said Jennifer Sabel, WTN Manager, DOH. “Our goal is to help students see how science and equity connect to the things they care about.”

Below are the names of the student winners, their place and the category they competed in:

• Anisha Upasani, Tesla STEM High School, won first place in the Individual Division of our Health Science Track
• Inesh Dey, Iris Dey, and Ishaan Kothari, Tesla STEM High School, won second place in the Group Division of the Science Communication Track
• Eshaan Verma and Siddharth Yenamandra, Eastlake High School, won second place in the Group Division of the Health Science Track
• Keerthi Rajesh and Aadya Bansal, Tesla STEM High School, won third place in the Group Division of the Health Science Track