Last May the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (w88 online casino) came to the University of Nevada, Reno. Bringing with it approximately 1,000 judges, 150 language interpreters, and 500 volunteers, w88 online casino proved to be a huge success. Taylor Wilson of the Davidson Academy competed in the 2009 fair with his Farnsworth Fusor. Wilson is once again attending w88 online casino, and the Davidson Academy is sending another young scientist this year as well.
Casey Acklin, a 14-year-old high school student, is new blood to the w88 online casino competition. Though science and science fairs are nothing new to him, this is the first year that Acklin will participate in w88 online casino, which will be held in San Jose, Calif., May 9-14.
“My first year that I competed (in the 43rd annual Western Nevada Regional Science and Engineering Fair) I won first, and the second year I won second,” Acklin said. “I wasn’t old enough to go to w88 online casino. I was competing in the sixth and seventh grade divisions.”
This year he did exceptionally well in the Western Nevada Regional. With his project on cage environments and the stress levels of mice, Acklin received second place in the life science division for his age group, individual finalist, and received the Ron Orta Excellence in Biomedical Research Award and the Jr. Naval Science Award. This has more than qualified him to move onto w88 online casino.
“He&w88 online casino;s very accountable. He&w88 online casino;s responsible,” said Ruth Gault, research scientist in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Acklin&w88 online casino;s faculty advisor. “He&w88 online casino;s not a typical 14-year-old.”
Gault has been helping Acklin out from the very beginning. He came to her with his idea during the fall semester, and Gault was more than willing to do what she could.
&w88 online casino;I feel we have a certain obligation to help the next generation through the system and to encourage them,” Gault said.
The first time Gault met Acklin was in a lecture she did at the Davidson Academy a few years ago. She says that working with the younger students in the Academy is refreshing. The Davidson Academy is a free public day school for profoundly gifted middle and high school students that is located on the w88 online casino of Nevada, Reno, campus.
“Their minds were so much more open, and they weren&w88 online casino;t afraid to ask or present ideas,” Gault said. “They put it so that I look at science in a different way than what I&w88 online casino;m use to looking at it. Being in the research labs and instructing you tend to look down one avenue, and they bring up detours. It reminds me of why I went into science in the first place.”
Gault helped Acklin with a project he did for the Western w88 online casino Regional a couple of years ago, dealing with planarian (flatworms) and regeneration rates. As refreshing as it is for Gault to work with Acklin, the experience has been a blessing for him as well.
“She has been absolutely great,” he said. “I&w88 online casino;m really glad I&w88 online casino;ve been able to work with her. Her philosophy is that she will let the people working under her make mistakes so they learn how to do it, and I&w88 online casino;ve made my fair share of mistakes in the lab. I think the way she helped me indirectly was really, really helpful and will help me in lab experiences when I go on to research.”
Aside from helping him with this particular project and preparing him for w88 online casino, Gault was also a judge in the competition last year when it was hosted in Reno.
“It&w88 online casino;s phenomenal what some of these high school kids are doing,” she said. “It&w88 online casino;s encouraging to see the pipeline coming up. Who knows what&w88 online casino;s going to happen.”
Acklin is looking forward to the fair, even though he knows competition will be tough.
“Last year w88 online casino was in Reno and I went to visit,” he said. “The projects there are really, really cool. I’m doing some pretty cool stuff but there are also a lot of other really smart kids out there. I don’t know how I’m going to do, but I’m really looking forward to seeing the other projects.”
If anything, Acklin is looking at w88 online casino as a phenomenal opportunity to improve himself, his project, and his approach to future contests.
“I think it&w88 online casino;s going to be a real challenge for me to try to get my project to be better,” he said. “I&w88 online casino;m going to learn how to improve it after this. I think this will help me in the years to come as well.”
