- Pranav Mannam, a 10th grader at Eastside High, won Best in Show at the Alachua Regional Science and Engineering Fair.
- Mannam earned a spot in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May and the State Fair from March 31-April 2.
- The regional fair had 80 projects submitted and about 70 presented, with only 15 spots available for the state fair.
- Seventh grader Finnegan Alread won Best in Show in the Junior Division and also advances to the state competition.
Pranav Mannam called it “completely unexpected.”
Mannam, a 10th grader at Eastside High School, was selected the Best in Show winner in the Senior Division of the Alachua Regional Science and Engineering Fair at an awards ceremony on Wednesday night, automatically earning him a spot in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in May. He will also go on to represent Alachua County in the State Science and Engineering Fair slated for March 31-April 2.
“It feels pretty good,” Mannam said in an interview with Mainstreet following the ceremony, which was held in the Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) District Office boardroom. “I came in here thinking state qualification, maybe a special award or two…. But [the] ISEF qualification was a real stunner.”
Mannam was among several students who were recognized at the ceremony for their achievements in the regional competition, which took place on Feb. 12.
While addressing families and students at the start of the event, Dr. Jon Rehm, the director of the regional science and engineering fair, noted that there were 80 projects submitted for the regional competition – 46 more than last year – with roughly 70 of those projects being presented at the fair due to some students being sick.
Although there were 80 projects submitted, Rehm said there were only 15 spots available for the state fair. This number consists of the top 10 participants from the Senior Division and the top five participants from the Junior Division.
According to information provided in a slideshow, all place awards were based on rubric scores and judge recommendations. State and international qualifiers were determined by using “triangulating quantitative and qualitative data from judges.”
“We had a whole lot more projects that probably were good enough to be at the [state] fair, but we had to cut it down,” Rehm said.
In addition to his Best of Show honors, Mannam took first place in the Engineering and Material Science Senior Division for his project titled “The Use of Dual Venturi Strips in a Positive Feedback Orientation to Improve Downforce Production in Modern Ground Effect Race Cars.”
When asked how he decided on this project, Mannam said he’s had an interest in motorsport race cars for a few years.
“I do a lot of research on them [race cars],” he said, adding that he got the idea for his project while lying in bed one night.
Also advancing to the state competition is Micanopy Academy seventh grader Finnegan Alread. He tied for first place in the Microbiology Junior Division for his project titled “Ancient Solutions for Modern Hygiene: Skincare Using Traditional Ethnobotanical Methods” and won Best in Show in the Junior category.
The recognitions were especially significant for Alread, who told Mainstreet that the regional science fair was his first run in the competition.
Daniel Ferguson, the principal of Micanopy Academy, was in attendance for the awards ceremony and shared his excitement about Alread moving on to the state competition.
“One of the things that we value is critical thinking and science and what it does for our world,” Ferguson said in an interview with Mainstreet following the ceremony. “And he’s [Alread] got a terrific project that I think will win…So I’m rooting for him. He’s an awesome guy.”
A list of all the Alachua County students who qualified for the State Science and Engineering Fair can be found below.
Junior Division
- Finnegan Alread, Micanopy Academy (first place, Microbiology and Best in Show)
- Jane Han and Meha Srivastava, Lincoln Middle School (first place, Microbiology)
- Avinoor Jutla, Lincoln Middle School (first place, Environmental Engineering)
- Aradhya Kasala, Howard Bishop Middle School (first place, Earth and Environmental Sciences)
- Aung Pyae, Fort Clark Middle School (first place, Physics)
Senior Division
- Samantha Bruner, Oak Hall School (first place, Cellular and Molecular Biology)
- Maggie Gao, The Frazer School (first place, Environmental Engineering)
- Pranav Mannam, Eastside High School (first place, Engineering and Material Science and Best in Show)
- Pranav Parashar, Gainesville High School (first place, Physics)
- Saharsh Pothu, Eastside High School (first place, Intelligent Machines, Robotics and Systems Software)
- David Rong, The Frazer School (first place, Mathematics and Computational Sciences)
- Kaayana Sharma, Eastside High School (first place, Microbiology)
- Shiven Sharma, Eastside High School (first place, Biomedical and Health Sciences)
- Yifan Song, The Frazer School (first place, Intelligent Machines, Robotics and Systems Software)
- Trishaa Urs, Gainesville High School (first place, Behavioral and Social Sciences)
Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.