Isabel Garcia, a sophomore at Isaac Bear Early College High School, has been named a Champion in the 2024 National STEM Challenge, a nationwide initiative to foster creativity, critical thinking, and a passion for STEM subjects among middle and high school students. Her project, “The Key to Fighting Infections,” focused on bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Isabel also won the award for best overall project at the Southeast Regional NC Science and Engineering Fair on February 10 for a project focused on cost-effective alternative treatment for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).
The National STEM Challenge invites students to conceive and submit STEM innovations, inventions, and research. Finalists were selected in December, and National Champions were announced on February 12. As a Champion, Isabel will join 125 other winners from across the U.S. at the National STEM Festival in Washington, D.C. in April. The National STEM Challenge is supported by numerous STEMpact Participating Organizations, including STEM SENC. The Festival is co-presented by the U.S. Department of Education and EXPLR, and travel costs are sponsored by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.
The UNCW Center for Science, Tech, Engineering and Math (CESTEM) sponsors the Southeast Regional Science and Engineering Fair. The event provides an opportunity for third-to 12th-grade students from Sampson, Wayne, Craven, Pamlico, Jones, Onslow, Duplin, Carteret, Pender, New Hanover and Brunswick counties to showcase their STEM-related work, with winners advancing to state and international competitions. The Southeast Regional Fair is held annually on the UNCW campus.
All ninth and tenth grade students at Isaac Bear Early College High School participate in the school’s science fair, coordinated by IBEC science teachers Bryan Bishop and Daniel Walter. This year, 11 students represented Isaac Bear at the regional competition. and nine were selected to advance to the NC State Fair in March. In addition to Isabel Garcia, Logan Tamadon was among the top finishers, earning the Environmental Science Award and One Water Award for a project on the use of mycelium fungus to break down plastic waste.
The nine Isaac Bear students advancing to state competition are: Olivia Alexander, Vedika Gadikota, Isabel Garcia, Elizabeth Niven, Maya Roseboro, Maxwell Stalsitz, Logan Tamadon, Lane Tompkins and Ashwin Varadarajan.
“The success of our students at the regional fair illustrates their dedication to hard work, to learning, and to showcasing their knowledge,” said Frances Carter, UNCW’s Isaac Bear Early College Program Coordinator. “It is also a direct reflection of the IBEC teachers who guide them through these projects year after year, encouraging curiosity and equipping these students with the research skills to explore the topics that interest them. Our students also receive a lot of support from UNCW staff and faculty members who either provide lab space for research or feedback on projects before the students go to the competitions. We are incredibly proud of our students for putting in the work on these dynamic projects and grateful for the educators who support them along the way.”
Isaac Bear Early College High School opened in the fall of 2006 as a partnership between the North Carolina New Schools Project, New Hanover County Schools and the University of North Carolina Wilmington. The school, which serves over 200 students, offers an accelerated high school education program with rigorous academics, community engagement and the opportunity to earn up to 60 college credits prior to graduation. Isaac Bear has a 100% graduation rate with over 95% of graduates going on to higher education.
WWAY Feb 10 UNCW hosts Southeast NC Regional Science Fair
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