Freshmen Sabrina Wood and Shivani Kosuri competed in the Dallas Regional Science and Engineering Fair, with Wood advancing to the state level and Kosuri receiving second place and honorable mention.

Participants were required to research and conduct an experiment of their choosing. Wood competed in the senior division, getting first place in the Dallas County Veterinary Medical Association, and second place in Animal Science Computational Biology.

“I worked really hard and it’s something I’m really passionate about,” Wood said. “In middle school, the science fair was part of the curriculum, so I took what I learned there, and kind of applied to here, and worked with my english teacher on the written portion, and worked on my interview skills.”

Kosuri conducted a psychological experiment called Coffee and the Placebo Effect, getting second place in the Cooper Institute Exercise, Health, Nutrition, and honorable mention in Behavioral and Social Sciences.

“We tested 100 individuals and analyzed each individual’s data, and we came up with around 300 graph representing the averages of the caffeine’s effects,” Kosuri said. “Going into it we weren’t as confident since there were 9th through 12th graders, and that the seniors probably had better projects, but knowing that we did do a good job and got our rewards made us really proud.”

For Wood, the science fair was more than just an experiment; it was a benefit to what could possibly be her future career.

“I think it showed me that I’m really interested in this,” Wood said. “What I do can make a difference, and a lot of people saw it as something that I could help, so then I could use that in the future.”

Wood will compete against students from all over the state at the Texas Science and Engineering Fair from March 23 to 24.

“I’m really excited, and I think it’s gonna go well,” Wood said. “I’m trying to go in pretty confident, and I’m really just looking to have a good presentation.”