With topics ranging from bacteria to sweat absorption to cockroach strength, City School District of Albany students took first place in three out of four categories at the 2024 Joseph Henry Science Fair.

The students were recognized at a special ceremony Wednesday night.

Hosted by The College of Saint Rose, the annual Joseph Henry Science Fair gives science-fair winners from individual schools throughout Albany a forum to compete against each other and have their projects judged on scientific merit.

Students competed individually or in teams in two levels: elementary school (grades 4-5) and middle school (grades 6-7). Medals for first-, second- and third-place prizes and honorable mentions were awarded to the top four science projects in each category.

The fair was last Friday at Saint Rose; check out a Facebook photo album from the event. (You don't need a Facebook account to see the photos linked in the highlighted text. A window may appear that says, "To see more from Albany City Schools on Facebook, log on or create an account,” but you can dismiss it by clicking “not now.”)

Projects ranged from simple to complex and spanned all major areas of scientific study. Each project included a poster, data tables, a data log and a three-dimensional component, such as the equipment used to collect the data.

The students received prizes and awards for their work. Congratulations to these future Nobelists!

Elementary school individual winners

First place – Jackson Dolan, New Scotland Elementary School, “The Heat is On! How Hot Do Certain Materials Get Under Heat?”

Second place – Eleanor Knoderbane, Montessori Magnet School, “How Much Weight Can a Cockroach Pull?”

Third place – Luke Killikelly, New Scotland Elementary School, “No Sweat! An Observation of Sweat Absorption.”

Honorable mention – Patrick Carroll, New Scotland Elementary School, “Exploring Water Displacement.”

Elementary school team winners

First place – Sabor Mustafa Zada and Layee Keita, Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science and Technology (TOAST), “Infrared Light and Bacteria.”

Second place – Ben Dunie, Logan Pryor, Yasin Hotek and Spencer Lee, TOAST, “Floating Platforms.”

Third place – Linnea Minder and Lucia Hill, New Scotland Elementary School, “Slowing the Melt.”

Honorable mention – Brian Johnson, Ah’zyla Jones and Gunner McAuliffe, Pine Hills Elementary School, “Which Popcorn is the Greasiest?”

Middle school team winners

First place – Clara Flynn, Lilli Forni and Augie Bebe, Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School, “Bacteria in Different Conditions.”

Honorable mention – Mia Montero Ruiz, Hannah Gardener, Brianna Duah and Sapphire Arthurton, North Albany Middle School, “How Do Different Chemicals Affect Plant Growth?”