More Than 90 Projects Presented at 2026 Northwest Oklahoma Regional Science Fair
February 23, 2026
Students who qualified for the Oklahoma State Science and Engineering Fair in Stillwater on March 27 are (front row, left to right): Dylan Evans, Sophia Burns, Blakely Vowel, Erynn Lowder, Waylee Lowder, Bailey Jennings, Sophie Spillman (second row, left to right) Garrett Halderman, Rylee Arnold, Maddox Stoll, MaryElla Kaiser (third row, left to right) David Randall, Julia Cabrera, Easton Royal, JD Casteel, Remington Farney (back row, left to right) Hadley Brooks, Finley Harrel, Rebecka Carlson, and Michele Gambino. State qualifiers not pictured are AJ Cardinelli, Carly Cass, Tyler Hill, Christian Keeton, Jordyn Matzke, Devin Randall, Ruben Salazar and Angel Stewart.
ALVA, Okla. — Since 1957, Northwestern Oklahoma State University has played host to the Northwest Oklahoma Regional Science Fair that services the northwest counties of Oklahoma and is a feeder fair for the Oklahoma State Science and Engineering Fair (OSSEF).
This year, 131 students from six area schools brought 92 projects to campus Feb. 19 to compete for the opportunity to move on to the OSSEF in Stillwater on March 27. There were 21 projects that qualified to take part at OSSEF.
Schools participating included Arnett, Burlington, Covington-Douglas, Ringwood, Vici and Woodward.
Participants are divided into two categories: Division I, grades 9-12, and Division II, grades 6-8. Award winners, their schools and their projects are listed below.
Overall Winners:
Division I
Grand Champion: Rebecka Carlson from Burlington (OSSEF qualifier), “Wind Turbine Efficiency 3.0.”
Reserve Champion: Finley Harrel from Vici (OSSEF qualifier), “The Effects of Residual Herbicides on Sandbur Germination.”
Division II
Grand Champion: Maddox Stoll and AJ Cardinelli from Covington-Douglas (OSSEF qualifiers), “How Many Volts of Electricity Can a Windmill Generate?”
Reserve Champion: Dylan Evans from Vici (OSSEF qualifier), “To Egg or Not to Egg? That is the Question.”
The overall winners of the 2026 Northwest Oklahoma Regional Science Fair are (left to right) Maddox Stoll and AJ Cardinelli (not pictured), Division II Grand Champion; Rebecka Carlson, Division I Grand Champion; Finley Harrel, Division I Reserve Grand Champion; and Dylan Evans, Division II Reserve Grand Champion. These students also qualified for the Oklahoma State Science and Engineering Fair in Stillwater on March 27.
Northwestern Senior Scholarship Recipients
$1,500 Scholarship: Ruben Salazar from Woodward (OSSEF qualifier), “Ion Propulsion Systems in Atmospheric Environments.”
$1,000 Scholarship: Tyler Hill from Burlington (OSSEF qualifier), “RFV in Alfalfa Hay.”
$500 Scholarship: Erynn Lowder from Woodward (OSSEF qualifier), “Will Bush Beans Take in Microplastics From the Soil During Growth?”
Category Winners:
Animal Science, Division I
First Place: Lola Coleman from Arnett, “Cat Color Conundrum.”
Second Place: Kynly Krout from Covington-Douglas, “Colic in Horses.”
Animal Science, Division II
First Place: Avalina Barnett from Arnett, “The Nip Trip: Investigating Feline Responses to Scent.”
Behavioral and Social Sciences, Division I
First Place: Julia Cabrera from Arnett (OSSEF qualifier), “Digital Distraction: How Do Cell Phones Affect Productivity?”
Second Place: Daira Resendiz from Ringwood, “Why Are Teens Stressed?”
Third Place: Eli and Grayson Bolz from Covington-Douglas, “Sleep Quality vs. Blue Light, V.2.”
Honorable Mention: Natalie Spencer and Emma Poulson from Vici, “Study Smarter, Not Harder.”
Behavioral and Social Sciences, Division II
First Place: Araylie Todd from Vici, “Big Heart, Little Heart.”
Second Place: Alexandra Strick from Arnett, “How Music Tempo Affects Exercise.”
Third Place: Sabe Williams from Arnett, “Hypnosis and Pain Reduction.”
Biomedical and Health Sciences, Division I
First Place: Remington Farney from Burlington (OSSEF qualifier), “How to Choose Your Honey Wisely.”
Second Place: Caitlynn Tapia and Nevaeh Grant from Vici, “Jump Higher React Faster: The Science of Athletic Warm-Ups.”
Third Place: Carleigh Hill and Hudson Schupbach from Burlington, “Sweet Lies?”
Honorable Mention: Bella Booth from Arnett, “Dysautonomia and its Effects.”
Biomedical and Health Sciences, Division II
First Place: Blakely Vowel from Vici (OSSEF qualifier), “From Five Stars to Five Crumbs.”
Second Place: Alexis Gaisford from Arnett, “Rethink Your Drink.”
Third Place: Addley Allen and Audra Bolz from Covington-Douglas, “Brush! Brush!”
Chemistry, Division I
First Place: Angel Stewart from Burlington (OSSEF qualifier), “Heat Damage.”
Second Place: Keith Richards III from Ringwood, “Batteries on Ice.”
Third Place: Phog German from Burlington, “The Fastest Antacid.”
Chemistry, Division II
First Place: Dylan Evans from Vici (OSSEF qualifier), “To Egg or Not to Egg? That is the Question.”
Second Place: Carly Cass and Jordyn Matzke from Burlington (OSSEF qualifiers), “The Wet Test.”
Third Place: - Zoey Graham and Kennedy Jantz from Burlington, “How Are Cookies Affected by the Amount of Baking Soda.”
Honorable Mention: Raylie Latta from Arnett, “Hot Ice.”
Earth & Environmental Sciences, Division I
First Place: Erynn and Waylee Lowder from Woodward (OSSEF qualifiers), “Will Bush Beans Take in Microplastics From the Soil During Growth?”
Second Place: Hadley Brooks from Arnett (OSSEF qualifier), “Measuring the Unseen: A Study of Radiation Levels.”
Third Place: Addie Pray from Burlington, “Hidden Prescriptions: Medicine in Water.”
Earth and Environmental Sciences, Division II
First Place: Bentley Udovich and Toby Kessler from Burlington, “Which Toilet Paper Will Dissolve the Most?”
Engineering Technology, Division I
First Place: Rebecka Carlson from Burlington (OSSEF qualifier), “Wind Turbine Efficiency 3.0.”
Second Place: Michele Gambino from Woodward (OSSEF qualifier), “Improvement of Catalyst for Artificial Leaf.”
Third Place: Christian Keeton and Devin Randall from Vici (OSSEF qualifiers), “Voltage Drop.”
Engineering Technology, Division II
First Place: Maddox Stoll and AJ Cardinelli from Covington-Douglas (OSSEF qualifiers), “How Many Volts of Electricity Can a Windmill Generate?”
Second Place: Andrew Cutsinger from Arnett, “Infinity Mirror.”
Mathematics & Computer Science, Division I
First Place: JT Gray and Tamrynn Burba from Vici, “Is Antivirus a Game Killer?”
Second Place: Aries Swiney from Vici, “AMD or Nvidia for VR?”
Microbiology & Biochemistry, Division I
First Place: Emma Nelson and Judah Wall from Ringwood, “Germ Warfare.”
Second Place: Zanston Clark from Arnett, “Rising Spores: How Temperature Affects Mold Reproduction.”
Third Place: Alfred Obiero and Cash Dotson from Burlington, “Microbookology.”
Microbiology & Biochemistry, Division II
First Place: Tinley Bolz and Jacelyn Halcomb from Covington-Douglas, “Genetically Modified Bioluminescent Bacteria.”
Physics and Astronomy, Division I
First Place: David Randall and Garrett Halderman from Vici (OSSEF qualifiers), “Sonification of Space.”
Second Place: Sophie Spillman and Bailey Jennings from Covington-Douglas (OSSEF qualifier), “Flight Weight.”
Third Place: MaryElla Kaiser and JD Casteel from Covington-Douglas, (OSSEF qualifiers) “Pitch Perfect: Speed’s Impact on Audio Fidelity.”
Honorable Mention: Wyatt Morgan and Maddox Morgan from Burlington, “Can your Backpack Save Your Life? (Revisited).”
Physics and Astronomy, Division II
First Place: Rylee Arnold from Vici (OSSEF qualifier), “Hitting with Power.”
Second Place: Easton Royal from Arnett (OSSEF qualifier), “Spinning Science.”
Third Place: Corbin Lamb from Arnett, “Paper Airplane Designs.”
Plant Sciences, Division I
First Place: Finley Harrel from Vici (OSSEF qualifier), “The Effects of Residual Herbicides on Sandbur Germination.”
Second Place: Tyler Hill from Burlington (OSSEF qualifier), “RFV in Alfalfa Hay.”
Third Place: Samantha Smith from Burlington, “Does a Wax Amaryllis Bud Grow More Efficiently in the Dark or Indirect Sunlight?”
Plant Sciences, Division II
First Place: Sophia Burns from Vici (OSSEF qualifier), “Forest Wars.”
Second Place: Ian Beck from Vici, “Revenge of the pH Scale.”
Special Award Winners:
Northwestern Division of Business Best Presentation Skills Award
Division I: Julia Cabrera from Arnett, “Digital Distraction: How Do Cell Phones Affect Productivity?”
Division II: Davenie Lockhart from Vici, “How Does Fermentation Affect Sourdough?”
Northwestern Department of Communication Best Science Communicator Award
Division I: Finley Harrel from Vici, “The Effects of Residual Herbicides on Sandbur Germination.”
Division II: Dylan Evans from Vici, “To Egg or Not to Egg? That is the Question.”
Northwestern Division of Education Future Science Teacher Award
Division I: Rebecka Carlson from Burlington, “Wind Turbine Efficiency 3.0.”
Division II: Blakely Vowel from Vici, “From Five Stars to Five Crumbs.”
Northwestern Department of Math and Computer Science Best Computer Science Project
JT Gray and Tamrynn Burba from Vici, “Is Antivirus a Game Killer?”
Northwestern Biology Club Sustainability Award
Erynn and Waylee Lowder from Woodward, “Will Bush Beans Take in Microplastics From the Soil During Growth?”
Northwestern Natural Sciences Metric System Award
Dylan Evans from Vici, “To Egg or Not to Egg? That is the Question.”
Northwestern Natural Sciences Earth Systems and Environment Award
Erynn and Waylee Lowder from Woodward, “Will Bush Beans Take in Microplastics From the Soil During Growth?”
Charles Morton Share Trust Division of Nursing Best Nursing or Health Care Award
Bella Booth from Arnett, “Dysautonomia and its Effects.”
Northwestern Department of Psychology Most Creative Design Award
David Randall and Garrett Halderman from Vici, “Sonification of Space.”
Northwestern Department of Psychology Most Impactful Design Award and Best Methodological Design Award
Julia Cabrera from Arnett, “Digital Distraction: How Do Cell Phones Affect Productivity?”
Northwestern Department of Social Work Social Impact Award
Erynn and Waylee Lowder from Woodward, “Will Bush Beans Take in Microplastics From the Soil During Growth?”
Northwestern Department of Social Work Community Well-Being Award
Emma Nelson and Judah Wall from Ringwood, “Germ Warfare.”
Northwestern Department of Social Work Social Change Award
Daira Resendiz from Ringwood, “Why Are Teens Stressed?”
Oklahoma Conservation Commission and the Friends of Blue Thumb “I Care About Water” Award
Division I: Addie Pray from Burlington, “Hidden Prescriptions: Medicine in Water.”
Division II: Bentley Udovich and Toby Kessler from Burlington, “Which Toilet Paper Will Dissolve the Most?”
Additional Information
Photos from the awards ceremony are available on the Northwestern Flickr page.
For more information on the Northwest Oklahoma Regional Science Fair, contact Dr. Jenny Sattler, chair of the Northwestern Department of Natural Science, at jasattler@nwosu.edu or (580) 327-8568.
Additional information about STEM programs at Northwestern is available on the School of Arts and Sciences webpage.
-NW-
Media Contact:
Sean J. Doherty, University Relations Specialist
Email: sjdoherty@nwosu.edu
Phone: (580) 327-8480