COUNTYWIDE : 4 County Students Win Science Prizes

Four Ventura County eighth-graders captured $600 in prizes Thursday at the California Science Fair in Los Angeles.

Richard Horowitz, 14, and Andrew Svitek, 13, students at Sequoia Intermediate School in Newbury Park, both won first place for their entries. Each received $250.

Ross McBride, 14, a student at Mesa Junior High School in Somis, took third place in the Energy and Environmental Sciences category and won $50 for his entry, “Does the water quality at my school meet California state standards for drinking water?”

Jeff Tahir, 14, of Sinaloa Junior High School in Simi Valley won third place in the Microbiology category and $50 for his entry, “How do different environments affect bacterial growth?”

The youngsters were competing against 585 students who placed first, second or third in the 22 regional science fairs held statewide. More than 130 awards ranging from $25 to $5,000 were presented Thursday during the state finals, fair spokesman Greg Renick said.

“It’s a rigorous academic exercise,” Renick said. “The kids have to think for themselves, especially during the interview process.”

Horowitz’s entry, “How heat affects reaction time,” was praised for its creativity and thoroughness, he said.

The project, which was entered in the Behavioral and Social Sciences category, determined the effects that a significant increase in temperature might have on the ability of a person to react to visual stimuli. Using a Tandy computer to gather data on more than 200 trials, Horowitz determined that a sudden 20-degree increase in temperature slowed down a subject’s reaction time.

Judges called Svitek’s entry, “Absorption of acoustic waves,” well designed and said the youth displayed a good grasp of the subject, Renick said. Svitek attempted to find out which factors reduce acoustic waves as they pass through materials.

Forty-five students from Ventura County participated in the state finals this year, Renick said.