COUNTYWIDE : 6 Students Honored in State Science Fair

Six Ventura County students were among those selected as winners Tuesday in the 1992 California State Science Fair held in Los Angeles, fair officials announced Wednesday.

The students were among 119 regional winners to share $40,000 in prize money in the annual competition, which was first held in 1942.

Contestants must place within the top three in their county’s science fair to enter the state competition. Each is judged in one of 15 science categories that range from behavioral sciences to zoology.

Scarlett DeWitt of Colina Intermediate School in Westlake Village placed second in the junior division for her exhibit on the life span of left-handed people. The junior division is for students in the seventh and eighth grades.

Others to win in the junior division were David Gorcey of Fremont Intermediate School in Oxnard, who placed third with his botany exhibit on the effects of artificial light in hydroponics; and Vicki Hull of La Reina High School in Thousand Oaks for her exhibit on the effect of chemical dispersants on the environment.

The county’s top finisher in the senior division was Julie Larson of Westlake High School, who placed second for her exhibit on the effect solar activity has on the refractive properties of the ionosphere. The senior division is reserved for ninth through 12th grades.

Named a third-place winner in the senior division was Sharon Yuan of Westlake High School, who was honored for her exhibit on biochemical oxygen demand in area lakes. Selected for honorable mention in the senior division was Richard Horowitz of Newbury Park High School, who was honored for his exhibit on improving reaction time by controlling temperatures.

Evan Nossoff, a spokesman for the Museum of Science and Industry in Los Angeles, said the quality of the projects has impressed the college professors and scientists who serve as judges.

“An honorable mention today very well would have won first place 10 years ago,” Nossoff said. “We think being in the top 120 science students in the state is a very significant thing.”