Connecting scientific exploration and community impact, the Flintridge Prep STEAM and Service Fair is a chance for students to show off projects they’ve developed and conducted throughout the year. Building on their experiences at Middle School Community Service Day and their 7th-grade introduction to conducting scientific experiments, 8th-graders propose, design and conduct their own Community Impact Projects. In a philanthropic area of their choosing, they incorporate the scientific method by including surveys and other quantifiable results to measure their impact. High school participants took on interdisciplinary projects in such fields as engineering, physics, biology, psychology, anatomy, environmental science and chemistry. First-place winners were Maya Khurana: “The Effect of Tryptophan on Chickpea Seeds and Kidney Beans: DNA Extraction and Gel Electrophoresis” ($75 award); Caroline Yamamoto: “Art for STARS” ($50 supporting Lake Avenue Community Foundation); Alexis Lara: “Who You Are Is Enough” ($50 supporting School Girls Unite); and Kate Huntley: “The Impacts of Domestic Violence” ($50 supporting Peace Over Violence).
