March 17, 2015
For the fourth consecutive year, many students at The Governor’s School @ Innovation Park
(GS@IP) earned recognition for their research at the Prince William County – Manassas
Regional Science Fair held on March 14, 2015.
Meron Aboye, who also attends Potomac High School, was awarded the Senior Division Grand
Prize and first place in the chemistry category for her project “Amoxicillin Derivative for
Treatment of Lyme Disease.” Her project looked at whether manipulating the structure
(functional groups) of the antibiotic amoxicillin will increase the stability of the drug and
improve the binding affinity, hence strengthening its ability to control the multiplicity of
Borrelia burgdorferi and possibly disintegrate the bacterium completely. Meron was mentored
by her chemistry teacher, Ms. Josanne-Dee Woodroffe with assistance from Dr. Mikell Paige,
George Mason University Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, who assisted with the
Infrared Spectroscropy component of her project. Dr. Tom Huff, George Mason University
Assistant Director of Shared Research Instrumentation also assisted with the Mass Spectrometry
portion of her project. In addition, Meron received an award of $100 and Certificate Award from
Northern Virginia Dental Society.
Team members Dana Wang and Hana Komine, students at GS@IP and Battlefield High School,
with partner Alan Branigan, a student who attends GS@IP and Osbourn High School in
Manassas City, earned first place in the Biochemistry category for their project focused on
finding the optimal pH environment for amylase activity to develop a non-invasive test for blood
glucose levels. This team was mentored by GS@IP faculty member Ms. Josanne-Dee
Woodroffe. The team also received a Certificate Award from Northern Virginia Dental Society.
In the Chemistry category, Shannon Gang and Pauline Vu, students who attend GS@IP and
Battlefield High School, with partner Jamie Lee from GS@IP and Patriot High School, earned
the second place award for their project “Composition of Limonene Enantiomers in Citrus
Fruits.” Their project utilized methods that could be applied to identify enantiomers for the
synthesis of enantiopure drugs that will have specific target receptor capabilities. This team was
mentored by their chemistry teacher Ms. Josanne-Dee Woodroffe with the assistance of Dr. Tom
Huff, George Mason University Assistant Director of Shared Research Instrumentation, for the
Gas Chromatography portion of their analysis. The team also received a Certificate Award from
Northern Virginia Dental Society.
Robert Drummond and Joseph Monfort, both students of GS@IP and Battlefield High School,
earned first place in the Earth and Planetary Sciences category with their project on “The Effect
of Geogrid Placement on Soil-Retaining Wall Performance.” This team, mentored by GS@IP
physics teacher Dr. Ales Psaker, focused on finding the distance between geogrid layers in a
geogrid reinforced soil-retaining wall that optimizes the system's performance by reducing the
force on each geogrid layer. The team also received a Nomination Form and Certificate Award
from Arizona State University Sustainability Solutions Initiative, as well as Second Place Award
(pocket phone speaker) from Geological Society of Washington.
In the Engineering category, team members William Perez, Katherine Crim, and Martha Hartt
who attend GS@IP and Osbourn High School in Manassas City earned third place for their
project “Fluidic Thrust Vectoring.” Their work, mentored by GS@IP faculty Ales Psaker, was
focused on determining what effect changing the mass flow rate of the secondary injection in a
fluidic thrust vectoring system has on the deflection angle and velocity of the main air flow.
This team also received NASA Goddard Three-Day Event Award from American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics National Capital Section, as well as Certificate Awards from
Armed Forces of Electronics Communication Association Belvoir, U.S. Air Force, and Yale
Science and Engineering Association.
Also in the Engineering category, Upasana and Aradhana Adhikari along with Lynda Nguyen,
students who attend GS@IP and Osbourn High School, earned Honorable Mention for their
work which determined the heat loss in several local high school buildings in relation to the
building structure. Working under Mrs. Jeanne Jabara from PWCS’ Office of Facilities Services,
the students used thermography results of the school buildings studied to recommend the most
efficient structures for future buildings. This team received Certificate Awards from American
Psychological Association, Association for Women Geoscientists and Mu Alpha Theta. They
also received First Place Award packet form Geological Society of Washington.
In the Environmental Sciences category, Cameron White who attends GS@IP and Manassas City
Public Schools’ Osbourn High School along with team member Hardwynn Tunacao, a student
from GS@IP and Woodbridge High School, received first place award for their project which
encompassed “Preparation, Characterization, and Performance of a Glucose / O2 Enzymatic
Biofuel Cell.” The team worked under the mentorship of GS@IP faculty member Ms. JosanneDee Woodroffe with assistance from George Mason University Professor Abul Hussam, Director
of the Clean Water & Sustainable Tech Center and Professor with the Chemistry and
Biochemistry Department. Utilizing Potentiostat instrumentation in Dr. Hussam’s lab, the team
studied what materials might be utilized to facilitate the electrochemical reactions necessary for
obtaining electricity from an organic source such as glucose. Specifically, the team focused on
incorporation of certain specific enzymes such as glucose oxidase and laccase along with
structural components such as polymers or carbon nanotubes to enable the successful
construction of fully environmentally friendly power source. The team received a Certificate
Award from Prince William County Service Authority, and has also been invited to compete at
the International Sustainable World Energy, Engineering, and Environment Project (I-SWEEEP)
Olympiad being held in Houston, TX in May, 2015.
Earning third place in the Environmental Science category, Kayla Stannard and Samantha
Warner, students who attend GS@IP and Brentsville District High School, along with team
member Thomas Strei who attends GS@IP and Osbourn Park High School presented their
findings towards the development of an improved, indefinite method of water purification that is
inexpensive and transferable to a large scale. Working under the mentorship of GS@IP faculty
member Ms. Josanne-Dee Woodroffe, this team determined how effective sodium
dichloroisocyanurate combined with activated charcoal would be in removing contaminants from
water based on its level of active chlorine concentration. This team also received Certificate
Awards from Federal Water Quality Association, Keep Prince William Beautiful (Third KPWB
Environmental Stewardship Award), and U.S. Public Health Service (Third Distinguishing
Achievement Award).
In the Medicine and Health category, Alicia Harris who attends GS@IP and Osbourn Park High
School with team member Heena Shah, a student attending GS@IP and Patriot High School,
received first place award for their work performed under the mentorship of Dr. Nelson Cortes,
Associate Professor, School of Recreation Health and Tourism, College of Education & Human
Development utilizing equipment in his department’s S.M.A.R.T. lab to assess dynamic gait
postural control using nonlinear tools. This team also received a Certificate Award from Virginia
Dental Society.
Also in the Medicine and Health category, team members Suhani Pant and Malia May who
attend GS@IP and Osbourn Park High School along with partner Nia Blibo, a student attending
GS@IP and Stonewall Jackson High School, earned third place award for their work focused on
what might be the optimal microenvironment for inducing stem cells to differentiate into
myocyte heart cells. This team worked under the mentorship of GS@IP faculty member Mrs.
Liz Romano. The team also received Certificate Awards from Northern Virginia Dental Society
and U.S. Public Health Service (First Distinguishing Achievement Award).
In the Plant Sciences category, Niki Tsutsumi who attends GS@IP and Battlefield High School,
Sara Howell who attends GS@IP and Hylton High School, and Urba Saghir who attends GS@IP
and Forest Park High School earned first place for their project on “The Effects of Different
Composts on the Ability for a Peace Lily to Eliminate Ammonia from the Environment.” This
group worked under the guidance of GS@IP faculty member Mrs. Liz Romano. This team also
received Certificate Awards from Federal Water Quality Association and Prince William County
Solid Waste Division (First Place Award Packet).
Also in the Plant Sciences category, Amber Thaxton and Sydney Williams who attend GS@IP
and Battlefield High School along with Anu Patel from GS@IP and Osbourn Park High School
earned third place for their work on “Determination of Heavy Metal Pollution in Fruits and
Vegetables.” This group worked under the mentorship of GS@IP faculty member Ms. JosanneDee Woodroffe on their project which involved deriving concentrations of Copper, Nickel and
Iron ions in organically grown and non-organically grown fruits and vegetables as a means of
assessing the health-related quality of the produce. This group also received Certificate Awards
from Federal Water Quality Association, Geological Society of Washington, and U.S. Public
Health Service.
GS@IP is very proud of these students and their achievements and grateful for the hard work put
forth by the students, faculty, and mentors.