Friday, Feb. 07, 2025
IC Photo/Linda Petersen
This year’s Diocesan Science Fair attracted 160 students from Utah Catholic Schools.
DRAPER — On February 1, 160 students came together at Juan Diego Catholic High School for the Diocesan Science and Engineering Fair. This event, sponsored by the Utah Knights of Columbus, has been a cherished tradition for 29 years.
Students from 16 different Utah Catholic Schools participated. Among them, St. Andrew’s in Riverton sent three students, while St. John the Baptist Elementary and Middle schools had a large presence. Our Lady of Lourdes in Salt Lake City saw an impressive jump in participation, increasing from four to 18 students this year.
OLOL Middle School Academy science teacher Josh Hegvik expressed his excitement about this growth. He loves seeing his students engage deeply with their projects. “It helps them connect science to their lives, not just memorize facts,” he said.
The projects covered a range of topics, from solar power and butterflies to the performance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). One seventh-grader, Charles Bakker from St. Joseph Elementary, made an interesting discovery. He found that people could only recognize AI-produced content about half the time. “It’s scary,” he said, linking this to potential concerns about AI’s impact on upcoming elections.
Researching for the fair taught students valuable lessons. Nomar Santana, 13, from Blessed Sacrament in Sandy, learned perseverance when his hypothesis about the Bonneville flood didn’t hold up. “Science doesn’t care about your feelings,” he remarked. “I had to keep going, and I ended up doing well. When you’re down, just get back up.” Despite the challenges, he won awards for Best Oral Presentation and Overall Physics, Astronomy, and Math.
For many, the fair was a chance to meet other talented students. Catherine Fuller, a seventh-grader at St. John the Baptist, found it stressful yet rewarding. “It’s tough with deadlines, but it’s great to experience science with others,” she noted. She won the Best Use of Mathematics award for her project on power delivery.
This year, the fair introduced a new category, the Best Use of Computer Science and Technology Award. Dr. Christine Celestino, who organized the event, said it reflects students’ growing interests and aims to enhance science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs in schools.
The Utah Knights of Columbus provided nearly 70 judges and donated over $2,800 in prizes. “It’s important for us to support the youth,” said Bill McCauley, the fair chairman. The event showcases the impressive skills of young scientists.
Michael Goleniewski, a judge and web developer, enjoyed seeing the creativity of the students. “One project was so closely related to my job. I was amazed at how knowledgeable the student was,” he shared.
