By Dr. Janet Belval

UConn ECE welcomed back the 2024 CT State Science Olympiad Competition on the UConn Storrs Campus this past April. This prestigious annual event brought together some of the brightest young minds from across Connecticut to demonstrate their scientific prowess, problem-solving skills, and teamwork. The Storrs campus was charged with excitement and collaboration as the aspiring teams competed fiercely for the top honors.

Science Olympiad is a renowned competition that tests students in a wide range of scientific dis­ciplines, including biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. With twenty-three challenging events, participants showcased their extensive knowledge, creativity, and analytical abilities. This year saw an impressive turnout, with forty-two teams from across the state displaying remarkable dedication and months of rigorous preparation.

Participating in the Science Olympiad offers students more than just a chance to compete; it provides a platform to delve into their love for science and spark their curiosity. Teams faced challenges in building and engineering projects, written tests, and experimental designs. The campus buzzed with activity, from glider planes soaring in Hawley Armory to forensic investigations in the Chemistry Building. These experiences create lasting memories for high school students and inspire them to pursue careers in science.

South Windsor High School successfully defended their title, emerging as the State Champions. They proudly represented Connecticut at the National Tournament in Michigan in May. Other top-performing schools included Glastonbury High School and Hopkins School, both of whom delivered exceptional performances. Canton High School was recognized as the “Best New Team”. The camaraderie among team members was evident as they encouraged and supported each other, epitomizing the spirit of the Science Olympiad. Their passion for science shone through in every event, with their hard work andcommitment to excellence driving them to success.

The success of the Connecticut Science Olympiad competition underscores the importance of fostering scientific curiosity and encouraging students to follow their passion for science. This event would not be possible without the unwavering support of our donors, coaches, parents, community volun­teers, and the generosity and hospitality of the UConn’s Early College Experience Program.

As highlighted in the official online news source of the University, UConn Today, the UConn Early College Experience Chemistry Day was a great success on May 23, 2024. Sarah Al-Arshani, Communications Manager in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, wrote about the event in depth in her article, “High School Students Get Hands on Experience at UConn Chemistry Early College Experience Day,” published on May 31, 2024.

By Dr. Tina Chiappetta-Miller
UConn ECE Italian Faculty Coordinator

For UConn ECE Italian, I wanted to offer a contest for prize money to students for creative work in Italian. Since creativity takes many forms, I decided on a multimedia contest in which individual students would create pieces based on the concept of language itself, “Il linguaggio di…”, in a combination of written, visual or audio components. This year’s concept was “The Language of…Friendship.” Students were asked to submit a pair of original and complementary pieces in two of the three categories.

I was thrilled to have a class of high schoolers from the Istituto Agrario di Firenze be the judges of the submitted work. The 10th grade class of Italians enjoyed evaluating the work of their American peers and very judiciously chose the contest winners. The three prizes were awarded to Claudia Wilson of Newington HS (1st place, $300), Alex Gavrilis of Newington HS (2nd place, $200) and Jade Gaud of Bristol Central HS (3rd place, $100).

The plan is to change the given concept year to year. Next year’s? “Il linguaggio…della natura” — “The language of…Nature.” Look out for more info early next school year (or see this year’s info). Please encourage your students to submit!

Per gli studenti di UConn ECE italiano volevo stabilire un concorso di lavoro creativo in italiano con premi in denaro. Dato che la creatività “va coltivata in tutte le direzioni”, come diceva Gianni Rodari, ho deciso di offrire un concorso multimediale basato sul concetto del linguaggio stesso in cui studenti possono creare opere creative con componenti di scrittura, arte visiva o audio. Il tema di quest’an­no è stato “Il linguaggio… dell’amicizia.” Gli studenti dovettero inviare dei lavori originali e complementari in due delle tre categorie.

Sono stata molto contenta di poter invitare la classe seconda B dell’Istituto Agrario di Firenze a giudicare i lavori consegnati. I ragazzi italiani si sono impegnati a valutare i lavori dei loro coetanei americani e in modo molto giudizioso hanno scelto i premiati: Claudia Wilson della Newington HS (primo posto, $300), Alex Gavrilis della Newington HS (secondo posto, $200) e Jade Gaud della Bristol Central HS (terzo posto, $100).

Il tema centrale del concorso cambierà ogni anno. Quale sarà quello dell’anno prossimo? “Il lingugaggio…della natura.” Arriv­eranno ulteriori informazioni all’inizio del prossimo anno sco­lastico (o vedete l’annuncio di quest’anno). Vi prego di spingere i vostri studenti a partecipare!

Introduction by Christopher Todd

Body and participant data by Cyndee McManaman,
CT History Day Regional Coordinator

Connecticut History Day Celebrates 50th Anniversary in Storrs

On a beautiful Saturday in early March, more than 300 students accompanied by family, friends, and educators descended upon UConn’s Storrs Campus to participate in the Connecticut History Day’s Mansfield/Storrs Regional Contest. Organized by the Connecticut Democracy Center, in partnership with the Department of History at UConn, as well as UConn’s Office of Early College Programs, Connecticut History Day (CHD) built upon the program’s legacy of success. Students tackled this year’s theme, “Turning Points in History”, bringing to life the ideas, topics, and actions that directly and/or indirectly brought about change.

Connecticut History Day

Connecticut History Day (CHD) is an affiliate program of National History Day (NHD) which annually engages nearly 5,000 middle and high school students in historical research, interpretation, and creative expression through project-based learning. As stated by the CHD, the program seeks to bring students, teachers, museums, and scholars together to support young people as they engage in history. Led by the Connecticut Democracy Center, CHD is presented with major funding and partnership support from CT Humanities.
CHD offers a wide array of free resources for teachers and students to assist them with the History Day process,
including:
• Teacher Handbook (English and Spanish)
• Student Handbook (English and Spanish)
• Educator Workshops
• In-class student workshops
• Digital resources for research and writing

Mansfield/Storrs Regional Competition

Throughout the Northeastern Connecticut Region, 32 teachers representing 27 schools brought History Day into their classrooms during the 2023-2024 school year. The Northeastern region supported 868 of the statewide 4,392 school-level participants, with 272 students attending the Mansfield/Storrs Regional Contest at UConn on Saturday, March 2nd. In all, CHD held 5 regional contests around the state with the state contest held at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) on May 4th. The Mansfield Region was strong and represented a large portion of the medals and special prizes awarded: 23 entries won medals (first, second, or third place) with 18 of those qualifying for the National Contest, and 6 entries received special priz­es. At the National Contest, held at the University of Maryland-College Park campus June 9-13, 2024, students from the Mansfield region shined. The following students received medals, special prizes, or honorable mention for their entries:

• Maura Armstrong & Teagan Dieterle (Ellington High School): 1st Place overall for their Senior Group Documentary The Creation of Sesame Street: A Turning Point in Educational History
• Julianne Pashe & Katie Smith (Ellington Center School): Outstanding CT Entry, ranking 4th overall, for their Junior Group Exhibit The Capitol Crawl: A Climb for Disability Equality and the Push for ADA
• Ishanvi Mahopatra (Timothy Edwards Middle School): ranking 8th overall for her Junior Individual Documentary William T.G. Morton’s Ether Day: A Turning Point in Surgical History
• Aarush Kalia (South Windsor High School): Outstanding CT Entry, ranking 10th overall, for his Senior Individual Documentary The Great Swamp Fight: The Battle That Transformed American History
• Aaron Aldrin (Timothy Edwards Middle School): received the Discovery or Exploration Special Prize for his Junior Individual Website Cogito Ergo Sum: Rene Descartes’ Cartesian Revelation (5th place overall)

The following students’ entries received Honorable Mention (each of these projects placed second in their judging room for the preliminary round of project evaluation):

• Emmett Smith (Ellington High School): Senior Individual Exhibit A Battle of Rights for the Incarcerated: The Legacy of the Attica Prison Riot. Emmett’s entry also represented CT in the National History Day Exhibit Showcase at the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
• Andrew Doyle & Avishkar Kasiliya (John F. Kennedy Middle School): Junior Group Website Stalingrad: How the Triumph of the Red Army Turned the Tide of War in the East
• Enaaya Mohammad & Musfira Bhuiyan (Madina Academy): Junior Group Website The History and Evolution of the Smallpox Vaccine
• Bhaavni Krishna (South Windsor High School): Senior Individual Per­formance From Protest to Progress: Helena Hill Weed and the Birth of a New Activist Movement
• Kalyani Tihaiya, Kayla Lin & Mia Chen (E.O. Smith High School): Senior Group Performance From Asian Exclusion to Inclusion: The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965

Comments from students at the Mansfield Regional Contest:

“I decided to participate in CT History Day because it will help me learn how to do research better and will help me grow as a learner and it will be fun to present all my hard work. I will also get to try something new.” (middle school student)

“I decided to participate in CT History Day to explore his­torical events and innovations in further depth than I have traditionally in classes and gain new insight on how they have affected the present day.” (high school student)

Comments from parents at the Mansfield Regional Contest:

“This is my daughter’s 6th year competing. History day has been the single most influential factor in her personal and academic growth; from her writing and research skills to the confidence she now has when presenting or speaking. “

“This whole experience with National History Day has taught my children to care about people whose experiences are different from theirs. They are looking around the world with a critical eye to what these events mean, how they affect people, and what we can do about it. I love that!”

Comments from teachers at the Mansfield Regional Contest:

Juanita Richardson, Carmen Arace Middle School, Bloom­field CT: “This year was my first time coaching students through the History Day process. There was a lot to learn and consider, but between the coordinators and the website, I felt confident that my students had the tools to be successful. I’m very proud of my students for taking on this new, unfamiliar opportunity. Not only did they place Top 3 at the Regional Contest for junior exhibits, but they also learned invaluable skills that they are carrying with them into high school next year!”

Matthew Sivo, E.O. Smith High School, Storrs, CT: “History Day helps students build more social aware­ness and historical empathy and also furthers their understanding of their civic duties and other communities.”

Comments from judges at the Mansfield Regional Contest:

“Every year I leave the History Day contest impressed by the enthusiasm for learning shown by the History Day students. I love seeing what students choose as topics. The in-depth research and analysis that these students do to complete their projects requires perseverance and dedication. History Day is a special day!”

“At this past year’s Mansfield, Connecticut, History Day regional competition, I was so pleased to see such good work in the senior papers that I and my co-judges read, as well as the diversity of participants and their topics, and the en­thusiasm among the students. The quality of research and writing was remarkably good overall, and outstanding in some cases. And the diversity of student topics was impres­sive, ranging from war and politics to biography and popu­lar culture, and across different societies all over the world. Most importantly, the students were quite enthusiastic about their papers, which they readily shared with each other in a seminar including all paper writers at the end of the compe­tition. Several parents attended the seminar, and they were enthusiastic, too. As we co-judges left the seminar, a father and son stopped and thanked us for the opportunity to allow the son to present in a rigorous competition on his interests. It was great to witness such enthusiasm for history and good historical work.”

By Jessica Dunn

On May 13, 2024 students from Universi­ty High School of Science & Engineering and Marine Science Magnet High School attended the annual UConn ECE Marine Science Symposium on the UConn Av­ery Point campus. Dr. Claudia Koerting, UConn ECE Marine Science Faculty Coordinator, organized and led the event as she has for the past 10 years with the goal of extending student learning outside of the classroom and building relationships between students, instructors, and UConn faculty. This end-of-year event celebrates the academic achievements of the students throughout their UConn Marine Sciences courses taken through UConn ECE and exposes them to the UConn Avery Point faculty and facilities.

Although this year there was less represen­tation from high schools across the state than we have had in the past, we had an extremely scholarly group of students who were able to experience an intimate and interactive day. In the morning session, the students presented their yearlong research and scientific findings to their peers and UConn faculty in oral and poster presentations, heard from graduate students on their personal research and life as a UConn student, and then took to the campus in the afternoon to explore.

In their ventures around the Av­ery Point campus, students went to the docks where they pulled up submerged lines colonized by local marine invertebrates. While examin­ing the lines, they found animals such as mussels, sea squirts, tiny crabs, sponges, and shrimp all tucked into the seaweed. They went to the tidal pools where they discovered it to be dominated by the seaweed, Enter­omorpha. To a passerby, the Enter­omorpha may just look like green slime, but the students learned it is more than that and supports healthy barnacle and snail populations. To conclude their exploration, students toured the UConn research vessel, the R/V Connecticut, and then returned to the campus buildings where they were able to get up close to equipment scientists deploy on buoys and from the research vessel to get important oceanographic data.

We congratulate all students on their hard work and dedication this year and thank them for participating in the UConn ECE Marine Science Symposium.