2023 Freedom Area High School Science Conference
Friday, May 5, 2023
Schedule as of 3 p.m. on May 4, 2023
Keynote Speakers - Bishop Siblings
Jeff Bishop
Jeff (FHS’ 2000) is the CEO/Founder of Key Capture Energy and leads his 85-person company that develops, constructs, owns and operates battery storage projects on the US electric grid. Key Capture Energy is the largest owner/operator of batteries in New York and Texas and are constructing over $300 million of projects in the next year and a half. Jeff earned his MBA from the University of Chicago after graduating with a BS in Electrical Engineering from Rice University. Update: Jeff sold his battery storage development company for $600 million last year.
Elizabeth Bishop
Elizabeth Bishop (FHS ’99) is an environmental consultant at Haley & Aldrich, Inc specializing in in-situ remediation of contaminated sites across the country. She's been involved in hundreds of cleanups in approximately 20 states for a wide range of contaminants and geologic settings. Elizabeth received her BS in Environmental Chemistry from the Catholic University of America, and her MS in Environmental Engineering and Science from Johns Hopkins University.
Melissa Bishop
Melissa Bishop (FHS ’99) is a Government Contractor with F5 Consulting Group and previously was with the MITRE corporation for over a decade. She has served the Government as a cost analyst specializing in acquisitions of government contracts, a contract management specialist, and a data analyst for various Government Agencies. Melissa graduated in 2004 from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.A. in Economics and a B.S. in Mathematics. She received her M.A. in Engineering Management with a focus on Systems Engineering from George Washington University in 2018.
Student Presentations
Logan Larrick - Wind Turbine Angles - Physics III
Wind turbines are one of the many methods of power generation that are renewable and clean. Every turbine looks different and these design differences could greatly impact the voltage output. In my experiments, I studied the effects of the angles of turbine blades and their effects on the voltage output of the turbine. The results of these tests could be used to build a framework for the standardization of wind turbines to maximize their efficiency.
Jason Mengel - Effects of Plastic Infill on Strength - Analytical Physics
Plastic is used everywhere in our lives today, and 3D printing has allowed people to create anything imaginable. One of the most influential aspects in regard to the durability of 3D-printing plastics is the infill. With this in mind, I tested how different percentages of internal plastic affected the strength of a 3D-designed structure.
Payton Bickerstaff - Effect of Grip on a Bar - Analytical Physics
In gymnastics, grip is crucial, but so is rotation. Chalk allows getting the right combination of both. To test how chalk affects the rotation, I put chalk on a metal bar and swung a wooden pole and counted the number of periods it swung. Tightness of the wooden pole was also tested. The results can help determine what is the optimal grip and slip in gymnastics.
Janey Parks - Finger Nail Strength - Physics II
Everyone has fingernails, some are painted pretty and some are plain and simple, however breaking pretty nails may be every girls’ nightmare. It is a common idea that adding layers to a nail will increase strength, but is this really true? I test how a fingernail can hold up when weight is hung from a nail with various coats of polish.
Michael Fayad - Smear Length vs Pencil Density - Physical Science
Drawing pencils have a spectrum of different densities. This investigation tests the specific differences and similarities in the densities, so you can have the information to use the right pencil for the right job. whether it be shading, tracing or sketching.
Vera Armenio - Tea Spectrum - Analytical Physics
The art of tea is a very popular hobby, and with that comes a wide range of individual preferences! As a tea drinker myself, I decided to incorporate some science into the mix. By analyzing transmittance of tea across different temperatures, I use the electromagnetic spectrum to bring light to the world of tea and how common science really is in our everyday lives.
Jonathan Hein - Soggy Baseballs - Analytical Physics
Have you ever noticed that when you are throwing a wet baseball that it feels heavier? I decided to find out how the wetness of a baseball affects the mass of a baseball. During the research, I put the baseball in a puddle, rolled it in wet grass, and then soaked it in water. The results show how much the baseball weighs compared to what it usually does.
Ryan Fessler - Baseball Bat Vibration - Analytical Physics
When you hit a pitched baseball wrong, it stings! This research tests different velocities as well as different points on the bat to determine where on the bat you should avoid hitting.
Ana Shipman - Sour Milk Frequency - Physics 2
Sour milk is guaranteed to ruin your day; however, chunky, sour milk will make you vomit. My investigation looks at transparency of the milk globules as they thicken (more days of souring.) More specifically, how different frequencies are affected by the thickness of the globule.
Chase Grable - Tendon Strength - Analytical Physics
Tendons keep our bodies in tact by connecting our muscles and bones. Damaging these tendons can be detrimental to your daily life. I tested different ways that your tendons can tear with a variety of experiments. I then analyzed to see how much of your overall strength decreases when a partial, or full, tendon tear occurs.
Dekota Roberts - Paper Shred Bounce - Analytical Physics
In my quest for finding impact reduction on football helmets, I stumbled upon shredded paper, which turns out to absorb impact. To simulate a head, I used a golf ball. My results will be present.
Devin Barnhart - Air Pressure and Football Distance - Physical Science
To throw a good spiral, all football players know you need the right amount of air pressure. Starting with a deflated football, air pressure was added using a hand pump after each throw for non-football players and football players alike. This project will show you my results and if my claim is correct.
Aiden Pournaras - Kick Point and Flex on a Hockey Stick - Analytical Physics
There are many factors that affect a hockey stick when shooting. This investigation determines how kick point and flex affects a hockey shot. This is useful for getting the most out of a hockey stick, as well as helping find the best stick.
Jesse Reinhardt - Fan Speed vs. Temperature - Analytical Physics
As computer fan speed increases, the temperatures inside the computer usually decrease. However, by how much does the fan speed truly affect the internal temperature? I will be testing how the RPM of the fans correlates to the temperature of the GPU and CPU of a computer to see how much it really matters.
Destiny Lyle - Domino Racing -Does Spacing Matter? - Physical Science
Dominos are a trending activity and domino racing is growing in popularity. I decided to see if the distance between the dominos would affect the speed of the domino effect. During this research I used dominos, a ruler, tape, a timer, and help from my classmates.
Emma Falk - Atom Approximation - Analytical Physics
Creating a perfect sphere may seem simple, but it is actually quite tricky. In this experiment, I stuffed various items (which posed as atoms) into a balloon, and measured their diameters, in an attempt to obtain a perfect sphere. Several different aspects of math including measuring, counting, and graphing were used in this investigation, which led to the discovery of both expected, and unexpected results.
Sam Fenchak - Fire Response Times - Physical Science
I am working on comparing fire department response times between stations with staffing and stations that are not staffing. Staffing is the official term of keeping people at a station. It is important to compare these because you would want a fast response time to your house. I will be doing this as I monitor my fire radio/scanner and compare dispatch times to a station’s acknowledgement.
Sawyer Wahlenmayer -Temperature vs Metal Strength - Analytical Physics
Construction workers need to know how the temperature will affect their metals, especially when building in extreme temperatures such as power plants and factories. To achieve extreme temperatures, I use a forge. To test strength, I use heavy weights and measure the bend.
Drew Hilberry - Grass Cutting Times - Physical Science
Grass cutters make their money on how fast they cut grass. Each time they turn they lose time.I will test the angle of the cut to see which has the fastest time. This will include the number of turns needed for each cut.
Trey Silberger -Alka Seltzer Dissolving Temperature - Physical Science
When you're sick, you don't want to wait around for your Alka Seltzer to dissolve. I'm using different temperatures of water to find the times it takes to dissolve an Alka Seltzer. I'm also breaking the tablets into smaller pieces to see if it dissolves quicker.
Colten Didmore - Cartilage Hydration - Analytical Physics
Cartilage is something we use with every move we make without even realizing it. I decided to test how the hydration of the cartilage affects the flexibility. I also studied the decomposition of the cartilage over time.
Robert Valentine - Basketball Bounce and Pressure - Physical Science
The bounce of a basketball can affect the performance of dribbling. In this investigation the number of bounces was tested at different heights and PSI’s. My results were unexpected!
Jake Hilberry - Angle and Probability of a shot in Basketball - Physical Science
Basketball players claim there are hot spots on the court where they make almost every shot. To test this, I set up five angles around the three point line and had non basketball players and basketball players take three shots from each angle. Probabilities have been calculated and the results between the players and non players will be presented.
Caiden Huber - Weighted Coin Flip Probability - Physical Science
Everyone in the world has done a coin flip to make decisions. A fair coin has a 50/50 probability. But what is the probability of a weighted coin? To make a weighted coin, I applied layers of nail polish to the coin and then flipped it over and over. The results will be presented.
Isaiah Leasha - Football Grip - Analytical Physics
Quarterbacks know that how one grips the football has a large effect...or does it? In this long-term, finger distance, that is from the tip of the football to the index finger, is tested to determine the accuracy of the throw.
Logan Bickerstaff - Speaker Efficiency - Physics III
Speakers are everywhere, but have you ever considered how the volume affects your battery? Lot of people have nomophobia or of having a non-working mobile phone. This project investigates the efficiencies of various volumes.
Wyatt Boyer - Copper Corrosion - Analytical Physics
Have you ever wondered why the pennies in your untouched change cup turn green? Well, I wondered the same thing and decided to find out. I made a protocol to compare corrosion on copper with respect to the temperature. My presentation includes unique hand-drawn pictures and some failed attempts. Overall, you should have a better understanding of copper corrosion.
John Tatko - OObleck Drop - Analytical Physics
OObleck is a substance that acts as a liquid and a solid at the same time. This project test how different objects fall through OObleck more cornstarch is added.
Alyssa Grunnagle - Sinking Hooves - Analytical Physics
Farmers need to check for rain so they can make the best decision for their livestock. The moisture affects the ground and the depth the animals will sink into the ground. In my long-term, I measure different amounts of water to see how they affect the depth of the sink.
Thomas Ward - Baseball Bat Sweet Spot - Analytical Physics
Is there really a sweet spot on a bat? To test this claim, I measured the exit velocity of the baseball coming off the bat. My results show there is validity to this claim.
Leannah Messenger- Ring Corrosion with Sweat- Physics III
Have you ever been wearing rings and your fingers turn green? I experimented with sweat as salt water, and how it affected metal overtime. Since wearing rings, happens in different environments, I also looked at temperature changes. The results can show how salt affects metal corrosion.
Trent McCray - How the Radius of a Water Wheel Effects Velocity - Physics III
As humans have evolved over time, water has been quintessential to our success. This ultimately forced our ancestors to be landlocked close to the water as we would have no means of survival without it. Water wheels harnessed this immense power whether this was through sawmills or hydrostatic dams that is still used to this date. My long term will define the very best way for a system to reach the fastest speeds possible.
Jared Mueller - Welding Voltage and Penetration? - Analytical Physics
Settings (voltages) on a welder can make the weld hotter and penetrate the metal more. I test to see if the hotter welding is able to stand more hits with a hammer.
Dakota Reinhart - Smoke Patterns and Effects of Smoke - Physics 2
Have you ever wondered how much debris goes into your lungs after inhaling smoke? After high school I plan to go to college for nursing and I wanted to apply that to my long term. I used a glass tube, cotton balls, water, and matches to find smoke patterns along with a way to keep as much debris out of your lungs as possible.
Ana Shipman - Deposition on Welds Due to Flux and Temperature - Physics III
You probably are unaware, but welds hold our word together. All welds use a flux to protect the metal. My research investigates how differing amounts of flux affect temperature and the mass deposited into the weld.
Devon Betz - Sound Pressure vs Distance - Physical Science
Many people have trouble with hearing. I myself have a hearing disability so I wanted to learn more about how sound travels. Does distance or a certain object have an effect on sound waves/pressure.
Jacob Sweesy - Stick Bend vs. Weight - Physical Science
Have you ever wanted to buy a new fishing rod but didn’t know which rod flexibility you should choose? You don’t want your rod to break when you catch that big fish. I tested how far a ruler (represents the fishing rod) will bend when weight (represents the fish) is applied to it.
Nate Hronas - Bullet Grains and Velocity - Analytical Physics
I tested to see if different amounts of gunpowder and different grain bullets would affect the velocity of the bullet.
Madalyn Black - Car Roll vs Rod Diameter- Analytical Physics
Runaway truck ramps stop out-of-control vehicles using dirt and inclines. But what if neither are present. My research models how wooden dowel rods can effectively stop cars going down a ramp. My results show that different diameters have different effects.
Landon Fehir - Monitor Refresh Rate vs Reaction Time - Analytical Physics Does monitor refresh rate have an affect on human reaction time? I tested this by using 60 hz and faster frequencies.
Brandi Bonzo - UV: The Bacterial Killer - Physics III
It is known that ultraviolet (UV) rays are used for killing bacteria. In my project, I used this idea to try to optimize the best method using a UV machine on bacteria cultures. The procedure included lots of waiting time and the results were shocking!
Alumni Presenters and Attendees
Cole Skuse - Class of 2020
Neutrino Interaction Detection - Physics Student at Carnegie Mellon University
Neutrinos are an almost massless particle that have zero charge and come in three separate "flavors." Long thought to be massless, neutrinos only interact with other elementary particles via the weak force. While they don't interact with matter regularly, about 65 billion neutrinos pass through a square centimeter of the Earth's surface every second. Coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) was first predicted in 1974 and observed in 2017. A precise measurement of the CEvNS cross section can be used to search for new physics beyond the standard model. A heavy water detector that utilizes Cherenkov radiation will reduce systematic uncertainty for neutrino cross-section measurements and help increase the sensitivity of searches for new physics.
Ava Colorito - Class of 2018
Surgical Pathology Technician at UPMC
Often out of sight and out of mind, the field of anatomic pathology is an essential one in any hospital system, urban or rural. From specimen to diagniosis to subseqent patient care, pathologists, pathologist assistants, and gross room support staff study the effect of disease on the structure of body organs, both as a whole (grossly) and microscopically.
My presentation will provide an overview of the process of what the average day in a gross room is like for the staff that work in it as well as the process of macroscopic to microscopicin regards to patient specimens.
I will also provide a biref look into my role as a surgical pathology technician at UPMC
Andrew Baker
- Class of 2015
University of Pitt - PhD Candidate - Physics
Aspect of Metal Nanoparticle Technologies
A critical aspect of metal nanoparticle technologies is how strongly the nanoparticles adhere to their substrates. This adhesion is directly related to the efficiency and lifetime of many nanoparticle applications.
Robin Kaufman -
Class of 2019
University of Pittsburgh - Environmental Engineering
Jake DeWeese - Class of 2013
Research Programmer at the RAND Corporation
School/Degree: Pennsylvania State University, B.S. Energy Engineering
Haley Velemirovich - Class of 2018
Associate Scientist I at Mondelēz International
An Introduction to the Multidisciplinary Field of Food Science
If one thing is certain, it's that everyone needs to eat. As food scientists, our goal is to develop new food products that are enjoyable, as well as safe, wholesome, and nutritious. With a growing population, the need for affordable and sustainable alternatives is increasing, and applying the skills gained from a food science degree can put us one step closer to reaching that goal. My presentation will provide an overview of how chemistry, microbiology, physics, and nutrition come together to improve food production as a whole. I will also provide a brief look into my role as a product developer at Mondelēz International.
Jared Heymann, Ph.D. - Class of 1999
Jared Heymann - Reinventing Sprays - R&D Manager at The Clorox Company
Spray cleaners are the most common type of cleaning product in America. In this talk, we'll look at the chemistry, chemical and mechanical engineering involved in reenvisioning this ubiquitous product to remove >90% of the water and >80% of the plastic to provide a more sustainable future.
Ella Walden - Class of 2020
Ella Walden - PA Game Commission Internship - Conservation Biology major at Kent State University
Pennsylvania is the only state to have an agency dedicated to the conservation of wildlife through the participation of citizen hunters and fishers on protected public game lands. I was selected as a habitat maintenance intern for Beaver County. I had a rich experience interacting with my daily crew as well as one offs with others around the district. From grass mowing to goose banding this was a hands-on and demanding internship that had many benefits.
Kristy Sturgess - Class of 2015
Kristy Sturgess - Engineer at Naval Nuclear Laboratory
Megan Szatkiewicz - Class of 2013
Megan Szatkiewicz - Utilization Review Specialist
I review medical documentation/records and assist physicians by preparing cases for certification or non-certification based upon evidence-based practice guidelines within their respective jurisdictions.
Cade Skuse - Class of 2020
B.S. Actuarial Science - Robert Morris University, Graduating Spring 2024
Working as intern with UPMC in their Health Actuarial Department this Summer
Peyton Zankel Class of 2017
School(s)/Degree(s): B.S. Physics - Moravian College
Carter Huggins Class of 2022
University of Pittsburgh, B.S. Computer Science, B.S.B.A Finance, Digital Media Certificate (all in progress)
Chance Jerry - Class of 2018
Nuclear Engineer
School(s)/Degree(s): B.S. Nuclear Engineering - The Pennsylvania State University
Lara Pavlick - Class of 2016
Science Teacher - Lincoln Park
B.S. in Biology - Robert Morris University
Current Employer: Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School
School(s)/Degree(s): B.S. Biology - Robert Morris University, PDE Teaching Certificates in Biology grades 7-12 and Chemistry grades 7-12
Current Occupation: I currently teach 8th grade science at LPPACS. I also oversee the Future City engineering design competition team for middle school in the fall semester and teach an elective course in forensic science during the spring semester.
Relevant Science Courses: Depending on grade level, courses like Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Environmental Science could all be relevant. Our 8th grade science curriculum runs the scope of most introductory science courses (life science, physical science, and earth and space science), but it's important to know more because middle schoolers always have lots of questions!
Important Mathematics Courses: Algebra 1 and beyond (depending on grade level taught) with a good understanding of slope as graph/table creation and data analysis are essential skills!
Research Projects: N/A for myself, but our 2022-2023 Future City team designed a sustainable city model based on the theme "Climate Change Mitigation" focusing on new forms of transportation utilizing nuclear fusion technology and green city planning strategies. The students received awards for Best Transportation and Best Integrated City at this year's past competition. This was something they did lots of research on to perfect for the category judges.
FAHS Long-term Project(s): Cannot remember, but I believe it was How Height of a Book Dropped Affects the Trajectory of a Pencil
Advice for Science Students: Speaking for myself as a science teacher, I love to see students ask lots of questions. Science teachers truly do appreciate your efforts to expand your knowledge and learn all you can about a field of interest. Those are my favorite discussions to have with students. Take advantage of higher level science courses (for example, Anatomy and Physiology). These courses really do prepare you for taking the same courses in college! Finally, pursue your interest through the lens of STEM. Many students who were not huge fans of general science class would take Forensic Science and grow their interest in a number of different categories like forensic anthropology, pathology, toxicology, etc. You never know what might interest you until you try it out!
Jared Boyd - Class of 2017
Biomedical Engineer
Carnegie Mellon University
Latest Paper: DNA Detection Using a Single-Layer Phosphorene Nanopore (see link below).
Jordan Kester - Class of 2014
Inpatient Pharmacist at West Penn Hospital – My role includes providing patients with safe and effective medications during their inpatient admissions.
Evidence-based medicine requires the use of science to gather population data, and then clinical judgment to apply it to individuals that have acute and chronic illnesses. Without my scientific background, I wouldn't be able to scrutinize the existing literature to determine what is best for my patients.