NEW CANAAN—St. Aloysius School students Kaloyan Dimitrov and Andrew Tully of Norwalk and Alex Lanzillotti of Stamford won First Place for seventh-grade teams in the Physical Science Division at the Connecticut Science and Engineering Fair, held at Quinnipiac University from March 14-18.
Competing with over 600 students, their project, “Mars Exploration,” swept several awards, including a Physical Sciences Award from Pepsico, an Excellence in Engineering award from UTC Aerospace Systems, and a First Place from the International Society of Automation.
The students created and modified a Land Rover using a Lego EV3, and tested it on various terrains similar to those found on Mars, which they replicated using rocks, sand and asphalt. By adding color, ultrasonic and touch sensors, their rover demonstrated the ability to detect obstacles and change its path. Further modifications included varying the wheel type and incorporating a forklift to assess carrying capacity. The students demonstrated the rover’s speed, wheel effectiveness, and efficiency of sensors based on different scenarios. Their project incorporated engineering, coding and automation, which are key components of STEM education.
Along with several trophies, medals and cash awards, the students are invited to compete in the Broadcom MASTERS, a national competition held in September in Washington, DC.
The eighth-grade team of Molly McAndrew and Helen Mahoney of Stamford and Veronica Butler of South Salem, N.Y., took home a Second Place in Physical Science for their project: “Future of Filtration.”
St. Aloysius School is proud of the students and grateful to their teacher, Deborah Phillips, for her dedication to STEM teaching and her passion for science.
(For more information about the Connecticut Science and Engineering Fair, visit ctsciencefair.org. To learn more about St. Aloysius School’s K-8 program, visit www.sasncct.org, attend our Open House on Wednesday, April 5, or call us at 203.966.0786.)
