By March 3, all the boards were standing patiently in the elevator hall, waiting to be unfolded on tables downstairs at the 2019 Science Fair. Dr. Neubauer and her students had already dealt with many crises: seeds that refused to grow, experiments that had to be added or repeated, kids who stayed up all night typing their results, and more. Finally, after months of preparation or procrastination, the big day was here.

All of Dr. Neubauer’s science students were dressed up and ready to talk by 8:45 when the judges arrived. This year’s judges were Mrs. Sue Simmons, Mr. Alex Neary, and Mr. Frank Johnson. They circulated and talked to the kids for about an hour, then withdrew to deliberate.

Dr. Neubauer announced their decision at lunch: runners-up were Camper and Stone for their projects on oil in the environment and the chemical make-up of different brands of water, respectively. The winners were Rebecca and Morgan. Rebecca studied the efficacy of phone apps at measuring water turbidity. Morgan built a computer from a kit and measured its speed against all the computers at his house.

“It was a lot of pressure to get everything done on time,” said Camper. Annika concurred, but said the experience overall was good. The runners-up and winners will head to Charleston for the Lowcountry Science and Engineering Fair on April 9. Congratulations to all and especially to Dr. Neubauer!