Local students capture wins at state science fair

Apr. 6—Several local students from Lauderdale County and Meridian public schools placed at last week's Mississippi State Science and Engineering Fair.

All of the students had previously placed at the Region V science fair to advance to the state competition, which was hosted by Mississippi State University's Bagley College of Engineering and held March 28 at The Hill and Moor in Crawford.

Barbara Mattingly, a seventh grader at West Lauderdale Middle School, won first place in biomedical and health science for her division and was again nominated for the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge. She also was nominated for the challenge at the Region V fair. Magnolia Middle School seventh grader Zi'yanta Coleman placed fifth in the same division.

Northwest Middle School seventh grader Anariah Rue placed first in microbiology for her age division. A'kerria Jordan, a Magnolia seventh grader, placed fifth.

Northeast Lauderdale High School student Ananya Mantri placed second in the high school biomedical and health science division.

Meanwhile, Northeast Lauderdale Middle School eighth graders Earl Duhon placed fifth in inorganic chemistry and Jerion Hunter placed fourth in organic chemistry.

Northwest eighth grader Jamir Townsend placed fifth in engineering mechanics.

Other local students who competed in the state science fair included seventh graders Jameson Smith, Phiona Johnson and Caiya Blakney, all of Magnolia Middle; Baylee Coker, an eighth grader at Magnolia; Chasity Vincent, an eighth grader at Northeast Middle; and Allen Huang and Ingrid Guzman, both eighth graders at Magnolia.

Contact Glenda Sanders at gsanders@themeridianstar.com.