HPWD Information/Outreach Staff judged water-related projects at the 62nd annual South Plains Regional Science and Engineering Fair held Feb. 9 at the United Supermarkets Arena at Texas Tech University.  
Approximately 468 projects were entered in this year’s fair. Each project is an award winner at the local school level.
 
Each year, HPWD provides an award certificate for the best water-related projects at the regional competition.
The 2018 award winners are as follows:

Map the Tap

Cora Clifford, 5th grade, Honey Elementary School, Lubbock. Her project compared the quality of several water samples collected in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, and Virginia. She toured and collected a water sample from Wolfforth’s EDR plant.

 What’s In the Water – Playa Edition: Is the Water Really Safe?

Amelia Burch, 7th grade, Laura Bush Middle School, Lubbock. Her project tested the water quality in several playa basins in Lubbock.

Chemical Analysis of Rainwater

Amanda Kell, 8th grade, Christ the King Cathedral School, Lubbock. Her project compared radish seed germination using rainwater samples collected from different parts of the United States.

Evaluation of Surfactants on Color and Moisture in Turfgrass (Year 2)

Michael (Mac) Chaloupka, 8th grade, Christ the King Cathedral School, Lubbock. His project continued evaluation of surfactants to reduce evaporation losses in Turfgrass. Dr. Joey Young of Texas Tech was a resource for this project.

Filtered Runoff on Aquatic Life Using Daphnia (Year 3)

Alexandra Gonzales, 12th grade, Christ the King Cathedral School, Lubbock. Her project examined water runoff from agricultural fields, parking lots, and other surfaces to see how Daphnia (water fleas) are impacted. They are sensitive to changes in water quality.

Rainwater Harvesting

Deborah de Farias, 12th grade, Lubbock High School. This project continues her earlier research in rainwater harvesting as an alternative water supply.  She is a previous HPWD award winner.