 Has it been a long day? I'll agree with that. Now comes the fun part. No, actually the whole thing's been a fun part. Did you have a good time today? Are you going to do research projects next year and come back? I like to hear that. I really do. Okay, so students, now's the time you've been waiting for. Our judges have had a wonderful time talking to you. And they've had some really tough issues trying to make decisions. You'll hear what ended up happening because they could not figure out who got awards. There's just so many wonderful projects. Okay, so I will say, remember you only have so many projects and so many awards, but you have already won multiple times. And you need to be sure and share with everybody that you were selected to come to the state level of the North Carolina Science and Engineering Fair because your research was so amazing, okay? Everybody promise? All right, so let's get started. So we are streaming this. I hope that some of our virtual students were able to join us as well to be able to see because they are included. This is the first time we've done hybrid. So this has been an adventure for us to make sure everybody was included and considered for the awards. So I would like to say good afternoon to all of you. And again, I hope you've had a wonderful day. And students that are joining us virtually and families, we're glad you were able to join us. I would like to give a special thanks to one of our partners in North Carolina School of Science and Math because of the service that they've been providing for us to be able to stream our awards ceremonies and our opening. And so if we could get a round of applause to say thank you. Okay, so this is being recorded and it will be available and our YouTube channel will send that information out through STEM Wizard as to what the channel address would be so you can watch it again if you would like to. So we are excited to be back here at NC State in person. It's been, we had to cancel at the last minute, the 2020 fair. Y'all went through all of that too, right? So everything got canceled. But the last time we were here in person was in 2019. So it's been like, how did we do this? So it's been a learning experience along. But we're happy to be here. And so now it's my pleasure to introduce to you again. If you were here this morning, you met him already. Dr. Tony Rice, and he is the chair of our board of directors for the North Carolina Science Fair Foundation, which is the organizing body for our fair. And so Dr. Rice. Thank you, everybody. I'm glad to hear everybody had fun. Now I got to talk to a couple of you. I wish I could have talked to everybody, but you probably saw me rushing in. I was over there with the judges having some of those hard conversations that we were just talking about. And you saw us up here chatting amongst ourselves. We were trying to figure out how we were going to deal with all of these great projects. So we came in with plans on how many projects we were going to give awards to. We had to expand that. So we're going to be giving some more awards today than we originally planned because your projects were so incredible. So know that as we're going through here. We're going to be adding a few more. So I want to welcome you back and thank you for your time and your patience today. I know it's a long day, so we'll get moving with this very, very quickly. We're very proud to be a part of a bigger thing than just the North Carolina State Fair. So as you continue working on your research, know that when you get up to the junior level in middle school and onto the senior level, there's an opportunity to go on beyond the state fair. So keep that in mind. And I also want to thank again all of... We had 160 judges that were out there talking to you guys, all these volunteers that were working out there. And you've probably seen the volunteers running around with the yellow vest on. They're taking their Saturdays to come out here and work with you. And I won't go through all that again, but remember, thank you parents, thank you teachers, thank everybody who helped you get here. And with that, we're going to get started with the awards. And I want to recognize our MC for the day, Dr. Frida Sanders from Pfizer. She is also a member of our North Carolina Science and Engineering Fair Foundation Board. So help me welcome Dr. Sanders. Thanks, Tony. Hold on, let me adjust this microphone. It was a pleasure getting to actually see some of the projects and talk with you all. You all did an amazing job. You should really be proud of yourselves. So I'm honored to serve as the MC for the elementary award ceremony today. And I'd like to express my sincere admiration and appreciation for all the students who participated this year for another unique year for all of us. Kudos to you for your discipline and your great effort, and your projects were truly astounding. I'm amazed at what you all came up with. I would like to extend a special thank you to all the teachers, parents, and mentors who have worked with us to make this fair possible. On behalf of the North Carolina Science Fair Foundation, which is the organization that sponsors the Science and Engineering Fair for the state, I'd like to express sincere appreciation to Judy Day, right here, wave Judy, who is our long-serving volunteer director of the North Carolina Science and Engineering Fair. Her tireless leadership and dedication are very much appreciated. I also want to recognize the foundation's executive director, Stephanie Smith, for her consistent service and leadership in working with the fair's planning committee, our board, and each of you in making this year's fair possible. I'd also like to say thank you to our regional directors, and the hundreds of judges and volunteers that you see here today. Some are not here because they volunteered in advance, and they worked throughout the year to ensure the success of an event like what we have here today. To North Carolina State University, our host for the State Fair, we express continued thanks for all the support that we've received, special thanks to Chancellor Randy Woodson and the Vice Chancellor, Dr. Donika Scott, and the Division of the Academic and Student Affairs team for their senior-level support. Hasn't this been really nice, the facilities here today? Yeah. All right, before I begin the presentation of our special awards category winners, I would like to express that all of the students today who participated in this fair are winners in the truest sense of the word. Be very, very proud of yourselves, and you made it to the state-level competition, so you all deserve awards just for that. You should be very proud of yourself. Please keep up the good work and stay curious, okay? Yes. One of the things that I forgot to mention is that we do have a professional photographer who takes pictures of all the award winners, and they're in a room right on the other side. So if your name is called out, please come up these steps on this side so we can give you award and shake your hand, and then you're going to go out in that direction to be able to have your picture made in the room that's right over there, okay? And when your picture is made, you can come right back in through any of these doors and be seated. Got it? Thank you. All right, parents, don't forget to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, at NC Science Fair. All right, so we will begin with the hybrid fair special awards. So for the Association of Women in Science, North Carolina chapter, the Association of Women in Science, the award goes to Amaya Jones, Region 4, for the project Growing Strong, Comparing Plant Growth in Different Soils. Congratulations. All right, for the Girl Scouts, North Carolina Coastal Pines, creating a better world sponsored by the Girl Scouts, and for this one, there's a certificate in Goody Bag. One female student who overcomes challenges and demonstrates confidence in whose project promotes making the world a better place. This award goes to Avadi Sheeth and Avika Sheeth, Region 6, UNC Charlotte, North Carolina, for the project Organic Produce, Sustained Increase in Consumer Demand. Congratulations. All right, for the North Carolina One Water Association Award, the honorable mention goes to Tyler Shaffroth and Arav Talavia, for the project How Does Gray Water Effect the Growth of Plants, Region 6. Congratulations. For the NC One Water Association Third Place Award, the award goes to Kayati Mail, Region 3A, for the project Aquaponic Farming. NC One Water Association Second Place Award goes to William Lawry of Region 7, for the project How Can the Sun Filter Water? Congratulations. All right, for the North Carolina SMT Center Promising Young Researcher Award, elementary, the award goes to Ila Kuset-Kaiser, Ava Delaney, Emma Herron, of Region 5, for the project The Best Roof Case Scenario. Congratulations. Hold on just a second. Ila Kuset-Kaiser. Hold on just a second. Hold on just a second. All right, so somebody please send me some pictures. Okay? Everybody's got my e-mail address, I know. All right, all right. What's your number? The one water people would like to have a little picture of all these students. Okay, now everybody's going to get a picture of me. Yeah, professionally. For all of them? Next. Next. All right, so I'm going to start again with the North Carolina SMT Promising Young Researcher Award for the elementary division. We have Ila Kuset-Kaiser and Ava Delaney, Emma Herron, from Region 5, for the project The Best Roof Case Scenario. We also have Pierce Richardson from Region 2, for the project Nobody Wants Diarrhea. Does the order of the materials used in a water filter matter? And we also have Maximilian Solomon from Region 3A, for the project What Did the T-Rex Sound Like? Congratulations. Now for the North Carolina Engineering Fair Hybrid All-Divisions Awards. We have several honorable mentions, right? And I'm going to call out several projects here. I believe we have 15. All right, I'm going to switch up a bit. So for the North Carolina Center for After-School Elementary Award for Creativity and STEM, we have two recipients, April Grace Marino and Amina Abduleva. Abduleva. All right, so for all divisions, honorable mention, we have Bryson Kennedy from Region 1, for the project Excellent Enamel. We also have George James, Mark Gracie from Region 3A, for the project Effect of Garlic on Yeast Growth. You all can come up as I call you. We have Maggie McLean from Region 6, for the project The Effects of Sugar and Sugar Alternatives on Blood Guklos. And we have Sathvik Mikaela from Region 6, for the project Creamalicious. We have Zoe Reigns from Region 5, for the project Plant Growth, Do They Always Grow Up? Ava Gilbert, Region 2. What is really in our water? Sam Kane from Region 8, for the project Neodymium Car. I don't know if I pronounced that correct. Congratulations. Rory O'Neill from Region 5, Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones, But What Will Protect Them? Jack Spanhake, Region 4, for the project Is Your Refrigerator Running? All right. We have a group, Steven Androjack, Cason Brown, Gio Villicina from Region 2, for the project The Egg. All right. We have Matthew Chu from Region 3A, for the project Apple Crunchiness Equals Density. Mia Mulan from Region 3A, for the project Does Temperature Effect the Strength of a Magnet? Colton Parsons from Region 7, How Far Can You Hit One? All right. Exemplary Elementary Projects. We have Kaelin Garcia from Region 5, Huff Puff and Blow Your House Down. Vega Vijayhan from Region 3A, for the project The Relationship Between the Weight and Speed of a Drone. Garrett Wadsworth from Region 2, Firm Foundations. Gannette Hook from Region 6, for the project A Lead on Lead. Sahana Seethie Brown, Josephine Tressler from Region 8, Asset Rain, Good or Bad. Ellie Anderson from Region 5, Wings for the Win. All right. We have a group, Annalise Miller, Amaya Millican, Mackenzie Kress from Region 5, For the project Stop, Get Out of the Pool. Another group, Jolin Eckersburg and Anya Mathur from Region 3A, for the project Light Pollution. Penny Brown and Abigail Lewis from Region 5, Messy Kids vs. Stain Removers. Chayton Dillard from Region 7, Can Honey Save Lives? Lena Huang from Region 6, for the project How Does Temperature and Time Effect Different Carbonated Drinks? Bryson Kennedy from Region 1, Excellent Enamel. Got George James and Mark Gracie from Region 3A, Effect of Garlic on Yeast Growth. Maggie McLean from Region 6, The Effects of Sugar and Sugar Alternatives on Blood Glucose. Sothfeek McKayla, Region 6, for Cream Licious. Let's get you ready. Okay, so we're going to get a picture of... All right, thank you. All right. Now we need to go have a picture. What's the project? Chase. What's the project? What's the project? We'll post them online. She's one of them. Let's do it. Okay. And we have one more honorable mention, Chase Tamala. So in addition to the exemplary awards that we just gave out, we have five additional exemplary awards that are also Ryle's grand awards. And we have Scott Ryle's up here as well to shake your hand. All right, so we... Thank you. For the Dewey and Susan Ryle's Memorial Award, the first recipient is Santiago Hernandez from Region 3A, for the Project Light Color for Indoor Gardens. Lillian Jones from Region 8, Coffee Time. Flynn Cornage, Region 2, for the Project Solar Heating Alternative. Aria Senha, Region 3A, for Let's Take Flight. Lexi Spanhaig, Region 4, when the ants go marching in. And for Commitment Award, I'm going to go back and call it... Does that was the end of the exemplary, right? Yeah. Just mentioned that we've got a Commitment Award, and we're going to put that slide up, bear with us. Okay. And more than that student, you can call his name. Okay. If you all just give us a moment, we have a Coding for Commitment Award, and we're going to put that slide up. And we can say that this is usually a Junior Award, so we don't have it here. All right, so this is the Broadcom Coding with Commitment Award, and it can be for students in grades 5 through 8. And the judges determined that a fifth grader had the best project for it. So this is a Monetary Award in addition, and the student also gets a Raspberry Pi. And now, those of us from my generation went, oh, I like Raspberry Pi, you know? Well, but if you're into coding, Raspberry Pi is a really cool thing, because you can do all kinds of coding with it, you can do all kinds of neat stuff. And so it's not the Pi that you eat, okay? All right, so we're waiting for the slide to go up so we can make that big announcement. It's up. All right. So I have to read from the slide. The winner of the Broadcom Coding for Commitment is Luke Johnson. And so, Luke, you were more in school with the Junior stuff, so we didn't have to get it, so hang on a little while. Okay? Congrats. So congratulations. Right straight through there. Oh. Luke. Oh, look. All right, so before we close, we're going to draw for the winners of the STEM passport drawing. We don't have an A. Okay, so we have to get the names to draw over here. Just a moment, we're going to draw for the winners of the passport drawing. Is there anyone that didn't put their passport in for the drawing? All right, it's not bouncing. It's not, is it? The official mixer upper. Let's pick a good one. Okay, this is one. All right, we've got Lavanya Singhal. So we can tell who won it. Then comes these science news. We have two of those. All right, and we also have Molly Money. Description to science news. What about the thermal fissure water? We just gave that one. Nearly subscriptions to science news published by the Society of Science. Now there's student. Oh, Molly Money, she is... Yes, she's the first. Yep, just one of these. Okay. And then the second one-year subscription goes to Ravi Kumar Shadravi. All right, and we have two cash gift cards. And the first winner is Sophia Nugan. And the second, Noah Edwards. All right, so those who've gotten SMT certificates, you also have SMT medals that you can come and receive. So anyone that has an SMT award, that's Ayla, Ava, Emma, Pierce, Maximilian. So that concludes the awards recognition portion of the program. Please give all of the students a round of applause. Well, thank you once again for all of our student participants for your amazing contributions to STEM research. I encourage you all to continue being innovative and be sure to continue participating in the North Carolina Science and Engineering Fair. We can't wait to see what you come up with next and see you March 23 and 24 of 2024.