Competition Aims to Engage Students to Broaden Understanding of Biotechnological Advancements
ELK GROVE, Calif. – May 25, 2018 – Sheldon High School Bio-Technology Academy students walked away with 23 awards in the 2018 Teen Biotech Challenge (TBC) using website design. In addition, a student from both Laguna Creek High School and Franklin High School also took home an award. With biotechnology transforming daily lives in agriculture, medicine, biofuels and bioremediation, products developed using advanced biological techniques span a wide range of commercial and humanitarian applications. The Teen Biotech Challenge aims to promote awareness and understanding of the many ways biotechnology positively impacts society and motivates participating students to gain skills in research and creative web design while achieving recognition from peers, educators and members of the biotech community.
The challenge is open to students in grades 9-12 who are tasked to choose a biotech topic within one of seven designated focus areas: Agricultural Biotechnology; Computational & Systems Biology; Drug Discovery & Biomanufacturing; Environmental Biotechnology; Nanobiotechnology; Personal Genomics & Human Health; and Regenerative Medicine. Using their own research, students developed web pages that illustrated the chosen technology’s impact on society. Then, students developed an educational website that was judged for adherence to contest directions, quality of information, web design and overall presentation.
Student winners were recognized at the 2018 Teen Biotech Challenge Awards Symposium at UC Davis on May 18, 2018. During the evening’s program, first place students delivered brief oral remarks on their biotech topic and experiences building their websites.
| Agricultural Biotechnology | Student Name(s) | “High School – Sponsor Teacher” |
Website Name | URL |
| First Place | Vivian Nguyen | Sheldon HS – Kelli Kosney | Planting a Better Future | https://viviannguyen84.wixsite.com/betterfuture |
| Second Place | Katie Yang | Sheldon HS – Justin Cecil | “Genetic Engineering in Agriculture: The Restoration of Food” |
https://kkatieyg.wixsite.com/gm-crops |
| Third Place (TIE) | Brandon Pham | Sheldon HS – Laura Ziegenhirt | GM Crops: Fighting Hunger with Science | https://phambrandonn.wixsite.com/mysite-1 |
| Third Place (TIE) | Noah Dutra | Laguna Creek HS – Michael Frei | GM Foods: Feeding the World | https://noahdutra.wixsite.com/biotech |
| Honorable Mention | Julia Nguyen | Sheldon HS – Jason Brennan | Reproductive Cloning | https://juliahnnguyen8.wixsite.com/reproductivecloning |
| Honorable Mention | Jazmine Minhaz | Sheldon HS – Bob Fendall | Genetically Modified Crops | https://jazmineminhas.wixsite.com/gmcrops |
| Computational Biology & Genomics | Student Name(s) | “High School – Sponsor Teacher” |
Website Name | URL |
| First Place | Anna Guzman | Sheldon HS – Kelli Kosney | Computational Genomics: The “How” of Science | https://annajguzman20.wixsite.com/computationalgenomic |
| Third Place (TIE) | Jasmeen Randhawa | Sheldon HS – Bob Fendall | Human Cellular Aging: Extending your Legacy | https://jasminerandhawa6.wixsite.com/humancellularaging |
| Third Place (TIE) | Yen Nguyen | Sheldon HS – Justin Cecil | “Bioinformatics: Where biology meets computer science” |
https://ypnguyen17.wixsite.com/bioinformatics |
| Drug Discovery & Biomanufacturing | Student Name(s) | “High School – Sponsor Teacher” |
Website Name | URL |
| Third Place | Lelian Pham | Sheldon HS – Jason Brennan | Drug Discovery: HIV and AIDS | https://lelianpham.wixsite.com/hivandaids |
| Honorable Mention | Kelly (Huyen) Tran | Sheldon HS – Kelli Kosney | Cancer Immunotherapy | https://itskellytran.wixsite.com/cancerimmunotherapy |
| Honorable Mention | Jenny Luu | Sheldon HS – Bob Fendall | “Cancer Immunotherapy: The Hopes of Countless Millions” |
https://jenny8luu.wixsite.com/cancerimmunotherapy |
| Environmental Biotechnology | Student Name(s) | “High School – Sponsor Teacher” |
Website Name | URL |
| First Place | Reinier Bautista | Sheldon HS – Laura Ziegenhirt | “Bioremediation: Saving Our Environment, One Microorganism at a Time” | https://reinierb1121.wixsite.com/bioremediation |
| Honorable Mention | Annika Tamaki | Sheldon HS – Jason Brennan | Cool It, Earth! | https://annikatamaki.wixsite.com/coolitearth |
| Honorable Mention | Janell Phung | Sheldon HS – Kelli Kosney | Bioplastics: The Gateway to Bettering Earth Day by Day | https://janellphung.wixsite.com/bioplastics |
| Molecular Tools | Student Name(s) | “High School – Sponsor Teacher” |
Website Name | URL |
| Second Place | Nicole Hoang | Sheldon HS – Kelli Kosney | Advances in Gene Knockout Technologies | https://nicolehoang13.wixsite.com/geneknockout |
| Third Place (TIE) | Mai Lam | Sheldon HS – Bob Fendall | Gene Therapy: The Future of Modern Medicine | https://mailam062002.wixsite.com/mysite |
| Third Place (TIE) | Michele Truong | Sheldon HS – Laura Ziegenhirt | Peeling the Banana Genome: Harnessing the Power of Genomic Research | http://micheletbid.wixsite.com/peelingthegenome |
| Honorable Mention | Tiffany Situ | Sheldon HS – Jason Brennan | CRISPR: The Future of Gene-Editing | https://tiffanysitu.wixsite.com/crispr |
| Honorable Mention | Kamille Maningding | Sheldon HS – Justin Cecil | Pathogen Detection: Identification of the Microscopic Killers | https://kmaningding1.wixsite.com/tinykillersdetected |
| Honorable Mention | Skyler Wong | Sheldon HS – Laura Ziegenhirt | Biohacking: The Forefront to Evolution | http://skylerwong.wixsite.com/biohacking |
| Regenerative Medicine & Biomedical Engineering | Student Name(s) | “High School – Sponsor Teacher” |
Website Name | URL |
| Second Place | Tala Abboushi | Sheldon HS – Jason Brennan | Tissue Engineering: Creating Tissues and Saving Lives | https://talaabboushi.wixsite.com/tissuengineering |
| Third Place | Hannah Saephanh | Sheldon HS – Justin Cecil | Building An Empire With The Artificial Womb | https://hsaephanh.wixsite.com/futureofthewombs |
| Honorable Mention | Mark Mislang and Diena Salman | Franklin HS – Ron Siemens | Stem Cells: The Revolutionary Cure | https://markgmislang.wixsite.com/therevolutionarycure |
| Honorable Mention | Soleil Gonzalez | Sheldon HS – Kelli Kosney | The Future of Organ Transplants | https://soleilg02.wixsite.com/organtransplants |
About the Elk Grove Unified School District
The Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) is the fifth-largest school district in California located in southern Sacramento County. EGUSD covers 320 square miles and includes 67 schools: 42 elementary schools, nine middle schools, nine high schools, five alternative education schools, an adult school, one charter school and a virtual academy. Offering a multitude of educational programs, including over 70 career-themed academies and pathways within 15 industry sectors, we prepare our students for college and career by supporting them with the means to be creative problem solvers; self-aware, self-reliant, and self-disciplined; technically literate; effective communicators and collaborators; and engaged in the community as individuals with integrity. We integrate rigorous academics with career-based learning and real world workplace experiences and ensure that Every Student is Learning, in Every Classroom, in Every Subject, Every Day.
For more information about the Elk Grove Unified School District, please visit www.egusd.net and follow us @ElkGroveUnified on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Eventbrite.
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