An Inspiring Day With Wilsonville High School Students

On March 11, I participated in the CREST–Jane Goodall Science Symposium at Wilsonville High School as a judge, and I have to say it was a fantastic event—educational, enlightening, and engaging. The symposium featured approximately 130 science-based project entries from both middle school and high school students representing the Wilsonville and West Linn school districts.

The projects spanned 12 different scientific categories, including Life Science, Medicine & Clinical Science, Electrical & Mechanical Engineering, and Energy & Environmental Engineering—the category for which I had the opportunity to judge.

Within the Energy & Environmental Engineering category, our judging team reviewed 12 projects that explored a wide range of topics, from new ideas around energy production to innovative concepts for removing forever chemicals and recycling microplastics from our environment.

The students clearly put significant thought and effort into their work. Their projects were well researched, carefully executed, and confidently presented, demonstrating both technical understanding and creative problem-solving.

My biggest takeaway from the event was how encouraging it is to see students approaching environmental and health challenges from such a thoughtful and practical perspective.

Many of the projects reflected an awareness of the environmental impacts created by past environmental/health actions, while also focusing on forward-looking solutions. It was inspiring to see young people thinking critically about these issues and exploring ways to improve our world for the future. I truly hope to see some of the projects continue to develop and produce meaningful results in the years ahead.

Please follow this link if you’re interested in seeing the results of the event (scroll to bottom of page).

As always, I welcome the opportunity to discuss this — or any other issues —with you. You can reach me at scull@wilsonvilleoregon.gov or 971-804-0613.