Announcing The 2016 DuPont Challenge Winners!
We proudly congratulate the top winners of The 2016 DuPont Challenge Science Essay Competition, as well as all students and teachers who joined us in celebrating the competition’s 30th anniversary.
We received thousands of examples of great writing, thorough research, and passion for taking on the world’d challenges—feeding the world, building a secure energy future, protecting people and the environment, and being innovative anywhere. We look forward to seeing even more science excellence in the years to come!
The top essays as chosen by our judges have earned a number of amazing awards for the students as well as for their teachers, including an expenses-paid awards trip to Orlando, FL!
See the full list of Junior Division Winners
See the full list of Senior Division Winners
JUNIOR DIVISION
(GRADES 6, 7, AND 8)
First Place:
Sonja Michaluk
Timberlane Middle School
Pennington, NJ
Sponsoring Teacher: Kelli Iannacone
Essay: Because Salamanders Cannot Speak for Themselves
(Read essay excerpt)
Second Place:
Makena Stack
H.B. duPont Middle School
Hockessin, DE
Sponsoring Teacher: Dana Wisnoski
Essay: Saving the Sea Turtle from Our Plastic Ocean, One Bite at a Time
Third Place:
Liliana Fiorini
Van Avery Prep
Temecula, CA
Sponsoring Teacher: Kim Kocaya
Essay: Living with the Threat of Anaphylaxis
SENIOR DIVISION
(GRADES 9, 10, 11, AND 12)
First Place:
Fudong Fan
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Alexandria, VA
Sponsoring Teacher: Jennifer Seavey
Essay: Out with the Old, Silicon, in with the New, Graphene
(Read essay excerpt)
Second Place:
Brendan Cheng
Gilmour Academy
Gates Mills, OH
Sponsoring Teacher: Paul Appelbaum
Essay: Star Wars: The Biomedical Engineer Awakens
Third Place (TIE)
Caroline Levine
Blind Brook High School
Rye Brook, NY
Sponsoring Teacher: Michele Sugantino
Essay: Using Fingers to Do the Hearing
Third Place (TIE)
Chase Krug
Linn-Mar High School
Marion, IA
Sponsoring Teacher: Barbara Lemmer
Essay: Domesticating New Crop Species
Keep up with the latest updates and news by signing up for The DuPont Challenge LAUNCH e-newsletter and following The DuPont Challenge Facebook page. We encourage all teachers and students to continue pursuing excellence in science and science writing!