Taos Schools Science/STEM Fair is a unique program that covers grades 6-12 and reaches out to younger grade levels to help inspire and guide students with STEM research practices through projects. This program is primarily based out of Taos Middle School, but has helped students from all over the community including from Taos High School, Cyber Magnet, Taos Academy and Homeschool. The “Tyger Lab” at Taos Middle School is a full instruction laboratory that allows students to research life sciences, physical sciences, engineering and computers as far as they can imagine, and as far as budget allows.

The Science STEM/Fair celebrated its 40 th year of existence in January with the local science fair. Originally started by Ernie Lopez, and now under the direction of Laura Tenorio, the science fair expanded its horizons from the traditional Local  Regional  State  Internationals track to one that encompasses other STEM competitions. In 40 years, Taos Science Fair has sent 68 kids to the Intel International Science Fair. The program has also gotten over 4,000 scholarships for Taos students; some of them “full ride”.

Over the years, Taos has had an International Grand Award winner (Majdolene Khweis -2010), who had a Star named after her, and have won numerous awards in additional to scholarships. It is estimated that the program has earned over a million dollars+ in scholarships and prizes for Taos Students from the traditional science fair path. The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair is the largest pre-collegate science competition in the world. Every year, 1700 to 2000 high school students from 70 countries, and all 50 states come together in a major city to compete for over $5 million in prizes.

The Season was successful. It started out in June when the team, Crabyotics entered the eCybermission Online National Science Fair; the second team in Taos history to enter and make it to Nationals. This team became the overall National Champions of this fair. The same team had won 4 th place in the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge.

The Crabyotics team win enabled them to be invited to present at the 5 th annual White House Science Fair, where they met many dignitaries including Bill Nye the Science Guy, the head of the Department of Education and the head of the US Patent Office. They also attended a live speech with President Obama.

Crabyotics (in the form of Anthony and Andrea) continued on through regular science fair with the next phase of the project. These students placed from the Regional Fair as 1 st Place, to go to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh, PA, where they won a special award from the King Abdul-Aziz & his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity

The following is the Science Fair by the numbers: -Local Science Fair: 482 exhibits. -Regional Placers: 75 exhibitors Middle School /High School. 18 High Schoolers. -State Placers: 9 exhibits = High School, 10 exhibits = Middle Schoolers -Not pictured: Khaled Khweis 10 th, 2 nd Regionals, Exhibitor – State -NM State Sponsor of the Year 2014 & 2015: Laura Tenorio Will Song, 9 th grade 1 st Regionals Exhibitor - State Ariana Baca, 9 th 2nd Regionals Exhibitor - State Julia Johnson, 10 th 1 st Regionals 3 rd - State James Valerio, 9 th 1 st Regionals 2 nd - State

Hayden Randall 11 th 1 st Regionals 2 nd – State 5 th - NAIVSEF Arasely Rodriguez Priscilla Martinez 11 th grade 2 nd Regionals 1 st - State Amos Gray, 11th 1 st Regionals Honorable Mention - State Richard Walker, 8th grade 2 nd Regionals 1 st – State Broadcom MASTERS Quarterfinalist

Delaney Galligan, 8th 1 st Regionals HonMention- State Mare Kaulakis, 8th 1 st Regionals Exhibitor - State Tyler Machardy, 8th 1 st Regionals 3rd- State Alicia Rael, 8th 2 nd Regionals 3rd- State Skylar Magee, 8th 2nd Regionals Exhibitor - State Nate Martinez,7th 2nd Regionals Exhibitor - State Natalia Chavez, 8 th 2nd Regionals 2nd- State Tyler Valencia, 8 th 1 st Regionals Exhibitor - State

This year, 22 teams from grades 6-9 entered the eCybermission Cyber Science Fair. All 1 st and 2 nd Places were awarded to Taos Middle/High School in the State of New Mexico: 6 th Grade: 1 st Place: Epidermyst** Kelly Tonrey, Santiago Valerio, Jordan Montoya 2 nd Place: Anti-Vampyres Abdul Khweis, Jesse Casias, Joshua Casias 7 th Grade: 1 st Place: Enertygers Indigo Acosta, Nathaniel Martinez, Daniel Cordova 2 nd Place: Naturalystics Robert Trujillo, Cassandra Ruiz, Nicholas Ortiz, Amani Vigil

8 th Grade: 1 st Place: Chywater** Richard Walker, McKenzie Henderson, Martha Rodriguez, Chloe Rojas-Grainger 2 nd Place: Oxysynthesis Delaney Galligan, Alicia Rael, Ashley Martinez, Nicholas Fresquez 9th Grade: 1 st Place: Baby Cloud Will Song, Ariana Baca, Yesenia Pereyra, Shurey Trujillo 1st Place = $1000 Savings Bond/student, 2 nd Place = $500 Savings Bond **Regional Placer = $1000 extra per student.

The Science Fair STEM Team also participated in numerous other events including helping with Supercomputing Challenge, Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) and STEM-H workshops. In the School year, the Science/STEM team earned $52,000 in scholarships, prizes and other awards.