More than 100 middle and upper school student researchers shared their projects at the annual Bolles Science Expo on Dec. 7 in Cain Gym on the Bolles Upper School San Jose Campus.
A more comprehensive approach to an annual science fair, the event included displays of research projects and demonstrations from students in Honors and AP Biology as well as other science and technology classes and clubs. This is the first year middle school students participated in the Science Expo, with members of the Biomimicry Club bringing projects to the show.
Sarah Park ’25 and Riya Kar ’24, the school’s returning International Science and Engineering Fair veterans, also shared their new research projects alongside fellow 2023 SPARK Scholars Christina Dovellos ’25, Madeline Kaiser ’24, Annika Mirjankar ’24, Simran Naval ’24, Krish Patel ’25 and Amanda Tun ’25.
According to the Mayo Clinic website, the SPARK Research Mentorship Program provides high school students unparalleled mentored research experience in world-class laboratories at Mayo Clinic. SPARK, which stands for Science Program for the Advancement of Research Knowledge, started at Mayo Clinic in the summer of 2017 for students from Duval and St. Johns counties. During the program, SPARK scholars produce highly competitive projects that they enter in science fairs, and many have won regional and state awards, honors and prize dollars for their research.
