Senior Project Mini-Grants

In 2019, the foundation started the Senior Research Project Mini-Grant program. The grant’s purpose is to assist students in purchasing supplies for their senior research project, or to buy equipment for CBGS that allows students to pursue new types of research. We never want an inability to purchase supplies to limit the scope of student research ideas!

2020 Mini-Grant Support

With generous community support, the CBGS Education Foundation was able to fund supplies for 13 Senior Project Mini-Grants for the 2020-21 school year. Below are the students who were supported and their Project titles. We are looking forward to seeing their success in the 2020-21 school year!

Emma Almassy: Comparing the efficacy of different hand sanitizers on bacteria found in everyday environments

Eleanor Veazey: Measuring algae growth on various materials in the Potomac River

Paula Paterson: Power Potatos

Sofia Harrison: Uncovering the Myth: Blood Type and Personality

Amar Dunham: Reducing Ammonia Toxicity Levels Present in Fish by Adjusting Fish Stressors

Lydia Wallace: Alage as an effective remover of CO2

Jessica Medlin: The Effects of Obesity on Fertility of Drosophila

The following was a group application because all the projects needed the same consumable supplies:

Jaime Beazley: A Study of Bacteria in Dog Saliva

Rachel Easter: The Effect of Acne Medication on Good Skin Bacteria

Katelynn Headley: Analysis of Bacteria Presence After High Pressure Hand Dryer Use

Grace Oren: Bacteria in Baseball Equipment Throughout the Season

Kayla Oren: A Study of Bacteria on Grocery Store Produce

Amanda Steensma: What is Considered a Clean Hospital Room?

2019 Mini-Grant Support

The CBGS Education Foundation Senior Project Mini-Grants funded supplies for the following students for the 2019-20 school year: Channing Pitts, Alice Sisson, Brian Balderson, Bev Arbogast, Avianna Hopewell, and Kyleigh Cooksey.

Bev, Channing, and Brian  won the “exemplary project” award at the CBGS VCU symposium

Avianna, Bev, Channing, Brian, and Alice were all accepted to the Virginia Junior Academy of Science.

Brian was also accepted to the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS)

Individual 2019 Mini-Grant winner testimonies 

Left: Channing using CBGS Foundation purchased vacu-vials with a spectrophotometer to quantify water nitrate and phosphate levels.
Right: Channing collecting the water samples from the Pamunkey River near the West Point paper mill.

“I have been testing the nitrate and phosphate levels at the mouth of the York River, primarily focusing on the WestRock Mill in West Point, Va. The Education Foundation’s Grant helped make my project a success!.” -Channing

Left: Avianna dipping a long white sampler into the beaver pond to be used to find bacteria counts as well as testing for nitrates and phosphates with materials bought with Foundation funds.
Right: Avianna presenting her research at the VCU Science Symposium.

“I am grateful to have received the funds from the CBGS Educational Foundation. With the help of the foundation, I will be able to conduct all of my research on the water quality above and below beaver dams. Hopefully, my results show that beaver dams do improve the water quality. Thus, showing the significance of beavers and their dams.” -Avianna

Left: Bev wading far out in the Potomac taking samples for nitrate, phosphate, sulfate, and dissolved oxygen testing using materials the Foundation financed.
Right: Kyleigh deploying bird seed in the bird feeders that the Foundation financed.

 

 

 

 

 

The picture at left shows Brian preparing his research study plants and watering mixtures with the supplies the foundation purchased for his project. The picture at right shows Brian’s plant growing setup.