Viera Student Wins in Brevard Science Fair

By Dayana Westhaver

Freshman Mitchell Albright won 3^rd place in the Brevard Mainland Science and Engineering Fair at the Merritt Square Mall. He placed in Materials Science, which is a part of chemistry. The process to get far, though, was not an easy task.

Mitchell stated, “I wanted to do it because I enjoy the topic. I’ve participated in the class for three years now and I enjoy it.”Mitchell’s title to his amazing project was, “Which Metal Would Best Build Up An On Energy Converter, While Lasting the Longest?”  He tested three different metals for corrosion and attempted to find out which metal type would be the most efficient in an oceanic/saltwater environment. The project consisted of him submerging three different metal types in their own saltwater tanks for about 30 days (aluminum, carbon steel, and stainless steel). Every other day, he took the conductivity of each metal sample. He took the mass at the beginning and at the end. Sounds hard? Well, it was. It even earned 3^rd place and received a certificate and medallion from the American Structural Materials Education Association.

Mitchell concludetd hat the project, and the experience that when along with it, was a fantastic one.  He enjoys doing it every year. He even got to work with the Kennedy Space Center to see his final analysis of data! He worked in his mentor’s lab and used high-tech equipment that wouldn’t be found in your everyday classroom. If you see him around say “congratulations!” because what he did was complex and fascinating.