With her victory, Gibbs earned a one-year scholarship to Abraham Baldwin from the ABAC Foundation. She also received a trophy and the Harry R. Gross Memorial Award. This award is presented to the senior division winner. Gibbs' name will be placed on a traveling plaque that will be kept at her school for the next year. She will also receive a $100 cash award, which will be presented at Tift County High School's honors program in the spring.
Jia Lin from the TCHS Northeast Campus placed second in the senior division. She won a trophy for her project "To Find a Simple Method for Family Households to Preserve the Apples."
Lindsey Gibbs from Turner County Middle School won first place in the junior division (grades 6 - 8) for her project "Which Filter Works Best at Removing Dust from the Air?"
Lindsey Brock from Lowndes Middle School, won second place in the junior division for her project "Clear Eyes: Cataract/Fiber Optic Model." Both junior division winners received trophies.
The teachers of the first place winners in the senior and junior divisions also received awards. Amy Heidt, teacher of senior division winner Rachel Gibbs, and Jane White, teacher of junior division winner Lindsey Gibbs, were awarded plaques.
The Suber Award for the best project in the field of entomology went to Jake O'Neal from Hahira Middle School. He received a plaque for his project "What Types of Foods Do Ants Prefer?" The American Chemical Society Award of a $50 savings bond for the best chemistry project in the fair went to Millicent Hodge from J. L. Newbern Middle School in Valdosta. The title of her project was "Do Different Varieties of the Same Fruit Contain the Same Level of Vitamin C?" Her teacher, Felicia Lawrence, received a year's subscription to the Journal of Chemical Education.
A total of 140 students from seven counties (Tift, Lowndes, Turner, Irwin, Ben Hill, Brooks, and Colquitt) participated in the fair. ABAC Science & Mathematics Division Chair Ray Barber coordinated the event.
Twenty-one students qualified for the Georgia Science and Engineering Fair (State Competition) in Athens on April 5 - 7. Qualifiers by county include Jenna Bonnell, Lindsey Brock, Unessee Hargett, III, Millicent Hodge, Mary Kutzli, Jake O'Neal, Alison Rowell, Paul Ruddle, II, A. J. Stracener, Stephanie Thomas, and Emily Touchton of Lowndes; Meiko Camp and Clay Gills of Irwin; Ashley Chitty and Elizabeth Yearta of Colquitt; Eve Felton, Rachel Gibbs, and Jia Lin of Tift; Lindsey Gibbs and Jamara Shipp of Turner; and Joanna Hair of Ben Hill.
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