Spring 2020 PlantingScience *STAR* Projects
Congratulations to Spring 2020 Star Project award-winning teams!
Sharing information and ideas to improve thinking for all is a very important part of science. In this section, we highlight a few exemplary research projects. We profile student teams at each age level whose overall research was strong, and who did an exceptional job at one or more aspects of scientific research and communication. The Star Projects listed on this page highlight some of the best projects nominated by our scientist mentors and teachers. Take a look at the hard work middle and high school students are doing around the world!
To go back to the Main Star Project Gallery, click here!
To see ALL PlantingScience Star Projects, click here!
| Team Name | Why is it a STAR project? How can other teams learn from what this team has done? | School | Category(ies) | Nominated by: |
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mhsmirandaspring2020 project 12  |
These students come from a small town in central California, where agriculture and plant science are incredibly important. From the start, it was clear that they had experience in developing experiments. Their procedure was well thought out, with tasks assigned to each person on a calendar. The students were unafraid to ask questions, and were able to learn more as a result. I was impressed with how well prepared they were to conduct the experiment, and the quality of their final report was exceptional. | Mendota High School | Planning Your Study, Doing Investigations, Making Sense of Findings, Making Presentations, Online Communication, Recording Your Ideas | Tracey Simmons, Scientist Mentor |
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Though the Spring 2020 session was cut short for the Forest Rascals, this team had a strong beginning and I'm sure would've completed their project on the same note. They were highly motivated and interested by the C-Fern investigation theme. By brainstorming new experimental design options to investigate asexual and sexual reproduction (and always striving to further understand the biological mechanisms of fern growth and reproduction), they exemplified qualities of a star project team. | Central High School | Planning Your Study, Doing Investigations, Making Sense of Findings, Innovation: Going Beyond the PlantingScience Project | Elizabeth Stunz, Scientist Mentor |
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hvchsluccispring2020 project 2 |
I think this group excelled in collaborating and being thorough in everything they did in terms of communicating and presenting. | Hopwell Valley Central High School | Making Sense of Findings, Making Presentations | Karen Lucci, Teacher |
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hvchsluccispring2020 project 7 |
I thought they were innovative in their approach to the question, drawing on prior knowledge. | Hopwell Valley Central High School | Planning Your Study, Doing Investigations, Making Sense of Findings, Making Presentations | Karen Lucci, Teacher |
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This team showed resilience in face of an extraordinary scenario. Despite the global pandemic having affected their capacity to perform their planned experiment, they remained engaged with the project and looked for lessons in previous experiments that were aimed at testing their hypothesis, keeping up with comminucation in the online forum. | Vision Charter School | Doing Investigations, Online Communication | Marina Osorio, Scientist Liaison |
