Remarkable Researchers: Science Focus Program students earn top awards for science projects

June 12, 2025

Lincoln Public Schools scientists used strong exploration skills to pin their names on state educational maps this spring.
 
Eight Science Focus Program (SFP) students shared their scientific knowledge at the Nebraska Junior Academy of Sciences (NJAS) State Science Fair. Lily Ardinger Stibal, Ophelia Beltran, Sophie Donner, K.J. Hartman, Claire Johnson, Alexia McDonald, Liam O’Neal and Cara Rezac presented research on subjects ranging from soil microbes to water-based macroinvertebrates.
 
Ardinger Stibal, Beltran, Donner, Hartman, Johnson, McDonald and O’Neal were all seniors this spring and Rezac was a junior. Ardinger Stibal, Donner and Hartman were chosen to present at the American Junior Academy of Sciences (AJAS) Annual Program in Phoenix next winter, and McDonald was selected to compete in the United States Stockholm Junior Water Prize contest this month.
 
SFP teacher Emily Rose Seifferlein said she was proud of everyone’s work. Students first prepared scientific posters for the Southeast Regional NJAS Science Fair. Professional scientists rated and discussed the merits of their scientific questions, data collection methods, research analysis and communication techniques. The same rigorous process happened at the state event later in the spring.

 
“Being skilled in scientific methodology and communication are critical skills for scientists,” Rose Seifferlein said. “The long-term projects that our students conduct each year allow them to grow in their understanding of how science is done in real life.”
 
Donner was ecstatic when she learned she had been chosen for nationals. She produced a project called “Assessment of Water Quality and Macroinvertebrates in Salt Creek: Lincoln, Neb.”
 
“My smile could have lifted me off the ground that day,” Donner said. “I was so proud after all the presenting to feel like it was a subject of interest not just for me, but to others as well.”
 
Donner reached out to University of Nebraska-Lincoln professors and gained access to equipment that helped her monitor water quality. She traveled to Salt Creek multiple times to analyze if macroinvertebrates such as aquatic insects were living in healthy water.
 
“Every time I got down to the creek to collect, I found myself enjoying the views, and I felt like I made a difference,” Donner said. “I enjoyed being able to work with UNL and all my teachers over the long months to produce meaningful research. I think I would be a completely different person without this experience!”
 
Donner discovered that there were unhealthy levels of total nitrogen and E. coli bacteria in Salt Creek. She learned people were dumping chemicals into the creek, which could cause dangerous nitrate levels in humans.
 
“Each of these is a sign that we aren’t taking care of our creek enough, and it may be harming more than just the animals and macros in the water, but also us,” Donner said.

 
Hartman examined the impact of socioeconomic factors on litter content in Lincoln for her four-month research project. She counted, sorted and recorded the types of garbage she found at ten parks around Lincoln twice a month. Her data revealed that more than 50 percent of Lincoln’s litter involved items such as nicotine and alcohol products.
 
“I absolutely loved doing this project,” Hartman said. “Though tedious and tiring at parts, I feel very proud of my contribution to the community and environment. When I found out that my project not only made state, but was selected for the national conference, I was completely stunned and thrilled! I already felt proud of my research, but these recognitions helped solidify that feeling.”
 
Hartman said it was fun to display her data at both the regional and state contests. She was thankful to have an opportunity to share her analysis with even more people in Phoenix Feb. 11-15.
 
“I am very grateful to have been able to make this project happen and compete with my fellow researchers,” Hartman said. “I am very excited to continue this project and for the conference!”
 
Ardinger Stibal compared the lives of adolescents and young adults with hearing loss and those with typical hearing for her project. She interviewed multiple students to learn how their social activities and experiences varied because of their hearing levels. She said she was “absolutely thrilled” when she was selected for nationals.

“It felt rewarding to have a project that I had put so much time, research and collaboration into recognized not only for the complexity needed to move on to the national level, but for the real-world impact it can have on people’s lives,” Ardinger Stibal said.

Ardinger Stibal said her personal knowledge of hearing loss played a key role in her project. She received cochlear implants when she was ten months old and participated in hearing research studies across the country. The studies focused on items such as language development, balance and listening.

“My passion and experience in research early on is in part what led me to apply to the Science Focus Program, as my experiences solidified for me how important science and technology is for our lives,” Ardinger Stibal said. “My senior capstone allowed me to express this in a way that was personal to me and that would improve the everyday lived experiences of those with hearing loss, recognizing both the struggles and successes those with hearing loss face every day.”
 
Ardinger Stibal’s research has already made an impression in Nebraska. She presented her findings at the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s Empowerment in Special Education Conference and Resource Day this spring. The event included representatives from many school and professional organizations.

 
McDonald will travel to St. Louis this month for the U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) contest. She will represent Nebraska on the national stage. The Stockholm International Water Institute began the SJWP contest in 1997 to encourage research about issues affecting oceans, seas, lakes, ponds, rivers and other waterways.
 
The United States contest will run from June 19-22 at Washington University. The winner will advance to the international event held in Sweden in August.
 
McDonald went to Holmes Lake and Pawnee Lake twice a week to explore their health. She focused her research on the population of sediment diatoms, which are single-celled algae that have cell walls made of silica. Diatoms play key roles in the nutrient cycling of marine and lake waters and serve as a major food source for mollusks and fish.

“I decided to focus on water quality and lake health for my project because, in my previous year’s study, I did another project focused on water quality and that helped me understand just how important having a healthy environment really is,” McDonald said. “In addition to that, at the Science Focus Program, we emphasized giving back to our community. In this way, I tried to create a project that could be used to help people and improve the care we put into our environment.”
 
There are many sediment diatom species, and each one has a specific tolerance for environmental factors in water like salinity. Scientists can determine the health of a lake by studying how many overall diatoms are present and which diatom species are most common.

“It’s always nice to get outside, but it was especially cool to see how the lake evolved over the seasons,” McDonald said. “It was also really cool to watch how the populations of diatoms changed as the conditions in the water changed. It was a real-time glimpse into how the small changes made by humanity amount to big changes in nature, which just emphasizes the need to protect our water sources.”
 
Rose Seifferlein said science fairs are a key part of the high school learning process. She said SFP students gained many life lessons that will benefit them in their scientific futures.
 
“Science cannot happen in a vacuum – it must be shared,” Rose Seifferlein said. “Science fairs like those held by the Nebraska Junior Academy of Sciences allow for students to practice communicating their findings to other experts and to the public. Our students go to college knowing how real science is done and how to share the results.”

SFP NJAS State Science Fair Qualifying Projects

Lily Ardinger Stibal – “Examining Lived Experience by Adolescents and Young Adults with Hearing Loss and Those with Typical Hearing”
Ophelia Beltran – “Impact of Redwood Cedar Trees on Insect and Arachnid Biodiversity in Southeast Nebraska”
Sophie Donner – “Assessment of Water Quality and Macroinvertebrates in Salt Creek: Lincoln, Neb.”
K.J. Hartman – “Examining the Impact of Socioeconomic Factors on Litter Content in Lincoln, Neb.”
Claire Johnson – “Comparison of Soil Microbes Within Reconstructed and Virgin Prairie Land”
Alexia McDonald – “Correlating Diatom Populations and Water Quality Indicators as Signs of Lake Health: Holmes Lake and Pawnee Lake, Southeast Nebraska”
Liam O’Neal – “Development of a Water Quality Index using Entropy-Based Weighting and Temperature Management”
Cara Rezac – “Quantitative Comparison of Microplastics Along an Urban-Rural Gradient in Salt Creek”

Want to know more about customizing your high experience? Learn about the Science Focus Program and other LPS Focus Programs at https://home.lps.org/focus.

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