Science Club Going Global

Bobby Pourier '16, Wendell Gehman, and Savannah Jensen '14. Photo courtesy of Savannah Jensen. Copyright Red Cloud Indian School.

Science Club Members: Bobby Pourier, Demcie Mesteth, Savannah Jensen, and Kirkland Ross. Photo courtesy of Savannah Jensen. Copyright Red Cloud Indian School.

Science Club Going Global

By Sierra Concha '13

The Red Cloud Science Club has been making a good name for themselves this past week. In a previous article, the students described their excitement for their upcoming trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where they would present their science projects. Now that they’re back from their trip, they have nothing but great news to report. Savannah Jensen '14 and Bobby Pourier '16 were awarded 1st place in the Environmental Science category and also received a traditional award for using cultural components in their project.

Wendell Gehman, the Science Club mentor, is very pleased with how the trip went. “My objective was to get students there to place,” he said. Besides Jensen and Pourier, Demcie Mesteth also placed 1st in the Plant Science Division.

Their schedule was very busy throughout the four day trip. Students set up their projects on Thursday and judging began Friday morning. Every student had to sit by their project from 9:30 am-12:30 pm. “After lunch there were high school callbacks,” Gehman stated. “There were 18 projects called back for re-judging and Savannah and Bobby’s group was called back. They had to sit from 1:30-4:30 to get re-evaluated.”

Awards were on Saturday morning, and that's when Jensen and Pourier were told the exciting news. They were picked first alternates for the International Science Fair (ISEF) , but due to another group that already had another project attending the International Fair, Jensen and Pourier were selected to attend. Jensen is ecstatic: “I am extremely excited. I have a lot more work ahead of me now,” she said. “I am nervous! There are 1500 others going from 70 different countries. We are a part of that. It's crazy.” Her partner, Pourier, feels the same way. “I’m pretty anxious for it. I’m excited we get to go and represent our school and Native Americans.”

The students were nervous throughout the event, but their hard work paid off. “The moment I heard we were going to ISEF, my heart dropped and I wanted to cry,” Jensen said, reflecting on the trip. Their project was titled “Uranium on the Pine Ridge Reservation.” Their unique project intertwined Lakota culture and science.  Pourier stated that his favorite part of the trip was presenting their research, “Presenting to the judges and seeing they liked what we had was an amazing feeling,” he said. Jensen appreciated all the help she received from Pourier, who is only a freshman. “Bobby helped a lot when taking measurements with the equipment,” she said. “I’m glad he is able to experience this at a younger age.”

Demcie Mesteth also did an incredible job, placing first in the Plant Science category. He enjoyed the trip  and meeting people around the country. “I was excited when I learned I got first,” he said about his successful project. Since he is a sophomore and researched the project all by himself, this is an incredible accomplishment.

The Science Club has had an incredibly successful year due to Red Cloud students’ love for science. “Science is a part of us as indigenous people and I always valued that,” Jensen stated. “It all feels incredible! I plan on continuing and expanding my research.”

Jensen and Pourier will be traveling to Phoenix, Arizona in May for the ISEF.