PCS Junior Wins Third Place in World's Largest STEM Science Fair
May 20, 2025 | by Ildi Carlisle-Cummins
We're proud to announce that PCS Junior Hazel Campbell placed third in the 2025 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair for her research into natural solutions to coastal erosion!
Hazel was interviewed about her achievement by Lookout Santa Cruz, which published this article, excerpted below.
'“I live right by the coast and it’s really upsetting to me whenever I see like a new section of the road or somebody’s front yard just falling into the ocean,” Campbell said. “So I wanted to look into how can I use the resources found in nature to stop or slow down coastal erosion?”
Last week, she presented her research at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair – the world’s largest STEM research competition for high school students – where she placed third in the Earth and Environmental Sciences category.
Campbell designed and tested an experiment to better understand how kelp forests can reduce coastal erosion. After winning “Best in Show” and becoming the first contestant ever to earn a perfect score on the judging rubric at the Santa Cruz County STEAM Expo – a countywide science fair and showcase for K-12 students – she went on to win third place in her category at the California State Science Fair. She then qualified for the International Science and Engineering Fair."
You can read the full Lookout Article here.
It's been a good year for student scientists at PCS. Science Department Chair Wayne Conley commented, "We had 3 ISEF finalists and 1 middle school observer in Columbus. Musa Shafi and Adi Menon had very good projects as well. Hazel's project was out of this world and her use of Scientific method just unbeatable. It was great to see us place on the podium this year."