Future Inventors, Engineers Compete and Learn at Science Fair 

April 17, 2023

New Mexico Tech hosts 71st annual New Mexico Science and Engineering Fair

Luke Landis
Luke Landis, an eighth-grader at Albuquerque Institute of Math and Science (AIMS) Academy in Albuquerque, displays his experiment on paper and plastic bags, examining strength. Landis said he hopes to be an author someday. Landis competed in the junior division of the New Mexico Science and Engineering Fair, held April 14-15, 2023, at New Mexico Tech in Socorro.

SOCORRO, N.M. – Prompted by challenges posed by wildfires, water shortages, and the COVID-19 pandemic, future scientists, engineers, and inventors showcased their innovative ideas and solutions at a statewide competition hosted by New Mexico Tech. The 71st annual New Mexico State Science and Engineering Fair 2023 was held April 14 and 15, 2023, at the university in Socorro, welcoming middle and high school students from across New Mexico. The competition featured students’ posters on topics ranging from nutrition to water quality. 

Aditi Ganti
Aditi Ganti, an eighth-grader at Albuquerque Institute of Math and Science (AIMS) Academy in Albuquerque, researched desalination techniques for her entry in the New Mexico Science and Engineering Fair, held April 14-15, 2023, at New Mexico Tech in Socorro.

Brian Patterson, a Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist, said he enjoys judging the competition every year for the opportunity to learn what questions are on the minds of young scientists and how they approach their research.

Mario Vargas
Mario Vargas, a sophomore at Taos Academy Charter School, said his science experiment was inspired the wildfires that affected New Mexico in spring 2022. Vargas competed in the senior division of the New Mexico Science and Engineering Fair, held April 14-15, 2023, at New Mexico Tech in Socorro.

“It’s very diverse in all the different projects they look at,” he said. “The fun thing is talking to the kids about how they did their experiments.”

Mario Vargas, a sophomore at Taos Academy Charter School, tested fire retardants’ effects on the environment, including invertebrates such as earthworms. His science experiment measured the earthworms’ activity and weight.

“It was a big thing,” he said of the aftermath of the spring 2022 wildfires in northern New Mexico.

Ryan Tortalita
Ryan Tortalita, a 10th-grader at Grants High School, tested a homemade cleaning solution against commercial products, recalling how sprays and wipes were difficult to find at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Tortalita competed in the New Mexico Science and Engineering Fair, held April 14-15, 2023, at New Mexico Tech in Socorro.

Ryan Tortalita, a 10th-grader at Grants High School, remembers how difficult it was to find cleaning products at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. His experiment tested a homemade solution against Clorox Wipes and Lysol spray.

“It was hard to find cleaners in 2020,” to stop the spread of germs, he said. 

Aditi Ganti, an eighth-grader at AIMS Middle School in Albuquerque, examined the process of desalination of seawater as a way to produce usable water in the future. Her experience has had an impact on career deliberations.

Alisha Wald
Alisha Wald, a sixth-grader at Wood-Gormley Elementary in Santa Fe, explains how she added dishwashing soap to water to study surface tension changes. Wald competed in the junior division of the New Mexico Science and Engineering Fair, held April 14-15, 2023, at New Mexico Tech in Socorro.

“I like a wide range of subjects, especially math,” she said, adding that her future most likely will involve a subject in the science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) field.

Alisha Wald, a sixth-grader at Wood Gormley Elementary in Santa Fe, toured the Mineral Museum at the Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources during the science fair. She’s considering medicine, science, and engineering.

“I have lots of choices,” she said.

NMSEF results are online at: nmsef.zfairs.com