On March 8, Wheeling High School hosted Science REACH’s annual Illinois Junior Academy of Science Regional Science Fair, with Stevenson winning the award of Top High School.  Science REACH is a team style event where students participate in individual or partner research projects of their choice, and then present their findings at the fair.

This year, over 100 students submitted research proposals, with 74 of them getting accepted into the program. Of those, 42 projects qualified for the State Science Fair at University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and 3 students qualified for International Science and Engineering fair, and students will also be presenting their findings to professors at Illinois State University. 

Science REACH participant Avitej Akula ’27 feels that the program has allowed him to explore the topics he is passionate about. Akula says that while prep for competitions can take time, the results they receive in competition make it worth it. 

“We first started with making an idea and getting it approved,” Akula said. “Then we began on creating a procedure, starting in our lab notebook, and then later, we decided to launch our rockets after modeling them and printing them, which came with a lot of errors and problems, but it was very satisfying to see all of our rockets going to the air.” 

 Science REACH sponsor Christina Palffy advocates for the program, has found enjoyment in sponsoring the club, and believes that it allows for students to engage in specific scientific inquiry. According to Palffy, this is in addition to building on their problem solving skills, and having the unique opportunity presenting their work to experts.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to watch them take ownership of their projects, overcome challenges, and develop confidence in their scientific abilities,” Palffy said. “Whether they earn awards, qualify for prestigious competitions, or simply gain a deeper appreciation for research, every student’s growth makes this work fulfilling.”

According to Akula, there were times where he felt like giving up due to the amount of times where situations got difficult. Akula said that there was a certain point where his  findings were redundant or not usable.

“We had so many errors with our actual data that we had to spend a whole week brainstorming what to do after that, and we decided to do a simulation,” Akula said. “ So all in all, we basically found out that success doesn’t come in a straight line. We have to keep going.”

Akula says that he hopes to use his Science REACH findings in the real world as he wants to focus on using technology to intercept missiles. He believes that Science REACH  allowed him to become one step closer to achieving that goal. 

“I really want to apply my ideas into something that would be meaningful for me in the future,” Akula said. “I researched in the aerospace category, and I researched how different body length and diameter ratios affected performance in flight, and I did this for the purpose of perhaps intercepting  Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) in the future [because] the United States, much like other countries, cannot reliably stop them because they go too high and too fast.”

Both Akula and Palffy believe that Science REACH is an excellent opportunity for students to apply skills learned in the classroom. According to Palffy, the program has allowed for students to develop meaningful life skills while practicing science topics. 

“Unlike external programs that depend on outside funding, REACH ensures that students at SHS continue to have access to mentorship, competition opportunities, and the ability to develop meaningful, independent research projects,” Palffy said. “By offering consistent support year after year, REACH fills a critical gap, giving students a chance to engage in authentic scientific inquiry and prepare for future STEM careers.” 

Akula is grateful for his experience and urges his  peers to partake in Science REACH, believing it’s a good opportunity to learn more. Ultimately, Akula is content with how his time at Science REACH was spent. 

“I would definitely recommend this to anyone that’s trying to go into the STEM field or try anything new,” Akula said. “In general, I heard of a lot of great projects, and personally, it comes with a lot of self gratification when you finally see everything come together at the end.”