By Mike McCombs
When Halle Tran embarked on her first science fair project as a student two years ago at Lady’s Island Middle School, she had no expectation that she’d win, but it would have been a mistake to believe she wasn’t trying.
“I was definitely aiming to win,” Tran said. “I’m too competitive.”
Not only did she win, she made it a habit.
Tran was awarded an amazing third win Wednesday, March 30 as Grand Award Winner at the middle school Sea Island Regional Science Fair held at May River High School. For the third year in a row, Halle beat competitors from neighboring public and parochial schools throughout Beaufort County to win first place in her category and be recognized as overall Grand Award winner.
That first win two years ago only set the stage for Tran.
“I thought my project was pretty good, but I didn’t think I was going to get first place,” she said. “But I built a lot of confidence after that first one. I knew what I needed to say and what I needed to know.”
Tran’s winning projects include that first entry – “Can Plants Learn? Habituation of the Mimosa pudica plant” (6th grade Botany), then she followed that up last year with “Is Mycelium the Material of the Future?” (7th grade Physical Science).
And her most recent winning project this year was “Eco-Friendly Thermal Insulators” (8th grade Mathematics/Engineering/Computers), in which she explored the potential for using sustainable natural materials as alternative insulators to commercial chemical-based products.
“Halle (Tran) has both a sharp intellect and imaginative perspective on the world,” Lady’s Island Middle School STEAM Coordinator Nan Burvenich said. “She engages in problems with an inquisitive mind and has the ability to focus and discipline needed to perform explorations with precision and thoroughness.”
“It was a lot of work,” Tran said, pleased with her accomplishments. “Between coming up with an idea and finding something within my range that I could actually physically do, between costs and materials and all the time that experimenting took, and putting all this data into my presentation and my board. And researching took a long time.”
Time is the key, according to Tran. The projects take about a month, though she said she typically started earlier than most, brainstorming for a topic. And the projects, in large, are typically on the student’s own time.
“Time … time is so important. Time to come up with an idea, gauge what’s possible,” Tran said. “And ideas. A lot are recycled. If you want to win, you need something original. Time and an idea.”
Tran credits her parents for being supportive. Emily and Thomas Tran are both optometrists, know how to do research and are focused on science.
“Of course, they know me, what I like, … they’re very supportive,” she said.
Her mother credited Halle Tran’s own choices for her success.
“She has consistently chosen innovative science fair projects that have yielded very usable data,” Dr. Emily Tran said. “She wanted to learn something new from each project, not something from a textbook, but something truly cutting-edge. She definitely accomplished that. We are very proud of her hard work and success.”
While Halle Tran’s science fair wins are in the field of Physical Science, her scientific and future career interests lie in the health science and medical fields – the soon-to-be Beaufort High School freshman is interested in being a doctor.
“Throughout her middle school years at Lady’s Island, Halle has achieved success in all of her endeavors and does so with composure and self-confidence,” Burvenich said. “She has the ability and work ethic to be successful in any future career that she sets her sights on.”
No matter what career she chooses, there’s one thing Halle Tran won’t be … a four-time defending science fair grand winner.
“I’m not doing it,” she said. “I only did it in middle school because it was required for advanced classes. I was in those science classes. I’m not doing it next year, it’s way too much work.”
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Mike McCombs is the editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.
