Two Beaufort County students – one from H.E. McCracken Middle School and the other from Hilton Head Island High School – have been honored at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Az.

The annual Intel-sponsored event is the world’s premier pre-collegiate science competition for original research projects.

McCracken student Maile Paulmeier and Hilton Head Island student Victoria Hamlin became eligible to compete in Phoenix by earning top prizes at the local 2016 Sea Island Regional Science Fair. Nearly 400 Beaufort County students, all top finishers at individual school science fairs across the County, competed at the regional fair in March.

At the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, which attracted about 1,700 regional champions from 75 countries to Phoenix last week, Paulmeier won fourth place in the Materials Science division for her project, “Comparative Strength Analysis of an Artificial Monofilament Passive Fiber Skeletal Muscle vs. a Linear Actuator.” Paulmeier’s fourth-place finish won her $500.

Hamlin was awarded an Academic Excellence Scholarship from West Virginia University for her project, “Design of a Sounding Rocket for Maximum Altitude.” WVU offers special scholarships to students whose research and academic aptitude align with the university’s research interests.