Student news: Performing Arts Series, Battle of the Books, dean's list and more

FCA students win awards at science and engeneering fair

Two Fox Chapel Area High School students won awards at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (Regeneron ISEF) 2021.

Junior Zoe Lakkis received a third-place Grand Award of $1,000 in the Computational Biology and Bioinformatics category for her project titled “Data Mining to Identify Therapeutic Targets for Transplant Rejection.”

Sophomore Arvind Seshan received a third-place Grand Award of $1,000 in the Systems Software category for his project titled “Enabling High-Accuracy Human Activity Recognition with Fine-Grained Indoor Localization.” He also received a special award of $1,200 from the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and an American Statistical Association special award. Students were judged for their projects’ creativity, innovation and scientific inquiry.

International judging took place in early May via video conferencing. More than 1,800 young scientists representing 49 states and 64 countries around the world competed for prizes worth more than $5 million.

Regeneron ISEF provides a global stage for future leaders in STEM — bringing together the best and brightest young minds to present their original research ideas to leading scientists and peers.

Hillman Performing Arts Series concert

The Hillman Performing Arts Series continues its 2021 season with an outdoor concert featuring Grammy Award-winning folk artist Dom Flemons on June 12.

Flemons will perform on the loading dock behind the Hillman Center for Performing Arts, with guests seated in the parking lot.

The Hillman Center is located on the Shady Side Academy Senior School campus at 423 Fox Chapel Road in Fox Chapel.

General admission tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at thehillman.org.

With a repertoire of music that covers more than 100 years of American folklore, ballads and tunes, the singer will perform songs from his 2020 solo album, Prospect Hill: The American Songster Omnibus.

Guest seating in the parking lot is on a first-come, first-served basis. Chairs will be provided or guests may bring their own, and social distancing will be maintained between household groups. Guests may bring their own snacks and nonalcoholic beverages. In case of inclement weather, the show will be moved inside to the Hillman Center’s Richard E. Rauh Theater and assigned seats will be given. Fully vaccinated guests do not need to wear masks outdoors but all guests must wear masks indoors.

Battle of the Books winners

Four Fairview Elementary School students recently placed in the top 10 at the 2021 Children’s Choice Awards “Battle of the Books” competition, sponsored by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit and the Allegheny County Library Association.

Fairview Elementary fifth-grade student Corinne Sample placed first overall in the event. Three other Fairview students helped to round out the top 10: fourth grader Maya Vyas (sixth place), and fifth graders Addison Sacco (eighth place) and Felicity Anderson (ninth place).

For the event, which was held virtually in early May, students were asked to read as many books as possible from a list of eight selections. In addition to the Battle of the Books competition, they also participated in interactive sessions about the texts and met with author Melissa Savage and local illustrator Joe Wos.

Sample will receive a signed copy of Savage’s book “Karma Moon: Ghost Hunter.”

More than 100 students in grades 3-6 from throughout Allegheny County participated.

Academic accolades

• Michelle McBurney of Aspinwall has been named to Southern New Hampshire University’s Winter 2021 president’s list. Full-time students who have earned a minimum GPA of 3.700 or higher receive the honor.

• Alaina Kotchey of Pittsburgh was named to the University of Utah’s Spring 2021 dean’s list. Kotchey’s major is mechanical engineering and theatre BFA. To qualify, students must earn a GPA of 3.5 or higher in at least 12 graded credit hours during any one term.

• Alexis Jordan Vivino of Pittsburgh was named to the dean’s list at Edinboro University for the Spring 2021 semester. Students must maintain a QPA of 3.4 or higher, complete a minimum of 12 semester hours of credit and receive no grade lower than a C in any course. Vivino, whose major is Fine Arts-Applied Media Arts, was among nearly 1,200 students named to the spring 2021 dean’s list.

• Allison Martini of Pittsburgh received her Bachelor of Science in commerce & business administration from The University of Alabama. Commencement ceremonies were April 30-May 2.

• Camille Cagley, a Fox Chapel Area alum, graduated from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology, pre-occupational therapy. She graduated Summa Cum Laude and received a leadership award from Pi Beta Phi sorority. Cagley will be attending graduate school to earn a master’s degree in occupational therapy.