Oak Park youth wins first prize at fair

By Lori Porter porter@theacorn.com

Nikki Mercado of Oak Park, a seventh-grade student at Medea Creek Middle School, won first place in this spring’s environmental sciences division of the Ventura County Science Fair. Her project was titled "Purification of Water through Solar Energy," qualifying her to compete at the state Science Fair in Los Angeles.

Nikki got the idea while listening to her father talk about his childhood in Mexico, where he and other children would often play and even bathe in the contaminated water of Mexican rivers. "My dad said many kids became ill and contracted diseases, so I thought, "Why don’t I invent a way to purify the water?" Nikki said.

Aware of the expense involved in boiling water through traditional methods, Nikki thought solar energy was the perfect option.

After extensive research, Nikki built a solar cooker that uses aluminum foil to attract heat. She painted the containers black to absorb and maintain the heat. The seventh-grader’s solar cooker also included a thermometer for monitoring the temperature.

Nikki was excited about winning first place. "I was jumping up and down and screaming when I found out," she said.

Science Fair coordinator and science teacher at Medea Creek, Cindy Ligeti, described Nikki as a self-motivated and dedicated young person.

Nikki wants to become an environmental biologist someday because she loves science and has always been concerned about the environment. She’s proud that she’s always earned high grades in science.

To qualify for the science fair, projects must meet certain criteria and they must earn an A+ grade.

Ligeti said that all students were given the chance to make improvements to their original projects after they were graded so everyone has the chance to enter the science fair.