High school students represent Quinte region at Canada-Wide Science Fair, receiving accolades

Following the Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) last week, the five students from the Quinte region who attended the fair in Edmonton have returned, many with accolades for their projects.

CWSF took place from Saturday, May 23 to Saturday, May 30, 2026. After competing in the Quinte Regional Science and Technology Fair (QRSTF), five students qualified to attend CWSF, details a QRSTF press release issued on Friday, May 29, 2026.

For Charlotte Guan, Miranda Pellow, Eli Poyner, Surya Narayan Santhakumar, and Alicia Zhang, CWSF provided them with project judging, specialized laboratory workshops, and tours of Edmonton’s landmarks.

The Quinte finalists’ projects spanned disciplines from environment and climate change to health and wellness to digital technology. The week culminated in the grand awards ceremony at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. Below are the accolades presented to the Quinte finalists at the ceremony.

Santhakumar received the specialty award, The Engineering Innovation Award for his project ‘VisionIQ – A Novel Multi-Model AI Approach for Visual Impairment’. Santhakumar received $1,000 cash and a certificate.

Zhang received a bronze medal in the Junior Division for her project ‘Filter Our Future: How Biochar Can Save the Bay of Quinte’.

Guan received a bronze medal in the Junior Division for her project ‘Carbon Buster: A Novel Prototype to Reduce Carbon Emissions from Exhaust Systems’.

Poyner received a bronze medal in the Intermediate Division for his project ‘Helping Hands: Modular Prosthetic Hands Designed For Global Accessibility’.

He also received a Shad Scholarship Award, an $1,000 scholarship towards the program fee to attend Shad Canada in July 2027. Shad is a month-long summer STEAM and entrepreneurship program for high school students.

“We are immensely proud of all the time, effort, and intellectual problem solving these amazing students have poured into their work,” said Scott Berry, one of the delegates with team Quinte.

“Watching them present their findings alongside the best young scientists in Canada is truly remarkable. They have represented our region with expertise, intelligence, and genuine curiosity.”