Outstanding Scientists Recognized at Riverside County Science and Engineering Fair
RIVERSIDE – A total of 82 students earned gold medals, including three sweepstakes winners, while dozens of prizes and entries into state and international fairs were awarded at the conclusion of the 2026 Riverside County Science and Engineering Fair, which was held at the Riverside Convention Center on Saturday, February 28, 2026.
“This year’s Riverside County Science and Engineering Fair attracted the highest participation since 2016, and we are excited for the award-winning scientists and innovators to represent Riverside County at state, national, and international fairs,” said Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edwin Gomez. “Every project demonstrates how the power of experimentation, curiosity, and problem-solving are essential to addressing today’s challenges and advancing the ideas of tomorrow.”
The 2026 competition attracted more students and projects since 2016. A total of 530 students from 30 affiliate fairs representing public, charter, and private schools, presented their findings in 367 projects spanning 22 subject matter categories.
Gold, silver (runner-up), and bronze (third place) medals were presented, along with community awards. Within each of the 22 subject matter categories, students competed in the Elementary division (grades 4-5), Junior division (grades 6-8), and Senior division (high school). Gold winners in the Junior and Senior division advance to the California State Science and Engineering Fair to be held on April 11-12, 2026, on the campus of California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.
Sweepstakes awards were presented to one project in Grades 4/5 combined, one project in the Junior Division, and one project in the Senior Division:
- Elementary Division Sweepstakes (Grades 4-5)
Victoria Zhou
Garretson Elementary School, Corona-Norco USD
Harnessing the Power of IoT Devices for a Convenient and Safer Society - Junior Division Sweepstakes (Grades 6-8)
Kiyara Gunawardena
River Springs Charter School
CORAL: An Autonomous Long-Term Underwater Monitoring Device - Senior Division Sweepstakes (Grades 9-12)
Adithiyan Sathees and Nilay Vora
Centennial High School, Corona-Norco USD
Integrated Deconvolution of Oxidative, Colloidal, and Rheological Failure Modes Governing Microvascular Oxygen Delivery in Hemoglobin-Based Oxygen Carriers Under Field-Mimicking Thermal Cycling
Three Senior Division students advance to the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) to be held May 9-15, 2026, in Phoenix, Arizona.
- Adithiyan Sathees and Nilay Vora
Centennial High School, Corona-Norco USD
Integrated Deconvolution of Oxidative, Colloidal, and Rheological Failure Modes Governing Microvascular Oxygen Delivery in Hemoglobin-Based Oxygen Carriers Under Field-Mimicking Thermal Cycling - Deeba Siddiqui and Filza Jamal
Santiago High School, Corona-Norco USD
Scorching Stucco: Preventing Wildfire Damage - Erik Chen, Tingdan Deng, and Shivani Talati
Martin Luther King High School, Riverside USD
Phytochrome B Output Module Sets Thermosensing Photobody Number and Tunes Arabidopsis Adaptation
2026 Riverside County Science and Engineering Fair Gold Medal Winners
Grade 4 Gold Medal Winners
Greyson Alonzo, Harvest Valley Elementary School, Romoland SD
Eliana Carrillo, Harry Truman Elementary School, Desert Sands USD
Jackson Gerhard, Summerwind Trails School, Beaumont USD
Andrick Perez, Valley View Elementary School, Alvord USD
Sophia Strayhorne, Mission Vista Academy
Grade 5 Gold Medal Winners
Julio Armenta Ibarra, Mead Valley Elementary School, Val Verde USD
Sasha Arriaga-Rauk, James Carter Elementary School, Desert Sands USD
Lucy Dimick, James Monroe Elementary School, Desert Sands USD
Genevieve Dunn, Sky Country Elementary School, Jurupa USD
Arianna Durazo, Ronald Reagan Elementary School, Desert Sands USD
Matthew Gerardo, Ronald Reagan Elementary School, Desert Sands USD
Emily Grisham, North Ridge Elementary School, Moreno Valley USD
Abraham Holm, Seneca Elementary School, Moreno Valley USD
Jesse Jimenez, Three Rings Ranch Elementary School, Beaumont USD
Logan Landfried, Dr. Carreon Academy, Desert Sands USD
Savanna Martine Cabaron, Anna M. Hause Elementary School, Beaumont USD
Kaylee Mejia, Avalon Elementary School, Val Verde USD
Noah Pineda, Sunnymead Elementary School, Moreno Valley USD
Chloe Pruitt, McAuliffe Elementary School, Alvord USD
Zoya Ray, Franklin Elementary School, Riverside USD
Omar Reyes, Garretson Elementary School, Corona-Norco USD
Annabelle Rodriguez, Anna M. Hause Elementary School, Beaumont USD
Maxwell Sanderson, Rivera Elementary School, Riverside USD
Vivian Shaver, James Carter Elementary School, Desert Sands USD
William Sotamayor, Ronald Reagan Elementary School, Desert Sands USD
Logan Stiles, Bear Valley Elementary School, Moreno Valley USD
Scarlett Stillman, Sycamore Academy Charter School
Lily Trevizo, La Jolla Elementary School, Moreno Valley USD
Zen Truonsalang, Mission Vista Academy
Leonardo Valdivia, Hoffer Elementary School, Beaumont USD
Victoria Zhou, Garretson Elementary School, Corona-Norco USD
Junior Division Gold Medal Winners (Grades 6-8)***▲
Leela Aji, Riverside STEM Academy, Riverside USD
Andrew Ballard, Western Center Academy, Hemet USD
Audri Bautista, Raney Intermediate School, Corona-Norco USD
Zahara De Granada, REACH Leadership STEAM Academy
Luz de Luna Gomez, REACH Leadership STEAM Academy
Jack Grover, Riverside STEM Academy, Riverside USD
Henry Grover, Riverside STEM Academy, Riverside USD
Kiyara Gunawardena, River Springs Charter School
Angelica Hluchan, Western Center Academy, Hemet USD
Ty Holmes, Gage Middle School, Riverside USD
Kathryn Jimenez, Clearwater Elementary School, Perris Elementary SD
Santiago Joseph, Gage Middle School, Riverside USD
Emma Liu, Riverside STEM Academy, Riverside USD
Naomi McAllister, River Springs Charter School
Zachary Merrill, Gage Middle School, Riverside USD
Chizara Odimegwu, Vista Verde Middle School, Val Verde USD
Brianne Ourn, Lake Mathews Elementary School, Riverside USD
Karina Rea, Sierra Vista Elementary School, Val Verde USD
William Rolshausen, Gage Middle School, Riverside USD
Diksha Uppal, Corona Fundamental Intermediate School, Corona-Norco USD
Elaina Urquiza, Edward Hyatt World Language Academy, San Jacinto USD
Rhian Welling, REACH Leadership STEAM Academy
Vienna Zhou, El Cerrito Middle School, Corona-Norco USD
Senior Division Gold Medal Winners (Grades 9-12)***
Ubaid Awan, Martin Luther King High School, Riverside USD
Chaitra Ayinampudi, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Corona-Norco USD
Arturo Beristain, Temescal Canyon High School, Lake Elsinore USD
Alyna Burgett, Martin Luther King High School, Riverside USD
Erik Chen, Martin Luther King High School, Riverside USD
Tingdan Deng, Martin Luther King High School, Riverside USD
Ian Do, Martin Luther King High School, Riverside USD
Darius Fields, Lakeside High School, Lake Elsinore USD
Ava George, Centennial High School, Corona-Norco USD
Aiden Grover, Riverside STEM High School, Riverside USD
Francine Habacon, Rancho Verde High School, Val Verde USD
Filza Jamal, Santiago High School, Corona-Norco USD
Rayyan Khalique, Centennial High School, Corona-Norco USD
Andrew Melek, Lakeside High School, Lake Elsinore USD
Patrick Moon, Martin Luther King High School, Riverside USD
Trevon Nguyen, Centennial High School, Corona-Norco USD
Dylan Patel, Centennial High School, Corona-Norco USD
Arav Randhawa, Corona High School, Corona-Norco USD
Avijeet Randhawa, Corona High School, Corona-Norco USD
Adithiyan Sathees, Centennial High School, Corona-Norco USD
Deeba Siddiqui, Santiago High School, Corona-Norco USD
Tarini Siram, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Corona-Norco USD
Sai Srinika Bommineni, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Corona-Norco USD
Shivani Talati, Martin Luther King High School, Riverside USD
Harleen Virk, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Corona-Norco USD
Nilay Vora, Centennial High School, Corona-Norco USD
Leila Vu, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Corona-Norco USD
Ian Zhang, Martin Luther King High School, Riverside USD
*** Gold medal winners in Junior and Senior divisions advance to California State Science and Engineering Fair
▲ Gold medal winners in Junior division also advance to the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge
2026 Riverside County Science and Engineering Fair Community Awards
Inland Regional Energy Network (I-REN)
• Rylan Ho, Sohum Jain, and Rudra Patel, Lincoln Fundamental Elementary School, Corona-Norco USD
• Luz de Luna Gomez, REACH Leadership STEAM Academy
• Adithiyakrishna Ayyappan, Vaidya Cherukuri, and Caiden Voong, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Corona-Norco USD
Inland Empire Professional Engineers in California Government (PECG)
• Sophia Strayhorne, Mission Vista Academy
• Jayden Thompson, Arizona Middle School, Alvord USD
• Aiden Grover, Riverside STEM High School, Riverside USD
Science and Technology Education Partnership (STEP) Science Fair Award
• Victoria Zhou, Garretson Elementary School, Corona-Norco USD
• Kiyara Gunawardena, River Springs Charter School
• Adithiyan Sathees and Nilay Vora, Centennial High School, Corona-Norco USD
2026 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Nominees
Leela Aji, Riverside STEM Academy, Riverside USD
Audri Bautista, Raney Intermediate School, Corona-Norco USD
Zahara De Granada, REACH Leadership STEAM Academy
Luz de Luna Gomez, REACH Leadership STEAM Academy
Henry Grover, Riverside STEM Academy, Riverside USD
Jack Grover, Riverside STEM Academy, Riverside USD
Kiyara Gunawardena, River Springs Charter School
Kathryn Jimenez, Clearwater Elementary School, Perris Elementary SD
Emma Liu, Riverside STEM Academy, Riverside USD
Abigail Moore, River Springs Charter School
Hazelyn Nunez, River Springs Charter School
Gabriel Sosa, River Springs Charter School
Diksha Uppal, Corona Fundamental Intermediate School, Corona-Norco USD
Rhian Welling, REACH Leadership STEAM Academy
Vienna Zhou, El Cerrito Middle School, Corona-Norco USD
2026 International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) Affiliated Regional Awards
(awards provided as part of affiliation with Regeneron ISEF)
American Psychological Association
• Peyton Raz and Evelyn Santoyo, Valley View High School, Moreno Valley USD
Association for Women Geoscientists
• Cailin Ommanney, Hillcrest High School, Alvord USD
Citadel Securities
• Joshua Curtis, Diego Diaz, and Glenn Zhang, Riverside STEM Academy, Riverside USD
• Aiden Grover, Riverside STEM Academy, Riverside USD
Lemelson Early Inventor Prize
• Benjamin Achiricoaie, Riverside STEM Academy, Riverside USD
NASA Earth System Science Award
• Antonette Resano, Temescal Canyon High School, Lake Elsinore USD
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Kiyara Gunawardena, River Springs Charter School
Naval Science Awards Program (NSAP)
• Kiyara Gunawardena, River Springs Charter School
• Madison Caparas, Vista Heights Middle School, Moreno Valley USD
• Antonette Resano, Temescal Canyon High School, Lake Elsinore USD
• Gurnoor Kaur, Centennial High School, Corona-Norco USD
Regeneron Biomedical Science Award
• Syed Ali and Dario Nunez, Centennial High School, Corona-Norco USD
Ricoh USA, Inc.
• Helen Duenas, Centennial High School, Corona-Norco USD
Society for In Vitro Biology
• Erik Chen, Tingdan Deng, and Shivani Talati, Martin Luther King High School, Riverside USD
Society for Science
• Adithiyan Sathees and Nilay Vora, Centennial High School, Corona-Norco USD
• Deeba Siddiqui and Filza Jamal, Santiago High School, Corona-Norco USD
• Shivani Talati, Erik Chen, and Tingdan Deng, Martin Luther King High School, Riverside USD
U.S. Metric Association
• Derek Zhang, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Corona-Norco USD
United States Air Force
• Cole Borowski, Jeffrey Eads, and Lucio Pena, Temescal Canyon High School, Lake Elsinore USD
Water Environment Federation / Stockholm Junior Water Prize
• Caydence Chitwood, Poly High School, Riverside USD
Yale Science and Engineering Association
• Olivia Herrera, Kaylie Tran, and Chloe Waller, Temescal Canyon High School, Lake Elsinore USD
Participating districts and charter/private schools include:
• Alvord USD
• Banning USD
• Beaumont USD
• Chammakilawish
Pechanga School
• Coachella Valley USD
• Corona-Norco USD
• Desert Center USD
• Desert Sands USD
• Hemet USD
• Jurupa USD
• Lake Elsinore USD
• Linfield Christian School
• Mission Vista Academy
• Moreno Valley USD
• Palm Springs USD
• Palo Verde USD
• Perris Elementary SD
• REACH Leadership
STEAM Academy
• River Springs Charter School
• Riverside USD
• Romoland SD
• Sacred Heart School
• San Jacinto USD
• St. Catherine’s of Alexandria School
• St. Edward’s School
• Sycamore Academy
• Temecula Valley USD
• The Learning Center
• Val Verde USD
• Xavier College Preparatory High School
Additional details on this year’s Riverside County Science and Engineering Fair are available at https://www.rcoe.us/student-events/science-engineering-fair/.
