Island Park Second Grader Sri Vadlamannati Wins 3 Awards At Washington State Science and Engineering Fair

Mercer Island, WA, April 7, 2023 – Island Park Elementary second grade student Sri Vadlamannati participated in the 2023 Washington State Science and Engineering Fair on March 31 and won three awards.

Sri’s project was titled "Experimental Analysis of Blood Viscosity and Artery Size in Blood Flow and Cardiovascular Health." She placed first in her category (Physics) and her project was awarded the Best of Grade award across all categories. Sri was also given a Special Award in the Health and Fitness category.

The idea to develop this project came after Sri read an article about heart attacks and got curious about the subject of heart health. She bombarded her father with a huge number of questions about heart health and from these conversations she got curious about the impact of eating healthy food and exercise on heart health.

Her project measures the impact of narrower arteries and thicker blood on the rate of blood flow, which shows how hard the heart has to work. 

She spent several weeks figuring out how to simulate blood (finally landing on using glycerine and water), developing an experimental setup with various sized tubes, and finally conducting the experiments and recording results. 

Sri’s passion for science has been nurtured by both the Island Park PTA, through the organizing of fun Science Nights, and Island Park teachers who work with and inspire their students.