Area schools participate in regional science fair

Students from Clovis and Portales municipal schools competed in the Regional Science and Engineering Fair at Eastern New Mexico University on Saturday..

Arts Academy at Bella Vista student Emma Beaty, 11, of Portales took an award for her science project studying music effects on children.

“I started thinking one day that it would be nice if teachers could play a CD for kids after recess,” Beaty said. “I put some music on a CD from what I thought was the least pleasant to the most unpleasant.”

Beaty said she hooked the children up to a heart monitor, then focused a video camera on their eyes to see if their pupils dilated in response to the music.

She received a special junior American Association of University Women Award, American Psychological Association certificate and first place in the junior division of Behavioral and Social Sciences.

Clovis Municipal Schools received 13 awards and Portales Municipal Schools received four.

Carlsbad earned the most awards with 55.