Secondary students in the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District earned 30 awards at the 2025 Mississippi Region V Science Fair held at Mississippi State University at the end of February. Student projects earned top-3 finishes in 11 science categories and also received 10 special regional and national awards. Students in 6th through 12th grade earned spots at the Region V Fair through successfully placing at school-level fairs across the district. Projects utilized the scientific methods for research on each student's chosen topic in categories from Animal and Behavioral Sciences to Engineering and Robotics.
Starkville High School 10th grader Katie Chung was awarded Best of Fair for Region V for her project entitled "Mercury Extraction Using Lignin Foams" in the Earth and Environmental Science category. The project, which explored the use of sulfer-based lignin foam in the successful extraction of harmful mercury from contaminated water, tied for 1st place in the category and also received the Office of Naval Research Award, RICOH USA Inc. Award, US Agency for International Development Award, and the Global Environmental Impact Award. As Best of Fair, the project was also named an International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) Finalist, and Chung will present it at both the state and international fairs.
