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on Nitric Oxide Production of Human Endothelial Cells. The Dart Foundation Inspiration Award of $1,000 went to Courtney Astore, a top prize- winner for the second year in a row, the release points out. The Cardinal Mooney junior's project was Linking the Severity of One's Autism Diagnosis with Symptoms and Causations. The $1,000 Faulhaber Foundation Prizes for the Scientific Exploration of Nature went to Jerry Allen DeBusk of Suncoast Polytechnical High for his project in the space sciences, Correlation of Coronal Mass Ejections, and to North Port High's Kaitlyn West for How Sweet is This, one of three winners in the field of botany, the release adds. For the sixth consecutive year, two Omar Y. Cooper Student Achievement Awards were presented. Both offer $2,000 and a 12-month mentorship with an adult professional in the student's chosen field. Pine View School junior James Niffenegger received his award for an environmental science project, Mud Treatment: Clean Energy and Cleaner Water Using Biological Fuel Cells. Sarasota High junior Rebecca Elsishans won for her environ- mental science project, Optimization of CO2 calcination reaction using a nickel catalyst and varying concentrations of calcium. Brad Porinchak, Regional Science Fair direc- tor, said in the release that 822 Sarasota County students from 49 public, private and home schools submitted 657 individual and team projects to the competition. More than 160 volunteer judges evaluated the entries and interviewed students, the release notes. The judges' scores determined the overall winners as well as the champions in each category. Jerry Allen DeBusk from Suncoast Polytechnical High and Kaitlyn West from North Port High with Regional Science Fair sponsors Ping and Dr. Fritz Faulhaber. Contributed photo Sarasota News Leader April 18, 2014 Page 90