After 30 years it could easily be assumed that Hemet Unified science fair judges have seen it all. But, according to Science Fair Coordinator Harry Post that is not the case at all.

The 2012 contest held on Feb. 13 included 55 projects from the 12 elementary schools in the district. Up to five could be submitted from each school. The projects were judged throughout the day by Post and other district employees who meticulously picked the winners.

Five projects and six students from elementary schools throughout Hemet were picked to move on to the RIMS (Riverside, Indio, Mono, and San Bernardino) Inland Area and Engineering Fair in April after a close competition of the district's brightest scientific minds.

"Our judgement is based primarily on creativity. Is this a project we haven't seen before? Or if we have seen it, has the student engineered it in an entirely new way," Post said.

The winners included three projects from Bautista Creek Elementary, including: Nathan Rhoades with "Quit Buggin," Heidi Buri with "Eye Caught on Contact," and Nicholas Thornburg and Isaac Nagy with "Just Chillin'."

"Heidi's project is really fantastic," Post said. "It is a health related project that I think anybody who wears contacts would want to read." Nathan was particularly enthusiastic about his first place win.

"I am so happy and my mom is so excited," he said. "I worked really hard on this project."

In his project, which tested which household items best repelled ants, he found a result that surprised him.

"I was so shocked because ants just love vinegar," Nathan said. "They would just drink it up and drink it up, some of them even drowned in it!"

From McSweeney Elementary, the school which hosted the fair, Briana Jackson grabbed a first place ribbon for her project "Power From Water."

The final award winner was Suryansh Kumar from Harmony Elementary with his project "Solar Energy - Which Angle Works Best?"

"The solar energy project is very topical and was done very well," Post said. "It is a hot issue today."

Post said that aside from creativity, students are judged based on the scientific thought that went into the project and the thoroughness of the project.

"We need to see that the student did enough research and came up with the correct conclusion from that research," Post said. "We also need to see that they went into depth. There should have been a lot of trials and samples and very strong graphs."

Post said that each of the 55 projects was done beautifully, but that it was evident the students worked on their own.

"If anything, I think the parents supervise the projects, but the students do them. The kids really get into it. Plus, they have to include pictures of themselves performing the project in the final draft," Post said.

According to Post, the projects prepare students for middle school by giving them a strong foundation in the scientific method.

"It also teaches them how to investigate a project," he said. "Making it through the school science fair and getting to this level is a real accomplishment, a feather in the cap of the student. They had to work very hard to get here."

At most schools, the science fair project is optional as it is a time-heavy endeavor for both the students and the teachers. Post said in recent years he has seen extensive use of new technology and improved graphics.

"We see kids using pH meters and sound meters," Post said. "They are incorporating the new technology with their scientific knowledge. It produces some really great projects."

The RIMS Inland Area and Engineering Fair will be held April 3 and 4 at the Orange Show in San Bernardino. The awards ceremony will be on April 4 at the Riverside Convention Center.