Lilly Swigert (’30) stands with her project from the science fair. Swigert won first place in the pharmacology category, with her research on how dibenzazepine, a chemical, lessens alcohol addiction in fruit flies. “I wanted to be in pharmacology because it’s related to medicine and I want to be a doctor when I grow up,” Swigert said. “I was looking at a bunch of studies, and I found Dibenzazepine as a very interesting drug that can prevent alcohol addiction.” (Photo courtesy of Lilly Swigert)

At the 2026 Los Angeles County Science and Engineering Fair, 800 projects were submitted from 130 schools from March 8-9. Of those 800 projects, Archer submitted 20 projects and won 10 awards.

The results from the competition came back March 24, and Archer students from across middle and upper school won awards in categories from pharmacology to environmental management. The event took place in the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall Event Complex in University Park, Los Angeles.

Science fair mentor Jerilyn Neshek said each student came up with their own research question based on their interests. Neshek’s job is to help students through their process, she said. Science fair participants meet twice a rotation during FLX block.

“My job as the mentor is just to support them where they’re at and give some feedback and say, ‘Have you looked at this article about how to do this certain procedure or the results of this scientific research? And how could we apply that or work that into yours?'” Neshek said. “My job is just to be their mentor, help them in the process and to make sure that they’re meeting the deadlines by setting up these goals.”

Eighth grader Lilly Swigert placed first in the pharmacology category for her experiment on lessening alcohol addiction in fruit flies through a chemical compound called dibenzazepine. She said she enjoyed seeing how two of her interests could come together — science and theater.

“It was interesting to see how my two interests intersected,” Swigert said. “Learning all about these drugs and how they can help in fruit flies, and then acting. They’re very different. But actually, some things in science have taught me things that I learned in plays.”

Fellow eighth grader Addy Butler placed second in the animal physiology category for her experiment exploring how blue light affects the eyes of fruit flies. She said she struggled with having enough flies to keep a consistent experiment, but that she has learned from the challenge.

“I kept it in my mind to improve next year if I work with flies again. I want to have larger groups,” Butler said. “I listed it in my errors and mistakes. So then I could talk about it and be like, ‘This is a mistake I made, and this is how I could improve it for next time.'”

The awards students won symbolize their dedication to their projects, Neshek said. She said they have worked hard on them for months and deserve the awards they recieved.

“It’s a recognition of the good work that they are doing,” Neshek said, “To be the top project, to be first, second, third or fourth against all of these projects shows the dedication and the thoughtfulness that they have brought to their scientific research.”

Butler recommends students who are new to science fair find something they are passionate about to research and test. She said that having fun during the project was also necessary.

“Do a project that really interests you,” Butler said. “My project did interest me, and it was one of my favorites of the list of ideas I came up with, and, so, that made it really worthwhile, doing all my research for it and it made it really fun whenever I had class to work on it.”

Swigert said she recommends students who think they are interested in science to join the program next year. She said she had fun researching and presenting her project and looks on her experience fondly.

“If you want to do science fair, you should really do it,” Swigert said. “It seems like a lot of work, but it’s very fun, and you learn so much and create great bonds with your friends and teachers.”