HDSB students earn numerous accolades at annual Bay Area Science and Engineering Fair (BASEF)

April 7, 2026 - HDSB students, families and educators enjoyed an evening full of celebration and recognition at the 2026 Bay Area Science and Engineering Fair (BASEF) award ceremony held on March 24. BASEF is a regional fair that serves as an opportunity for students to showcase projects that highlight excellence in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.  

With 160 projects submitted by students, 85 were honoured with awards and recognition that resulted in more than $16,000 in cash prizes and prestigious scholarships to top-ranked Canadian universities including McMaster University and the University of Ottawa. Two projects are advancing to the International Science & Engineering Fair and 10 projects are advancing to the Canada-Wide Science Fair.

Primary Fluid Systems Pinnacle Best in Fair

• Jordan LeBlanc, Grade 9 student from Abbey Park High School, for the project, Computational Sequence-Based Prediction of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease with NSPDI-SNN AI Framework

Primary Fluid Systems Pinnacle Second Best in Fair

•  Krishangi Oberoi, Grade 11 student from Abbey Park High School, for the project, In Silico Design of a PD-1/TCR Bispecific T-Cell Engager for Immunotherapy in T-Cell Malignancies

Canada-Wide Science Fair Awards:

• Imran Allarakhia, Grade 10 student from Abbey Park High School, for the project, CareBotix in Motion II: A Unified and Platform-Agnostic Humanoid Robotics System

• Evan Budz, Grade 10 student from Dr. Frank J. Hayden Secondary School, for the project, In Situ Microplastic Detection using Holographic Imaging and AI on an Autonomous Bionic Sea Turtle

• Isabell Zhang and Judy Wang, Grade 11 students from Iroquois Ridge High School, for the project, A Study on Preventing Aortic Dissections in Marfan Patients by Base Editing Smooth Muscle Cells

• Daniyal Qazi and Zayn Qazi, Grade 9 students from Iroquois Ridge High School, for the project, PeriNet: Automated Multi-Task Deep Learning for Periapical Radiograph Analysis and Lesion Detection

• Jasmine Wang, Grade 11 student from Iroquois Ridge High School, for the project, A Hierarchical Reason-Act Robot System with Transparent Decision-Making and Data-Driven Development

• Claire Marsh, Grade 12 student from M.M. Robinson High School, for the project, Identification of Neurodevelopmental & Mental Health Conditions: An AI Approach to Reducing Barriers

• Moeen Shahid and Andy Wang, Grade 10 students from Oakville Trafalgar High School, for the project, Machine Learning Prediction of SSRI Response Using fMRI Connectivity

• Taeyeon Eum and Eva Duan, Grade 11 students from Oakville Trafalgar High School, for the project, ASCEND: A Novel Brain-Shuttle Antisense Therapy for Targeted RNA Repair in ALS

• Gabriella Ipwanshek, Grade 11 student from White Oaks Secondary School, for the project, Investigating Matcha as an Amylase Inhibitor for Postprandial Hyperglycemia in Gestational Diabetes 

• Rahul Rao and Vivaan Kar, Grade 9 students from White Oaks Secondary School, for the project, NeuroRegen: A Novel Dual-Action Intranasal Nanoparticle Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease

Quotes

“The Halton District School Board is incredibly proud of all our students who participated in BASEF this year,” says Curtis Ennis, Director of Education for the HDSB. “Their projects demonstrate the innovative and future-ready thinking we lead within our classrooms. The passion for innovation, driven by the desire to create meaningful change in communities through STEM supports many of our commitments in the HDSB’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan.”

HDSB 2024-2028 Multi-Year Strategic Plan

The 2024-2028 Multi-Year Strategic Plan sets direction and prioritizes the collective actions of all students, staff, families and community members. This plan ensures our efforts as an organization are aligned and coordinated to support more than 65,000 students, 11,000 staff and the broader HDSB community. The six commitments identified in this four-year plan intersect and overlap to ensure that we take a cohesive approach to fulfilling its objectives.

For additional information, contact: Haley Juniper, Manager of Communications & Engagement

communications@hdsb.ca | 905-335-3663, Toll free: 1-877-618-3456