Eighth graders Cristian Rojas, Chris Matamoros, and Deshaune Johnson from Parkway Heights Middle School are the winners of the 2023 Helix Cup "Easy Dose It" challenge.
This year, teams from Alta Loma, Parkway Heights, and Westborough Middle Schools were tasked with producing three, control-released pills, using colored tablets and water-soluble materials.
Winners were decided by determining which team released the colored tablets in the correct sequence and closest to the target times, modeling how time-release medications work in the body.
Nayelli Camacho, Annika Jose, Chiara Ng, and Aliyah Arabieh from Westborough Middle School placed second.
Meanwhile, Kitty Htut, Zayna Juhar, Santiago Padilla, and Mel Dolar from Alta Loma Middle School placed third.
Helix Cup is an annual science competition involving South San Francisco Unified School District's (SSFUSD) three middle schools (i.e., Alta Loma, Parkway Heights, and Westborough) that is meant to stimulate interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
Participants who successfully complete the science-based challenge can claim ownership of the Helix Cup trophy for their school and bragging rights for the year.