Katie Dienstbier (second from left) and Ben Howard (center) display their NCAR science fair plaques during "Winners’ Day at NCAR" on 8 April. Since 1990, NCAR scientist-judges have awarded two prizes for excellence in the atmospheric sciences at the Boulder Valley School District Regional Science Fair. "This gives the students an opportunity to come to NCAR and see where and how we do different projects and meet many of the folks who work here," says EO’s Rene Munoz. "This can give these students an invaluable close-up look at the real world of science—which many of them already aspire to become a part of."

Katie, a sixth grader at Burbank Middle School in Boulder, won the junior division for a project titled "Haze Is a Phase on Red and Blue Days." Ben, a 12th grader at Fairview High School in Boulder, won the senior division for "An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Reformulated Gasoline in Reducing Urban Benzene Air Pollution"—and he went on to win four awards in this year’s Colorado State Science Fair. Ben is a repeat winner of NCAR’s Science Fair Award for Excellence in the Atmospheric Sciences, having won in 1998 when he was at Southern Hills Middle School.

Also pictured are (from left to right): Roberta Johnson (EO), Barry Lefer (ACD), and Greg Card (HAO). Barry was the NCAR judge at this year’s Boulder science fair, and Greg gave the winners a tour of the HAO clean room. (Photo by Teri Eastburn, EO.)