OHS students continue making a name in Geology
By Dominic Leading Fox
Throughout the 23-24 school year, a few OHS students have led research efforts into environmental effects at Tar Creek in Picher, Oklahoma. In doing their work, they have received several awards, published research papers and been incorporated into national science organizations as the first high school group to do so. They are Sophia Hunt and Ariel Diaz Salinas, also known as the Owasso STEM and Research Team.
Photo of the Owasso STEM and Research team provided by Sophia Hunt. Pictured: Sophia Hunt (left), Shannon Chatwin (middle), Ariel Diaz Salinas (right.)
For the entire school year, the Owasso STEM and Research Team dedicate almost all of their time to science fairs, research papers and field trips, where they seek to understand the issues Oklahoma’s environment faces.
“We choose research projects and [] compete with them at science fairs. [We] also present them to collegiate and professional academic organizations, like the Geological Society of America,” stated Hunt. “Oh, and we’ve been published two times.”
Despite being high schoolers, Hunt and Diaz Salinas have established precedents left and right as they pursue their unique line of work.
“We are the first high school group to have presented at the Geological Society of America, so we created our own competition bracket,” reported Hunt. “We’re going to be the first high school group to present at the water research organization—and we’re the first science fair team from Owasso High School to get first in regionals.”
Hunt and Diaz Salinas began their environmental journey in the 23-24 school year when they researched the water contaminants in Tar Creek, the waterway that runs through the hazardous ghost town of Picher, Oklahoma. This year, they’re investigating how that water affects the nearby soil.
“Right now, we’re researching how heavy metals are distributed in the soil around Tar Creek,” informed Hunt. “Tar Creek runs through a mining district, and it picks up the pollutants from the heavy metals in that area. We’re looking at how the creek can take the contaminants downstream and how [far and deep] the contaminants go during floods.”
The pair hope to publish their findings with these environmental organizations, where they can make all the difference in the Tar Creek area.
The latest event the team participated in was the state science fair, where they proved their dedication to their field and left with multiple accolades.
“We placed third and won a Students in Geoscience Award, Students in Soil Science Award and the Stockholm Water Prize,” said Hunt.
The Stockholm Junior Water Prize is awarded by the Stockholm International Water Institute to young adults who make outstanding progress in the field of water science. Students from around 35 countries participate in the competition each year, with thousands of projects being submitted.
“We’re going to take our research paper that we’ve written, and we’re going to continue editing and revising it and then submit it to their state [competition]. If we win state, then we can go to the College of Mines in Colorado, and if we do well there, they’ll fly us out to Sweden!”
As fun as winning prizes can be, the team sees much more to be gained from the field of geology
“I really love how you can use science to tell a story and how particularly geology investigates how things got there, and how it looks into the history of the world through an objective and subjective lens,” Hunt explained. “It’s investigating a mystery and using that mystery for the greater good of humanity and it’s awesome and cool and wonderful.”
As the school year comes to an end, the two will soon graduate from Owasso High School and leave vacant seats in the Owasso STEM and Research team—but the journey is far from over. In their further education, there is still much work to be done at more advanced professional levels. Hunt and Diaz Salinas will continue to research, investigate and explore as they improve the quality of Earth’s landscape—one creek at a time.