Hempfield High School Student Brings Home Top Honors at the World’s Largest International Science Competition
Hempfield High School junior Ethan Albright was awarded 3rd place in the Materials Science category at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) last week, held in Columbus, Ohio. His winning project, “Reel Problems. Reel Solutions. Combating Microplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems with Biodegradable Fishing Lures,” had earned Albright the Senior Division Champion award at the North Museum Science & Engineering Fair (NMSEF) in March 2025.
NMSEF’s 2025 Grand Champion Ansh Dwivedi, a senior at Warwick High School, also competed at ISEF, which is the world’s largest international science competition for pre-college students.
The two Lancaster County students traveled to Columbus to compete among 1,657 other students from 63 countries. North Museum paid all registration fees, travel and accommodation expenses to provide the two winning student competitors with this opportunity.
Albright’s win marks the first finalist award for an NMSEF champion since 2017. He is the son of Jennifer and Justin Albright. Warwick High School chemistry teacher Doug Balmer, who accompanied the two students to ISEF, noted the support of local educational resources in the students’ preparations.
“Millersville University allowed Ansh to use its scanning electronic microscope (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) free of charge,” he said, “and Ethan was able to come to Warwick and use the infrared spectrometer (IR) and poster plotter.”
The 2026 Science & Engineering Fair will be held at Millersville University on Thursday, March 12, 2026, and is one of just six fairs in Pennsylvania associated with ISEF. Students from every public school district in Lancaster and Lebanon Counties, as well as all private, charter, online and home schools are invited to enter the competition. Next year’s competition will begin with registration in October 2025, and is free of charge to all participating students.
The NMSEF has been a staple of science education in Lancaster County for 72 years, inspiring thousands of young researchers to create, design and discover the joys of science and engineering through their projects.