High school students who received a special award at the Ventura County Science Fair shared their projects at Cal State Channel Islands recently.

The students displayed their science fair projects for faculty and staff in the John Spoor Broome Library on campus.

The CSUCI Science Fair Special Awards covered topics in five disciplines: physics, health sciences, chemistry/biochemistry, environmental science and resource management, and biological sciences.

Following are the local student winners, their awards, project titles and project adviser.

Samantha Guhan, Newbury Park High School, chemistry/biochemistry special award, "A Tripeptide-Based Study of the Role of Flanking Amino Acid in DOPA Mediated Mussel Adhesion," adviser Debbie Dogancay.

Brenna Callero, Thousand Oaks High School, environmental science and resource management special award, "Understanding the Correlation between Mussel Populations in Watersheds and Harmful Microcystis Algal Blooms," adviser Rhonda Frohn.

Emily Zolfaghari, La Reina High School, biological sciences special award, "Effects of Glucose and the Proliferation of ML10 Ovarian Cystadenoma Epithelial Cells Using MEM, MEM/DMEM, and DMEM Solutions," adviser Sadhana Neurgaonkar.

Emily is the sister of last year's recipient, Olivia Zolfagahri, who will attend CSUCI in fall 2009 as a pre-nursing student.

The student winners received a $75 gift card and a two-year scholarship to CSUCI.