Ever since ACP’s first graduating class, we have been labeled as having great accomplishments with both academics and more recently with sports. ACP has a great success story with the science fair, due to a team of influential science teachers. Emma Loop has further exemplified ACP’s motto, “Strive for the impossible, and be extraordinary”, by winning the school science fair and placing at HISEF.

Emma Loop, current 9th grader, recently placed second at HISEF and first at the school science fair, insuring her a place in the state wide science fair, AZSEF. In an interview, Emma explained her project was titled “The Effect of Essential Oils on Bee Behavior”. This project, which was in the Animal science category, investigated how different essential oils effect bee behavior, and she found that oils, such as tee tree oil, repelled bees while oils, such as eucalyptus oil, attracted bees. With over four years of studying bees, Emma only recently started her study of bees and essential oils, and she wants to continue her project to determine which chemicals in tee tree oil and eucalyptus oil repel and attract bees. Now, this project has very practical uses. If you’re like me and absolutely love coffee, you may have noticed that popular coffee shops often have bees hovering around. Even if you don’t visit coffee shops, you may have seen the bees surrounding the outdoor trashcans at school, and if you’re anything like me, you are also absolutely terrified of bees. Emma’s project is a practical way to deter bees from these coffee shops and around school.

Emma further clarified in interview that she was “indifferent” when she found out she had placed second, for she explained how she doesn’t compete in science fair for the prizes, she competes because she loves science and investigating new ideas. When asked about the scientist she looks up to, Emma responded by stating, “I look up to my sister”, which is alumni Mckenna Loop, and Emma continued by stating how humble Mckenna was when she won scientific awards. Her advice to future scientists were simply “don’t do it for the awards, do it for personal satisfaction” and to research what you are interested in because “it can give you so many opportunities.”