Wild Rice, Wildlife, and More Shine at Science Fair

Cloquet High School students take home top prizes at regional science and engineering competition

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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The 2026 Northeastern Minnesota and American Indian Regional Science and Engineering Fair featured impressive projects from local students, including Ethan Lavan's research on removing sulfides to protect wild rice populations and Melanie Buhs' study on the impact of human activity on wildlife diversity. Despite a decline in overall participation, the quality of the student work remained high, with Lavan earning the Best of Fair award.

Why it matters

Wild rice is not only an important food source, but also a cultural staple and indicator of overall lake health in the region. Lavan's project highlights the threats facing wild rice from mining-related pollution and demonstrates a potential solution. Buhs' work sheds light on how human encroachment can disrupt local ecosystems and reduce biodiversity, an issue of growing concern.

The details

Ethan Lavan, a Cloquet High School senior, investigated the rising price of wild rice, which he traced to declining populations due to sulfide pollution from nearby iron mines. Lavan's project tested the use of Greensand Plus, a manganese oxide product, to remove sulfides from the water and found an optimal concentration range. Melanie Buhs, a Cloquet High School sophomore, set up trail cameras in various locations to study the impact of human activity on wildlife. Her work found that areas with more human presence had less diverse animal populations.

  • The 2026 Northeastern Minnesota and American Indian Regional Science and Engineering Fair was held on Saturday, February 7, 2026.
  • Lavan's project was entered in this year's fair.

The players

Ethan Lavan

A Cloquet High School senior who entered a project investigating the declining wild rice populations and testing a potential solution to remove sulfides from the water.

Melanie Buhs

A Cloquet High School sophomore who studied the impact of human activity on wildlife diversity by setting up trail cameras in various locations.

Cynthia Welsh

The director of the Northeastern Minnesota and American Indian Regional Science and Engineering Fair and the science fair advisor at Cloquet's middle and high schools.

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What they’re saying

“Sulfide isn't naturally occurring in rivers or lakes. It comes from our iron mines, when they just mine rock containing sulfur. When the sulfur goes into the water, it then turns into sulfate, which isn't necessarily toxic to the wild rice, but it still isn't great.”

— Ethan Lavan, Cloquet High School Senior (Pine Knot News)

“My kind of guess is that most animals are scared off by people. Their brains have become wired as people are more and more abundant on the earth. People equals danger to them, so they run away. So when there's less people, more animals want to be around that area.”

— Melanie Buhs, Cloquet High School Sophomore (Pine Knot News)

“Even though we have a small group, I think the quality is just as good and the kids are benefiting from it just as much.”

— Cynthia Welsh, Science Fair Director (Pine Knot News)

What’s next

Lavan plans to continue his research on removing sulfides from water to help protect wild rice populations, while Buhs intends to explore further why human activity leads to reduced wildlife diversity in future science fair projects.

The takeaway

This science fair highlights the important role students can play in addressing environmental challenges facing their local communities, from preserving culturally significant natural resources like wild rice to understanding the broader impacts of human activity on ecosystems. Despite declining participation, the quality of student research remains high, demonstrating the lasting value of these regional competitions.