CMS student wins national science fair

CMS student wins national science fair

April 12, 2001

AMIE HAMMOND

By Aspen C. Emmett
Journal Staff Writer

Amie Hammond may be only 14 years old, but she has already engaged herself in medical research that has gained her national recognition.

The eighth-grade Cortez Middle School student, who is a Ute Mountain Ute Tribe member, won first place in the eighth grade medicine and health division of the 14th Annual National American Indian Science and Engineering Fair for her project, "Are Ute Teens at Risk for Diabetes?"

She was also one of the winners of the Mayo Clinic "Outstanding Project in Medicine and Health" awards at the fair, held last weekend in St. Paul, Minn.

Hammond was humble about her achievement but said her research was inspired by her own observations of diabetes in her family.

"My grandmother has diabetes, my father has diabetes and two of my aunties have diabetes," she said.

Hammond said she had also read about a correlation between Native Americans and diabetes and decided to narrow the focus of her study to teenagers, comparing 25 Ute and 25 caucasian students from CMS.

"I tested their blood pressure, height and body weight," Hammond explained, "and I asked if they had a family history of diabetes."

Hammond’s findings supported what she had suspected, showing far greater risk factors for diabetes among Ute teens when compared to caucasian teens.

"The average weight for (Ute) females was way higher than caucasians’." Blood pressure results also suggested Ute teenagers were at a higher risk for diabetes, she said.

"It was like 130 compared to 110."

Hammond said part of the science fair involved explaining her study to a panel of judges as well as putting together tables of her findings.

And out of a field of 30 projects in the eighth-grade division, Hammond’s project and presentation shone above the other entries from around the country. Competitors’ projects ranged from fitness regimens to research about lung cancer, she said.

Hammond received a medal, certificate and cash award for her achievement. With plans of becoming a pediatrician someday and already having applied to Native American Prep school, she said her research was in line with her future endeavors.

Attending the fair in St. Paul was also a special experience for the young researcher, who had never been on a plane before. Accompanied by her aunt, Rebecca Hammond, she also visited the Mall of America and stayed in a hotel so large she "could get lost in it for hours."

The National American Indian Science and Engineering Fair, sponsored by the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, is an annual event for American Indian students to actively participate in a science-based learning environment and to create science projects that can be shared among peers, teachers and educators, said CMS teacher Carole Hitti. The National Science Fair provides a forum for students to have their research recognized in the areas of science, mathematics, engineering and technology.

Both Cortez Middle School and Montezuma-Cortez High School are affiliates of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society.

Hitti said Amie is "one of our finest and most mature students. She goes about her work seriously, pushes herself to do well and earns good grades consistently."

Amie is also a member of CMS band and the CMS track team. She is the daughter of Paulita and Aldo Hammond and the granddaughter of Gladys Knight Hammond and the late Aldo Hammond.

Amie said her science teacher, Ken Whited, assisted her with the first-place project, and her trip to the fair in Minnesota was sponsored by Youth Opportunity Program.