WHAT’S NEWS IN HAMPTON
FREE CARE 5K
RUN/WALK
Saturday, August 3
St. Barnabas Gibsonia
Campus
Run for free care at
the 28th Annual St. Barnabas Free Care
5K Run/Walk! From serious runners
to morning walkers to wheelchair
competitors and stroller pushers, there’s
something for everyone and every age.
Enjoy a great course, medals for all age
categories, fun music, plenty of prizes, lots
of free food and a fabulous post-race party
that is rated the best in the ‘burgh. There
will be beer, soft drinks, pizza and lots of
other goodies!
Register online at FreeCare5K.com or
call 724.625.3770. Early registration saves
money and guarantees a race t-shirt and
runner’s bag.
Proceeds benefit the St. Barnabas Free
Care Fund. The race starts at 9 a.m. and
follows along a rolling 3.1-mile, USA Track
and Field certified out-and-back course on
Meridian Road in Gibsonia, just minutes
from North Park. There is free parking.
Paracca Interiors Flooring America is
the presenting sponsor of the race.
ALPHA MIDDLE SCHOOL
STUDENT WINS AWARDS
AT SCIENCE FAIRS
Middle school students all across the
state are familiar with the Pittsburgh Junior
Academy of Science (PJAS) competition.
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724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE
❘
Students in our region are also familiar
with the Pittsburgh Regional Science and
Engineering Fair (PRSEF). Alpha student
Gina Palladino is not only familiar with
both but a winner at both.
This year, she selected a polymer-based
project. “I wanted to work with plastics
and polymers,
addressing the idea
of compostable
plastics because
plastics in the ocean
are a big problem,”
explains Gina.
“I looked at the
Crown Poly bags
used by Trader
Joe’s, which I buried in my garden to
compost.”
The Crown Poly bag is a product that
claims to be a compostable, eco-friendly
plastic bag. It is made with a material called
Mater Bi®, is certified under ASTM D-6400
to meet the U.S. composting standards,
and is FDA approved. Gina researched the
patent information for the Crown Poly
bag and discovered that it referenced the
problem of durability in the product. She
went on to create a tapioca-based polymer
to investigate the issue and presented her
findings at both PJAS and PRSEF.
In the 2019 PJAS competition, Gina
achieved a perfect score at the regional
level. She was also awarded the PJAS
Chemistry Award with a $100 prize, the
Duquesne University Excellence in Science
Award, the CMU Center for Nucleic
icmags.com
Acids Science and Technology DNA Zone
Award and the Pittsburgh Section of the
American Chemical Society 2019 Award
for Excellence in Chemistry.
This year in the PRSEF competition,
Gina earned sponsor awards from Covestro,
Kennametal and Braskem.
She recently learned she was selected as
the PJAS Region 7 Award Winner for two
years in a row by the Society for Analytical
Chemists of Pittsburgh (SACP). The award
will consist of a certificate and a check for
$300. Gina and her family were invited to
attend the annual SACP Awards Banquet
on May 14 at the Duquesne University
Ballroom.
Providence Heights Alpha School is
an independent, Catholic, coeducational
school for grades pre-K-8 founded
and sponsored by the Sisters of Divine
Providence and located on an historic
40-acre campus in Allison Park. Since
1926, Alpha School has educated children
to be independent thinkers, imaginative
problem solvers and caring, compassionate
individuals.
NORTH HILLS AARP #595
North Hills AARP #595 meets the first
Tuesday of each month at 12:30 p.m. at
Hampton Presbyterian Church, located
at 2942 East Hardies Road in Gibsonia,
with entertainment, refreshment and travel
trips. The group is celebrating 50 years
this June. Contact Bill Inman, President, at
412.487.5919 for more information.
ST. MARY OF THE
ASSUMPTION PARISH
ANNUAL FLEA MARKET
Dates: July 19, 20 and 21
Address: 2510 Middle Road, Hampton
Contact: [email protected]
Check out 10,000 square feet of new
and used merchandise! You’re sure to find
treasures beyond compare. This annual
event attracts collectors and bargain
hunters from all over the Pittsburgh area.
(Early admission — July 19, 7 a.m.: $10)
July 19 and 20 — 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and
5 to 8 p.m.
July 21 — 8 a.m. to noon, $5 bag sale. n