| Biographies |
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| Kimia - Kimia Raahemifar. Likes: debating, piano, art, history, literature, pragmatism, the Last of Us (yes, the zombie video game). I spend my time on my school work, taking on multiple leadership roles in extracurricular activities, and exercising. I've won various awards in public speaking, although my writing isn't nearly as strong. In the future, I hope to master both forms of communication - perhaps even in different languages. My partner, Rishika, and I were thinking of on-call workers and how vital their level of awareness is. This, in turn, inspired a question - is there a novel and natural approach that could profoundly affect our brainwave activity and level of awareness without any negative long-term impact? Somewhere along the lines, we became familiar with binaural beats and the Frequency Following Response Theory. The results of this study provides insight on the possibility of designing earphones with the capability of emitting sound waves with different frequencies into one’s ears in order to immediately increase his/her level of awareness. Such device would be particularly useful for on-call workers with sensitive jobs, e.g. emergency paramedics and military workers. My advice for other students: think of a real-world problem and explore a potential solution. | | Rishika - I am a Grade 10 student in the Pre-Advanced Placement program at Waterloo Collegiate Institute. I’m very interested in research in the fields of neuroscience and life science. This year for science fair, my partner Kimia and I explored the immediate influences of binaural beat stimulation on brain bioelectrical signals and mood. My dream is to study medicine and specialize in surgery. Apart from the sciences, I have a great passion for law, history, and politics; these interests also come in handy for another passion of mine–competitive debate. Music is also a big part of my life–I enjoy singing, playing violin, and I’m currently completing my grade 8 RCM in piano while teaching a beginner student on the side. I love being around people and am heavily involved in school, be it as the environment controller on the student council, a member of the orchestra, or co-president of the debate and eco team. To succeed in science, one has to be willing to fail, and learn from their mistakes. Despite the dedication and sacrifice research requires, the rewards are definitely worth it! |
| Kimia Raahemifar, Rishika Geda
Binaural Beats: Bio-feedback Via Brainwave Entrainment
| Challenge: | Discovery | | Category: | Intermediate | | Region: | Waterloo-Wellington | | City: | Waterloo, ON | | School: | Waterloo Collegiate Institute | | Abstract: | This project explored immediate influences of binaural beat stimulation on brain bioelectrical signals and mood. Thirty participants were exposed to beta frequencies with a difference of f=30 Hz. EEG data showed that the entrainment increased the participants’ awareness rates immediately after exposure to binaural beats–an effect that persisted even after the stimulus had been removed, opening numerous pathways for innovation based on this research. |
| Awards | Value | Excellence Award - Intermediate
Silver Medal
Sponsor: Youth Science Canada | | Western University Scholarship
Silver Medallist - $2000 Entrance Scholarship
Sponsor: Western University | $2 000.00 | | Total | $2 000.00 | |
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