Five Gloucester High School students and one team of Page Middle School students won awards for their research in the 60th annual Tidewater Regional Science Fair held Saturday at Old Dominion University.

Patricia Shorter, a freshman at GHS, took second place in the senior microbiology category for her work, titled "Mouthwash: Is it Truly Your Best Bet?" With the second-place win, Shorter’s research will be entered in the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair on April 2 at ODU.

GHS freshman Rachel Abbot won third place in the earth and planetary science category with her project, titled "What is the Effect of Different Soil Combinations on the Amount of Water Absorbed?" Abbot’s work also won her a $100 award from the American Society of Civil Engineers and a $100 award from the Society of Women Engineers.

Page Middle School eighth graders Anna Henderson-Cox and Rachael Petersen also won third place with their work, "The Effect of Shifti...