John Mashey alerted me to this news story from the online Beeville Bee-Picayune via mySouTex.com:
R.A. Hall fourth-grader is science national champion
Caption from mySouTex: R.A. Hall fourth-grader Julisa Castillo (center) is the 2010 national junior division champion for the National Science Fair. Her project, “Disproving Global Warming,” beat more than 50,000 other projects from students all over the nation. She is pictured with her father, J.R. Castillo (left), and R.A. Hall Principal Martina Villarreal. Read more: mySouTex.com - R A Hall fourth grader is science national champion
R.A. Hall Elementary School fourth-grader Julisa Castillo has been named junior division champion for the 2010 National Science Fair.
Her project, “Disproving Global Warming,” beat more than 50,000 other projects submitted by students from all over the U.S.
Julisa originally entered her project in her school science fair before sending it to the National Science Foundation (NSF) to be judged at the national level.
The NSF panel of judges included former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, 14 recipients of the President’s National Medal of Science, and four former astronauts.
“Before she sent it off, she just had to add more details, citations for her research, and the amount of hours she spent working on it,” said Julisa’s father, J.R. Castillo.
In addition to a plaque, trophy and medal, Julisa has won an all-expenses-paid trip to Space Camp at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., which she plans to attend this summer.
Read more: mySouTex.com – R A Hall fourth grader is science national champion
The blog of the North County Times (California) has doubts. There are signs of hoax. While the Beeville Independent School District does have an R. A. Hall elementary, the list of winners of last December’s science fair does not include Ms. Castillo. To go from not placing at the local school to winning the national would be quite a feat!
I suspect an error somewhere, perhaps in the title of the project, or in the understanding of what the title implies.
Most of the obvious hoax signs check out against a hoax: Beeville exists (improbably Texan as the name may be), R. A. Hall is an elementary school in Beeville ISD. The principal of R. A. Hall is Martina Villareal. Beeville has a guy named J. R. Castillo (listed as Julisa’s father in the photo caption), and his photos at the site promoting his music shows photos of a guy who looks a lot like the guy in the photo here. Most hoaxers wouldn’t go so far for accuracy on details.
Fun little mystery. I have made inquiries with the newspaper, and hope to follow up with the school. Stay tuned. There may be a great little science project somewhere in here.
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See update here: Quick summary, big title, project not quite filling those shoes. I’ve made inquiries at the paper and school district without answers; there’s more to the story, but not much. A good project with a misleading title, for those who would be misled by a 4th grade science fair project.
Posted by Ed Darrell 
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