Beaumont, CA – Do potted venus flytraps grow better with rain water or distilled water? Can a robot make art? How does weight affect a levitating train? These are just a few of the curious STEM-based questions on display at the annual Beaumont Beaumont Unified School District’s Science and Engineering Fair that took place Thursday, January 15, 2026.
The competition involved 40 students who placed at their school site’s science and engineering fair. Fourth grade student Jackson Gerhard from Summerwind Trails School took first place for his project titled, “Soccer’s Sweet Spot.”
Gerhard’s project attempted to discover the perfect air-pressure for a soccer ball. While Gerhard cannot tell you what that PSI number is due to “inconclusive” results, he is not giving up. Gerhard has ideas to keep testing his hypothesis. “That’s what science is. Test. Re-evaluate. That’s the whole scientific process,” explained the student’s father, Kyle Gerhard, who is also a middle school science teacher.
“Science is more than just, like, something that we do. We’re always doing science stuff,” shared Nikki Gerhard, the mother. “[Jackson] was there every step of the way. He had to learn what is a control, what is a variable, and what does that mean to be statistically significant.”
The family’s involvement is exactly what Beaumont USD is hoping to achieve with its science fair. The Beaumont USD's Science and Engineering Fair is an amazing way for the entire family to foster ingenuity in the scientific mind-set for student learning. It is with great pleasure we celebrate these outstanding results,” shared Beaumont USD Board Clerk David Sanchez.
Along with Gerhard’s first place results, Anna Hause Elementary School student Raelyna Velasquez placed second, and Summerwind Trails School Laken Schoen placed third. A total of 19 students out of the 40 competitors will proceed to the Riverside County Science and Engineering Fair, which will be on public display, Saturday, February 28, 2026 at the Riverside Convention Center from 8:30 a.m. to noon.