Brooklyn Forsythe, a freshman at Holy Trinity Junior/Senior High School in Fort Madison, displays her science project at the Regeneron International Science and Industry Fair last month in Phoenix, Ariz.
By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
FORT MADISON —Holy Trinity freshman Brooklyn Forsythe recently traveled to Phoenix to represent Iowa at the world’s largest science fair.
She was invited to attend the Regeneron International Science and Industry Fair (ISEF) in a student observer capacity after an impressive run at the State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa in March, where she placed second in the power and structural category and earned the Excellence in Global Impact Award. Her science project focused on the potential for piezoelectric walkways in public areas to generate electricity from footsteps.
About 1,700 students from more than 60 countries compete for prizes at the international fair each year, according to the organization’s website. The observer program gives high-achieving students who did not qualify as finalists a chance to show their work and gain experience in a noncompetitive role. “ISEF is a unique opportunity for students from around the world who have been selected and screened to share their science research with other students and scientists and engineers from all over the world,” said Ernie Schiller, advisor of the Holy Trinity Science Club and a retired school teacher. The Iowa delegation included 15 finalists and 7 observers, according to an Iowa State University Extension and Outreach press release.
During the fair, Forsythe explored exhibits, participated in workshops and got to know other participants from Iowa. “I had so much fun and explored so many places. I bonded with others in the delegation and it was an amazing time,” she said, noting that she especially enjoyed trading pins with other participants.
Forsythe’s journey to Phoenix began in the fall, when she and other Science Club members began brainstorming their individual projects. Her interest in environmentally friendly energy sources led her to research piezoelectricity. “I had been looking into green energy sources that would be cheap and available,” she told The Catholic Messenger. “We use sidewalks every day, so (I thought) that could be very convenient.” The Science Club participated in several local and regional competitions, with the top finishers advancing to state. Other Holy Trinity students have been invited to the international fair since Schiller formed Holy Trinity’s Science Club about 10 years ago, including Jack Ragar in 2025.
Forsythe attended the 2026 fair alongside Schiller and her parents, Blake and Amy. The regional ISEF organization paid for her admission, and Holy Trinity covered her travel expenses. It was a reunion, of sorts; Blake Forsythe, a graduate of Harmony High School in Farmington, competed as a finalist three times in the late 1990s and early 2000s under Schiller’s tutelage. “To be part of that delegation (with) some of the best and brightest minds from your state, representing it and sharing your research on an international level is a life-guiding experience that I think one can lean on in future endeavors,” Blake Forsythe said.
Brooklyn Forsythe said she was grateful to all three of her travel companions for their help with the project. Schiller offered counsel on “research Saturdays,” she said, and Blake Forsythe offered support during the research phase by cross-checking research and helping with the electrical elements of the presentation. Mom Amy provided emotional support and helped her daughter work through moments of frustration. “I don’t think I could have done it without them.”
Blake Forsythe said watching his daughter take ownership of her research idea, run with it and continuously strive to perfect it has been a deeply captivating experience. He is grateful to Schiller and the Holy Trinity community for the opportunities they’ve provided to students with an interest in science and research. “It is awesome to see the excitement and pride from Brooklyn and all the other students for their research and to share it with judges, visitors, educators, and even other competitors at all of the science fairs,” he said. As they strive to question, innovate and take on problems outside their comfort zone, “they can see the direct correlation that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.”
The freshman hopes to continue researching green energy sources and, hopefully, bring them to the forefront someday. “I’m grateful to God he made this earth, and it’s really sad that we’re kind of destroying it,” she said. “Climate change is getting really bad… If I can help, that’s one of my big goals.”
