Seven local students won prizes, including three special awards, at the Upper East Tennessee Science Fair held Thursday, April 24, at East Tennessee State University.

The event featured 350 exhibits submitted by students in grades 4-8 from 50 schools in the upper East Tennessee region.

Professional scientists from various local companies and ETSU judged the competition, sponsored by the Johnson City Kiwanis Club, Eastman Chemical Company, and ETSU.

More than $7,000 in prize money, donated by the Kiwanis Club and Eastman, was awarded to student winners, their teachers and their schools.

In addition, the Tennessee Academy of Science awarded four $100 prizes; ETSU's Center for Appalachian Studies and Services awarded two $100 prizes; and Studsvik, Inc. of Erwin awarded five $100 prizes.

Eastman Chemical Grand Prizes of $200 for the student and $50 each for the winner's school and teacher, were given to the best entry for each of the five grade levels.

Sam Saulsbury, of the Nolichuckey Home Educators Association, received the Eastman Chemical Grand Prize for sixth grade.

His project, "Acid Battle," tested the effectiveness of various antacids.

One of the two Center for Appalachian Studies and Services $100 prizes, for projects related to the Appalachian region, was won by Tyler Warren of Nolachuckey Elementary School.

Warren also received $100 for placing first in the sixth grade physical category for his project, "Digging Up Dirt in Southern Greene County."

His project tested the absorbency of four types of soil -- river, valley, mountain and potting soil.

One of the four Tennessee Academy of Science $100 prizes -- two each for overall biological science winners and the overall physical science winners -- was won by Sarah Mitchum of Highland Year-Round Elementary School.

For her project, "Barnyard Bacteria," Mitchum swabbed the mouths of a dog, a cat, a horse and a cow to determine which contained the most bacteria. The cleanest mouth belonged to the dog, and the cat had the most bacteria, she determined.

The Johnson City Kiwanis Club awarded $100 first prizes, $50 second prizes and $25 third prizes for each of the two categories in the five grade levels.

Grace Ottinger, of Nolachuckey Elementary School, placed first in the seventh grade biological cateogry and received $100 for her project, "The Rotten Truth About Garbage."

Ottinger recycled 93 percent of her family's waste during February. She determined that if residents in Tennessee would recycle the same amount of waste she recycled, a total of 311,013,400 pounds of waste would be saved from landfills in just one month.

Three local students placed third and received $25:

* Amee Lee Hankins, fourth grade biological, Chuckey Elementary School, "One 'Bad' Apple";

* Courtney Smith, seventh grade biological, DeBusk Elementary School, "Talk About a Pain in the Back"; and

* Chelsea Casteel, eighth grade physical, DeBusk Elementary School, "How Juiced Up is Your Juice?"