PAINFUL RESEARCH: Cameron Weaver points out the types of ships African slaves were sent to America in.

IMAGE IS EVERYTHING: Especially to teenage girls who are bombarded by images of beautiful models every day, researcher Kelly Pavers found out.

HERE COMES THE JUDGE: Rebekah Humpton explains her project to a judge.

WHAT A GAS: Mercedes Reuel had to take her experiments to the Hall Enviromental Analysis Lab in Albuquerque to see if methane gas could be efficiently produced from grass and manure.

LET THERE BE LIGHT: Sophomore Jessie Ardis found out that regular light works best when it comes to growing plants.

OH BROTHER: Sibling underclassmen Vaughn and Ford Carty may have found a way for the Permian Basin to use different methods to produce fuel.

To see complete results of the Fall Research Expo, click here.

The eighth annual Rio Rancho High School Fall Research Expo involved 664 students working on 648 projects that were rated by 190 judges. The winners walked away with $12,170 in prizes, RRHS SciMatics Academy head Daniel Barbour said. Some 40 volunteers also assisted in the event, sponsored by Intel and the Rio Rancho School District. The spring expo is April 19.

UP CLOSE: How does a scientifically-challenged newspaper reporter feel after walking around the floor and talking to a bunch of braniac kids? Amazed. Proud. And a little intimidated. Click here to read one man's view of the Research Expo..