Hattiesburg High senior researches how to make Kevlar stronger - WLOX.com - The News for South Mississippi

Hattiesburg High senior researches how to make Kevlar stronger

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HATTIESBURG, MS (WDAM) -

Hattiesburg High School senior De'Andre Stafford-May won big at Mississippi's 2012 Region 1 Science Fair, earning accolades for his project from the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Stafford-May discovered a way to make Kevlar - a material used to make military body armor - stronger. He says he worked for about two months on the project. Stafford-May was picked out of his classmates to do research at the University of Southern Mississippi polymer lab, where he researched the winning project. At the regional fair he won awards from three military branches, won the chemistry division, and took home the First Place Overall Winner trophy.

These awards did not come easy for Stafford-May, the oldest of six children. In addition to his science research, he works a part time job and helps out his mother since his father passed away several years ago. His HHS polymer teacher James Brownlow says De'Andre's focus has set him apart. Next up: Stafford-May has earned a paid trip to the International Science and Engineering Fair in Philadelphia in May.

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