Whether it’s making that iconic volcano erupt with baking soda and vinegar or weighing the benefits of a flu shot, science projects have been a school staple for decades.
Of course the projects have evolved over the years, as last week’s Flin Flon Citywide Science Fair demonstrated.
“There were lots of good projects,” said organizer George Trevor. “The [students] had fun.”
Held March 4 at the RH Channing Auditorium, the fair combined projects created by grades 1 to 8 students from École McIsaac School and Ruth Betts Community School.
A total of 26 judges marked the projects – including 14 judges from Hudbay, 11 high school students and five members of the community –not only on the project itself, but also the students’ understanding of the information presented.
Judges looked over 85 projects from 120 students, which Trevor says is less than in years past.
“It is down…a fair amount, I’d say,” said Trevor, vice-principal of McIsaac. “And I’m not really sure why. I think regardless, the quality of work was exceptional.”
Trevor says though the number was lower than in years past, he doesn’t see a trend developing.
“It was still a good number, just lower than what we’ve had,” he said. “But it allowed the judges to judge the projects three times, not just twice, so there was more feedback.”
Beneficial
The additional round of judging was beneficial to more than just the judges, said Trevor, who noticed improvements from the students after each round.
“By the third time the [judges] came around for them to present [their projects], their confidence was up,” he said. “The [students] were excited to do it three times. They had put a lot of work into it.”
Among the projects catching Trevor’s eye was Logan Sapergia-Green’s entry detailing the differences between those who get a flu shot and those who do not.
“We had a very high incidence of absences from illnesses [at McIsaac in January] and he did a study on how people were feeling on those days,” said Trevor. “He did a data analysis on whether people had had flu shots or not.”
Sapergia-Green’s entry was named the Best Overall project from McIsaac as well as first among all Grade 8 students.
Another project that impressed Trevor came from Madison McIntyre and Hannah Clendenning.
The Grade 7 students compared how foods affect blood glucose levels. They earned first place for Grade 7 as well as Best Overall for Ruth Betts.
Grade 7 McIsaac student Chloe Reitlo, decked out in her own personalized lab coat, presented her findings on whether it was safe to drink wastewater.
All students receiving a top three finish are encouraged to present their projects at the Northern Manitoba Regional Science Fair in Thompson next month.
Though the concept of a project cannot change, Trevor says students are able to use the feedback they received in Flin Flon to improve their project for regionals.
As for the baking soda and vinegar volcano, Trevor says this was likely the first year he didn’t see one.
Results
Results from the Citywide Science Fair:
Grade 1, Milan Fernandes - The M&M Melter
Grade 2, Hailey Sapergia, Cassidy Alexander - Which Kind of Bubble Gum Makes the Biggest Bubble; Niki Keramydas - Refraction, the Bending of Light
Grade 3, Addie Neill, Sara Burbidge - The Eggnamel Eggsperiment: Choose Your Drink; Ava Williams, Sara Mansell - Soap vs Hand Santizer; Carson Taylor, Hunter Hynes – Does Whistling Change the Northern Lights; Jenna Thompson, Keira Wood – Static Electricity; Lacey Svaren – Solar Power; Isabel Plamondon – Flower Power; Zainab Ashraf – How Frost Forms; Grace Little – Recycled Can Solar Heater; Amber Fisher – Evaporating; Nole Pearson, Jayson Dumas – Tasting Tests; Piper Sapergia-Green – Science is Shocking
Grade 4, Olivia Fernandes – Beat the Heat (first); Kylie Dewhirst – The Big Apple (second); Danielle Kifita – How to Neutralize The Indoor Smell (third); Harley Sherman – Cloud in a Bottle (third)
Grade 4, Tristan Smook, Samuel Moore – What Flies Longer (first); Hanna Lytwyn, Madisyn Bychkowsky – Sweet Apple (second); Summer Korte, Hailey Brown – Iodine Clock Reaction (second)*; Skylar Maxwell, Tye Burke – The Exploding Sodas (third)*
Grade 5, Rene Thompson – Cholesterol (first); Taylor Dundas – Cartisian Diver (second)*; Liam Brooks – Non-Newtonian Fluids (third)
Grade 5, Emma Stuckless, Morgan Markham – Lemons vs Oranges (first); Nathan Barron, Kyle Colomb – The Warm Cold Bounce (second); Austin Weseen, Cooper Eastman – 5…4…3…2…Litre Blast Off (third); Leah Gauthier, Jaden O’Conner – The Amazing Lava Lamp (third)*
Grade 6, Brennen Sapergia-Green – Green or Greening (first); Skanthan Vijayranjan – Hots vs Blood Pressure (second); Alli Lytwyn – Video Games vs Human Brain (third); Morgan Daneliuk – Roses Die Too Fast (third)*
Grade 6, Brayden Abbott, Odin Church – Robotics (first); Jayden Harrison, Korey Benoit – How to Grow a Plant In a Seed (second)*; Casey McCullum, Abby Agpalza – How Does Colour Affect Heating (third); Connor Brown, David Richard – Homemade Fire Extinguisher (third)
Grade 7, Chloe Reitlo – Can You Drink Waste Water? (first); Michael Ward – Make Sense of Your Taste (second); Cherity Odut – The Toothpaste Tester (third); Tara Whitbread – Food Power (third); Paige Lies – The Surviving Candle (third)*
Grade 7, Madison McIntyre, Hannah Clendenning – How Foods Effect Blood Glucose Levels (first)*; Rylan Potkonjak, Blake Lahonen – Does the Flex on a Hockey Stick Affect You Shot (second)*; Taya Rogers, Abby Quick – How Do Beauty and Fashion Magazines Affect You (third); Haley Chisholm, Faith Gauthier – How Cigarettes Harm Your Lungs (third)*
Grade 8, Logan Sapergia-Green – The Flu Shot vs Influenza (first); Vishwaka Epa – The Affect of Temperature on Elasticity of Rubber (second); Mason Tower – Faster Freezing (third)*
*indicates students from Ruth Betts Community School (students otherwise from École McIsaac School)
