Nearly 600 budding young scientists participated in the 31st annual District 58 Science Fair at O’Neill Middle School Jan. 21.
The hallways and gymnasiums were packed with students eagerly answering questions and discussing their experiments with the judges, which included high school students, parents, staff members, professional scientists and representatives from Downers Grove Friends of the Gifted (FRoG), which co-sponsors the fair. More than 200 volunteer judges assisted with this year’s science fair.
First- and second-grade projects are displayed non-competitively, while third- through eighth-graders could decide whether to enter the fair competitively or non-competitively. Students got to choose their own projects, and could work individually or with a partner.
The well-researched answers to hundreds of creative questions were on display at the science fair.
Belle Aire first-graders Ella Murphy and Madelyn Maci tested what shape boat holds the most pennies. Highland sixth-graders Catherine Smerz and Nicole Wisz looked at which stain remover works best on dirt. Fairmount sixth-grader David Ranieri's project determined whether the number of dimples in a Mentos candy made the lid of a soda bottle fly higher when it exploded.
Pierce Downer sixth-graders Chloe Nowka and Callie Thomas’s experiment determined whether cutting the bottoms off of flower stems really makes them last longer. They took a series of daily observations over a period of 10 days.
“We thought the information would benefit people, and it turns out that cutting the stems makes a really big difference,” Callie explained to judges Cheryl Lyons, a Whittier teacher, and Shankar Bala, an Argonne scientist.
Noah Brom and Blake Hamrock tested a potato, a lemon, an orange, a tomato and an apple to see which conducted power and ran a clock the best; the potato won out.
“We think it’s because it was so dense that it lasted the longest,” Noah said.
Students produced a display board and a written report for their projects, as well as a verbal presentation for the judges. These included all aspects of the scientific method: problem, hypothesis, materials, procedure, observation, and conclusion.
Kingsley fourth-grader Brianna Backman’s experiment, conducted with the help of a friendly four-footed volunteer at home, determined which dog treat a Labradoodle likes best. Pierce Downer first-graders Will Guerin and Christopher Ferris’s project examined what keeps an upside-down cup of water full the longest, while Lester first-grader Zachary Thurman tested whether it is easier to make corks sink or marbles float.
El Sierra fourth-grader Sana Nasib’s project, “Tie-Dye Milk,” tested soap-driven convection in milk. Lester fifth-graders Rachael Salman and Isabella Sobczak’s experiment determined which liquid best absorbs into a sponge. El Sierra fifth-graders Alexander Burton and Vincent Wood teamed up to build a trebuchet for their project: “Using a trebuchet, which projectile flies furthest?”
Highland fourth-grader Chia-Yu Chen’s project board featured an intricate, hand-drawn sketch of the famous Rapunzel hair-climbing scene from the movie “Tangled,” which inspired her project: “Is Flynn Safe? What is the weight a hair can carry?”
The Science Fair is coordinated by a steering committee, led by Lester Assistant Principal Justin Sisul, Fairmount Principal Tony Coglianese, Pierce Downer Principal Dr. Lisa Mondale, Highland Principal Dr. Judy Kmak and Pierce Downer/Hillcrest Assistant Principal Brent Borchelt.
