Students at St. Raphael School in Bay Village filled the gymnasium Jan. 25, along with displays they set up outlining science experiments they researched and conducted.
The students, some working alone and others in pairs, prepared 214 entries for the school’s 14th annual science fair. Students in grades 6-8 competed, and their entries were reviewed by about 35 judges who included doctors, NASA scientists and science teachers from other schools.
Only the top, or blue ribbon, finishers will be invited to compete at a regional fair scheduled for March at the University of Akron.
The students needed to conduct a controlled experiment in which results could be measured, and they needed to maintain a control group for comparison, said Andrea Ruda, a sixth-grade science teacher at St. Raphael who helped organize the event.
However, the youngsters had great leeway in selecting the subject for their experiments.
“They are not categorized because every kid has different interests,” Ruda said. “You’ll see everything from plants to rolling a bowling ball to looking at the design of a football helmet. The sky is the limit. They can chose any category they want.”
Colleen Roach, whose son entered the science fair, said participation helps youngsters identify their interests and strengths.
“My son has picked physics the last two years,” Roach said. “It’s the math and science he’s drawn to. He doesn’t realize now that those are his favorite subjects, but he’s showing those indications to us now.”
Gavin and Owen Hearns, a team of brothers, entered a project that tested various furnace filters to determine which type was the most efficient.
“One day, my dad was changing the furnace filter and we were wondering which filter would actually stop the most particles from contaminating the furnace,” Gavin said, explaining how they selected their subject. “We developed the hypothesis that pleated filters would perform the best as compared to washable, electrostatic and fiberglass filters.”
Their experiments, using sugar and a vacuum cleaner, proved their hypothesis correct, the brothers said, adding the electrostatic filter was a close second for efficiency.
Jimmy Betsill, a seventh-grader, studied how the weight of a bowling ball would affect its velocity.
“I like bowling,” Jimmy said. “I bowl in a Saturday league. So, I thought it would be interesting to work on something I like.”
He released the balls from a ramp to maintain a constant force of release. His hypothesis was the lighter a ball, the less its velocity.
“After research and experiments, I found out my hypothesis was only partially supported,” Jimmy said.
The reason was, the lightest ball traveled into a gutter, which allowed it to gain greater velocity than those traveling down the lane.
Seventh-graders Katie Dunstand and Kendra Kalish wanted to find effective, natural alternatives to penicillin in reducing E. coli.
“By far, peppermint was the most effective natural remedy,” Katie said.
David DeSalvo, a seventh-grader, studied how the amount of artificial light would impact aquarium plants. By using four incandescent light bulbs of various wattages, test tubes, water, and an aquarium, the youngster concluded the brighter the light, the more oxygen an anacharis plant would release.
DeSalvo said his older siblings also like science and have entered science fairs in the past. He expressed interest in pursuing a career in science, possibly involving the environment.
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