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By CitySpruce Creek High School's Science Fair
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Spruce Creek High School's Science FairThe Future Bill Nyes of Daytona
2005-12-01
Article Written by: Jillian Smith
When the crew from What's Happening Daytona was contacted and invited to Spruce Creek High School 's annual Science Fair, I jumped at the opportunity to go mingle amongst my fellow science geeks. I had no idea, though, how overwhelming the variety of topics presented would be. As we entered the school's library on November 30 th , we were blown away by the quality, presentation and professionalism of the majority of the projects on display.
Students were drawn to the fair from various science classes, and though participation was on a voluntary basis, some teachers did offer extra credit that was based on how much time and effort the students invested. Whatever their reasons for participating, approximately 200 students were on hand displaying their 150 projects, and every imaginable topic was covered! No matter what a student's interests may be, there was a category to accommodate anyone and everyone. The list of possible categories was inclusive enough to accommodate nearly anyone's interests, and classifications included behavioral science, biochemistry, botany, chemistry, computers, earth sciences, physics, zoology, space science, microbiology, medicine/health, mathematics, environmental sciences and engineering.
As we toured the maze of projects that were on display, it became clear which students or teams had invested the most thought, energy, time and effort. (It was the difference between students studying or socializing—or in one case, sleeping.) It was also impressive and refreshing to see so many bright and creative minds being put to work. The prize that those minds are working towards in this case is a chance to move on to the regional competition. From each of the categories previously listed, three students will be chosen as winners and one will be given an honorable mention. And, of course, there will be the obligatory ribbons that we all remember so well.
Though we are not in charge of judging the competition—that task has been left up to 25 professionals from throughout the community—the WHD team was interested and impressed by a few projects/participants in general. Those included, but certainly were not limited to, a comparison of short-term memory between mice and hamsters; the effects, if any, that gender has on memory; the effects of wind on local waves; an analysis of bacteria commonly found on desktops and water fountains; a comparison of the way that left-handed and right-handed people view optical illusions; and a study on the effect that name brands have on adolescents and adults. Liz Graffagrino and her partner Cara Wendorph even developed and programmed an educational video game!
Winners are scheduled to be announced on Dec. 1 st , and you can be sure that WHD will pass the names along to our visitors. Because the faculty at the school was so helpful and attentive to our needs, we wanted to take this opportunity to extend a heart-felt thank you to everyone who helped us. Particularly, we'd like to thank Dr. White and a student named Matthew Burt for all of their information and assistance. We at WHD look forward to our next chance to work with Spruce Creek High.
Winners:
Congratulations to the 2005 Spruce Creek High School Science and Engineering Fair winners. First place winners are Sam Furman for behavior; Kalie Sanders, BioChemistry; Sufian Sorathia, Botany; Dustin Crooks, Chemistry; Josh Freeman, Computer Science; Leeman Weaver, Engineering; Ethan Wilson, Environmental; Brock Hankins, Medicine and Health; Monika Aneja, Microbiology; Adam Kornecki, Physics; Tirth Patel and Byron Lowry, Team; and Alexandra Owens, Zoology. Also, the Florida Engineering Society Presented Da Vinci awards to two Engineering students. Leeman Weaver received first place and will receive $100 and the second place winner is Teddy Jaeger and he will receive $50.
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