REMSEN – The scientific method was on display in a big way at MMCRU in Remsen Monday.
The Third Annual Middle School Science Fair showcased 125 entries from students in fifth through eighth grades.
Marley Frangione, 11, wondered why when her hands were sweaty her fingerprints were more visible on certain surfaces.
“I tested a window, a tile floor and a leather couch. The windows came out as the best and the most clear. It’s most likely because it is a non-porous surface,” Marley explained.
She said the texture on the couch seemed to affect the print quality.
Marley’s mom Charissa Frangione was on hand for the science fair presentation Monday, Feb. 16 at the MMCRU gymnasium.
“I hope it means I am going to go into a really nice nursing home someday,” Frangione joked. “If she is already this advanced, she’s on a roll. I think she learned a lot. I learned a lot as she was explaining it.”
Eighth-grader Katrina Easton, 15, studied the effect of various types of oil in the manufacture of lard soap.
“Me and my mom made lard soap for the fair. In making it we realized we like our lard soap to be nice and bubbly so we looked up what oil would make it the best. In this experiment we decided to test what would be the best one,” Katrina said. The recipe recommends using castor oil. Katrina tested castor, soy and olive oils.
“But when we tested it, olive oil did just as well,” she said.
Samantha Schroeder, the seventh and eighth grade science teacher at MMCRU in Remsen, said the school’s science fair is set up just like the Iowa State science fair in Ames.
“It’s a whole scientific method. The kids have to pick a project. Pick what they want to test and actually put it together they have to give us data that they collected,” Schroeder explained.
The projects are grouped into eight categories including plant and animal sciences, medicine, physics and chemistry.
The scientific method is a systematic process for investigating questions and acquiring knowledge. The core steps include making an observation, asking a question, conducting background research, forming a testable hypothesis, experimenting, analyzing data to draw conclusions, and communicating results.
“Every year there is always a trend like last year I had a lot of projects around mac and cheese,” Schroeder said.
Volunteers judge the entries and then talk with students about their projects.
Cheyenne Olson, the fifth and sixth grade science teacher, said her students started working on their projects in October.
“The sixth graders are competing for state. It’s been interesting. We have a lot of really good sixth grade projects this year,” Olson said.
She said the fifth graders gravitate towards studying plants, Gummi Bears or chemistry.
“One of my students did one with forensics. She wanted to see if you could take fingerprints off of different surfaces,” Olson said.
“I just think it is really cool. It’s fun to see them pick up something they are interested in.”