Codman Square Health Center CEO Dr. Guy Fish, top row, far right, helped judge the science projects this year. He is pictured with Principal Lianne Hughes Odom, educator Sasheea Smith, and young scientists Savanna Williams and Noah Pires – who are studying bioluminescence. Seth Daniel photo
The Oliver Wendell Holmes K-6 Innovation School held its annual Science Fair in the gym of the Dorchester school last Wednesday (March 11), with dozens of science projects on display from all grades – with grades 4-6 competing with one another for top honors.
Celebrity judges such as City Councillor Brian Worrell, state Rep. Chris Worrell, Codman Square Health Center CEO Dr. Guy Fish, and Hue Architects Jennifer Ha and Matthew Mueller, joined a host of other guests as hundreds of ecstatic kids showed off works that ranged from a look at bioluminescence to infinity mirrors to using convection to power a windmill.
Region 2 Supt. Leslie Gant, center, joined City Councillor Brian Worrell, state Rep. Chris Worrell, and a host of young scientist scholars at the annual Holmes Science Fair. Seth Daniel photo
Principal Lianne Hughes Odom welcomed the crowd while Science Educator Janet Lynch put in yeowoman’s work to help her pupils with their projects for the last several weeks.
Students like Mahim Ahmed, Johny Guerrero, and Engel Mejia studied the effects of heat and cold on rubber bands and learned that changes in temperature can make some polymers expand or contract.
“That could be dangerous because some things like spaceships use very important parts made of rubber that cannot get bigger or smaller or the spaceship could blow up. So, it would be important to find a polymer that doesn’t change with temperature for a spaceship,” they concluded.
Region 2 Supt. Leslie Gant said the Holmes was one of only two elementary schools in the district that participated in the citywide STEM Fair this month, and the only one that won awards there, with projects earning two citations.
Sixth graders Thaissa Mendes, Torian Spence, and Araiyah Johnson studied how different-sized candles moved an aluminum windmill using convection heat energy. Their presentation included materials and videos of their experiments. Seth Daniel photo
Matt Mueller and Jennifer Ha of Hue Architecture, based in Four Corners, with Holmes Science Educator Janet Lynch. Seth Daniel photo