Friday, February 8th, 2013

Burgeoning young scientists put brains, hands to work

By Eric Adams
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard

Science Fair experiments and poster boards displaying the results of Fort Recovery middle school students' hypotheses filled the auditeria Thursday as judges inspected the work.

FORT RECOVERY - Middle school students had their hands in dirt, dish soap and dye recently as they prepared for the school's annual science fair.
Experiments and poster boards displaying the results of the students' hypotheses filled the auditeria Thursday as judges inspected the work.
Seventh-graders Cindy Dues and Taylor Thien dumped dish soap into bowls of oil for their project about cleaning oil spills. They found that soap, which was used in 2010 to clean oiled birds after BP's Deepwater Horizon spill, can actually worsen environmental health.
"Oil has buoyancy, but the (dish) soap sinks the oil," Dues said.
When oil sinks, it can damage fish habitats.
"We know (spills) don't happen daily or even monthly, but it's still a big problem in our country," she said. "When there's a spill, it loses one of our main nonrenewable resources."
Aaron Homan, Dustin Alig and Gabe Grieshop, also seventh-graders, invented a field tiller. Made from an old bicycle frame, the tiller first separates dirt with a front saw blade wheel. A tube then funnels nutrients into the crevice, after which the back wheel, taken from a lawnmower, packs the soil back down.
Their design, they said, is intended to prevent nutrient runoff into Grand Lake.
Cousins and cosmetological chemists Katie and Valerie Jutte, both eighth-graders, pitted two hair dyes against each other to determine which lasted longer.
The Natural Instincts brand Valerie tested was found to have more staying power than its Nice and Easy competitor that Katie tested. The girls also noted there were factors, such as Valerie's hair is thicker and she uses well water at her home, that may have impacted the experiment.
Crystal Fullenkamp, who teaches seventh-grade science and Science Technology, Engineering and Math classes at the school, said the students have been working on their projects since October. Sixth-graders were told to explore scientific method, seventh-graders were assigned environmentally-based projects and eighth-graders conducted consumer testing experiments.
"Most of the work is inquiry based, meaning it happened outside of the classroom," she said.
Fullenkamp added that despite being largely independent efforts, the projects still paralleled curricular content. Also, the science fair accounts for many of the state's requirements for STEM, a state educational initiative designed to foster hands-on approaches to science and mathematics.
Sixth-grade science teacher Carrie Kahlig said the fair was resurrected 15 years ago after a discontinuation.
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard

Seventh-graders Austin Tillman and Harrison Kaup demonstrate a can crusher made completely from recycled materials. Lawnmower wheels crush the cans, and posts from an old porch and hog barn hold the device together.

Additional online story on this date
MINSTER - Just before Christmas, Nann Stechschulte's Minster Wildcats sat at 1-2 in the Midwest Athletic Conference after tough losses to New Knoxville and Versailles. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
Public can participate in Community Supported Agriculture
A New Knoxville couple has turned a passion for homegrown, organic food into a business that's getting fresh fruits and vegetables into the mouths of more people.
MINSTER - New crosswalk markings, additional signage and slower speeds are all part of a new Safe Routes to School travel plan being developed as a joint effort between the school and village.
CELINA - The county engineer's office this year has 14 bridges and large culvert projects on its radar.
The estimated cost of the work is $2.1 million, according to Mercer County Engineer Jim Wiechart. Most of the funding will come from federal dollars.
Four Celina residents face drug-related charges following a Thursday afternoon incident in a parking lot near the intersection of North Main and East Forest streets.
Skunk cabbage is in full bloom in Ohio's woodlands by early February, says Jim McCormac, a botanist, author and avian education specialist with the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
NEW KNOXVILLE - A Midwest Athletic Conference championship is still a possibility for the New Knoxville girls basketball team after a 15-2 run to end the first half helped the Rangers earn a 56-46 win over Fort Recovery on Thursday night at Ranger Gymnasium.
Local Roundup
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
Marion Local pulled away from New Bremen in the second half and the Flyers defeated the Cardinals 59-34 on Thursday night at The Hangar.
Compiled by Ryan Hines
KENTON - Celina's girls basketball team dominated the middle two quarters en route to a convincing 63-31 road win over Kenton in Western Buckeye League action on Thursday night.
Last Curtain Call
A few months ago I asked Celina's Athletic Director Bruce Boley to toss me a few suggestions for the weekly Last Curtain Call series.
Without blinking, he offered Toma Hainline, who has been a staple in the Bulldogs' basketball program for more than 20 years as a player and coach.