“Take a big whiff,” George Trevor said, filling his lungs for effect. “It doesn’t smell like baking soda and vinegar in here.”
Indeed baking soda volcanoes and other clichéd projects were conspicuous (but not missed) in their absence from the 2016 Flin Flon Citywide Science Fair.
That spoke to the novel thirst for knowledge among the budding young scientists who submitted 140-plus cardboard-backed entries that lined the RH Channing Auditorium on Wednesday.
Trevor, an École McIsaac School vice-principal and co-coordinator of the science fair along with teacher Kari LaBorde, appreciated the originality.
He also noted that this year’s project total topped last year’s by more than 50 entries. He credits teachers’ promotion of the fair and an ample number of students who are excited about science.
The fair was open to grades 1 to 8 students from McIsaac and Ruth Betts Community School. Volunteer judges handed out medals in each grade.
Medal recipients in grades 4 to 8 are eligible to attend the Northern Manitoba Regional Science Fair in The Pas later this school year.
The projects on display Wednesday ran the gamut, exploring the best way to start one’s day, the greasiness of potato chips, the impact of sleep deprivation and, on a more serious note, attitudes toward HIV/AIDS.
Students also studied the effects of technology on our lives, coagulants on heavy metals and collisions on air masses – and much more.
Addie Neill, a Grade 4 student from McIsaac, accepted a silver medal for her project, “Kitchen Chemistry: Ice Cream in a Bag.”
She said she discovered that salt lowers the temperature of ice, allowing milk and sugar to combine to form ice cream – a finding that surprised her.
Addie also entered the fair as a Grade 3 student last year, when her project established that drinking apple juice is bad for the teeth.
Flin Flon Citywide Science Fair Results
Best Overall,
École McIsaac School:
Chloe Reitlo, “Can Coagulants Reduce the Amount of Heavy Metals in Flin Flon Leachate?”
Best Overall, Ruth Betts Community School: Madison McIntrye, “HIV/AIDS Knowledge, Attitude and Behaviour”
Grade 4
Gold: Kenneth Morris, “Accuracy in the Powder”
Silver: Jenna Thompson, “Plant Pollution”; Addie Neill, “Kitchen Chemistry: Ice Cream in a Bag”; Sara Mansell and Ava Williams, “pH and Colour”; Tazanna White-Johnston, “Which Laundry Soap Cleans the Best?”
Bronze: Piper Sapergia-Green, “La Science Sucre /Sweet Science”; Spencer Meikle, “How Plants Grow”; Morgan Burwash, “Colourful Carnations”; Elizabeth Cockerill, “How Greasy are your Potato Chips?”
Grade 5
Gold: Madisyn Bychkowsky, “Get Dirty”; Kelly Morin, “Did I Scare You?”
Silver: Harley Sherman, “Balloon Powered Car”; Jordan Hucaluk, “Lipglossology”; Olivia Fernandes and Hanna Lytwyn, “Yum Yum Bubblegum”
Bronze: Ryan Lies, “What Brand of Paper Towel Absorbs the Best?”; Cole Eardley, “Water Filtration”; Makenzi Schwartz and Shanti Church, “Hydraulics”
Grade 6
Gold: Aurora Cable, “Drinks Stain Teeth”; Magnus Pearson and Nolan Rideout, “Food Breakdown”; Nathaniel Rainville, “Bouncing Eggs”
Silver: Cooper Eastman, “Lego Cars”; Jarek Osika, “Van De Graaff Generator”; Abigail Agpalza, “Can Body Temperature Tell the Time Of Day?”
Bronze: Rene Thompson, “The Best Way To Start Your Day”; Ethan Patterson, “Stain Removers”; Michael Raddysh, “How to Build a Winning Race Sled”
Grade 7
Gold: Brayden Abbott, “The Hit/Box Theory”; Erin Mansell, “Candle Lit Energy”
Silver: Brennan Sapergia-Green, “The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Soccer Players”; Preston Erickson, “Acetone Effects”
Bronze: Jerilyn Wood, “Pop Sugars”; Alli Lytwyn, “Is Technology Taking Over Our Lives?”; Justin Lies, “Acetone vs Styrofoam”; Dursameen Bashir and Lakota McLeod, “Testing DNA”
Grade 8
Gold: Madison McIntrye, “HIV/AIDS Knowledge, Attitude and Behaviour”; Chloe Reitlo, “Can Coagulants Reduce the Amount of Heavy Metals in Flin Flon Leachate?”; Michael Ward, “Bla Bla Bla”
Silver: Jorden Niedermaier, “What’s With Food Rotting”; Maryn McKee and Daley Shaw, “A Fresh Method to Grow”;
Bronze: Cherity Odut, “Soap it Up”; Sarah Faktor, “Another One Bites the Rust”; Anna Lies, “When Air Masses Collide”
