The RCS Science Fair was held on Wednesday, February 13th. Projects on display included those completed by the PreK through 4th grade classes. In addition, each 5th grader submitted an individual project. However, judging only evaluated the projects by the 7th and 8th grade students.
Our three judges — all members of the scientific community — heard presentations from the Logic School students and asked them follow-up questions about their experiments. The projects students exhibited were the culmination of a year’s worth of work which included: researching a question, testing a hypothesis, analyzing the results, and encapsulating their work visually and orally.
After extensive discussion, the judges worked together to determine which six projects would go on to compete at the Regional Science Fair held at JMU on March 5th. The results are as follows:
1st Place
James Fries: “Feeding Time!”
Behavior conditioning on goldfish, teaching them to eat out of a particular color dish
2nd Place
Alex Scheidt: “Spoiler Angles”
Which spoiler angles produce the most downforce
3rd Place
Maddie Ladner: “No Pain…Lots of Game”
Does playing a video game help with pain tolerance by distracting the brain
Honorable Mention
Jessie Brumfield: “Bridging the Gap”
Which cross-sectional shape of beam will hold the most weight
Honorable Mention
Jeremiah Esteban: “I’m Only One Fall Away”
Which of three materials best absorb energy in order to potentially prevent hip fractures when used in a brace
Honorable Mention
Libby Kidd: “Go with the Flow”
Does local well water or town of Bridgewater water have a greater health benefit
Student projects were evaluated for:
Proper understanding and use of the scientific method
Thoroughness of research and experimental testing
Skill and complexity
Clarity of overall presentation
Creativity
Many thanks to our judges: Tamara Ambler, Brandon Kiracofe, and Jerry Weniger for volunteering their time to help make our school science fair a success.
Congratulations to all the 7th and 8th graders on a job well done!