by Julie Mueller, Garretson School
Science Fair looked a bit different this year with Covid-19 and the restrictions in place due to the virus. Students in grades 7 and 8 each had to plan and implement an individual project.
With the exception of students with plant projects, a randomizer was used to draw slots.
Seventy-one projects were presented in class starting the first Wednesday in December. The last project was presented Monday, March 15. Project presentations were recorded and sent to parents, posted to Google Classroom, and to the Science Fair Facebook page. The final results are in.
In the area of Animal Science, Aleah Wagner was awarded blue and Grand Champion honors with her project entitled‚ "What Dog Treats do Dogs Like Most?". Reserve in the category went to, "Do Cats Prefer Certain Colors?" by Jade Bertotti. Other blue-ribbon placers were Lucie Frewaldt‚'s "What is My Bunny's Favorite Treat?" and Kaitlyn Steinhoff's "Paw Preference".
Red ribbons were awarded to "Do Human Emotions Affect Equine Emotions?" by Lane Ellefson; "What Type of Cucumber Does a Guinea Pig Prefer?" by Audra Genzler; "Is a Horse's Stride Length Affected by Its Shoulder Angle or Height?"; "Does Music Have an Effect on a Cat's Behavior?" by Elizabeth Roth; "How do Cats Respond to Bird Sound Recordings?" by Elizabeth Wastell; "What Toys do Goats Like Most?" by Elijah Winterton; "How Dogs React to Higher Frequencies" by Logan Judd; and "Paw Preference‚" by Aaliyah Stensland.
White ribbons were awarded to Brock Bonte's "Does Equine Stride Length Affect Speed of Horse?"; Levi Top's "Which Works Better for Bass Fishing? A Real Worm or a Senkos Worm?"; Ashley Harris' "How do Fathead Minnows React to Different Temperatures of Water?"; and Dankia Juhl's "Jumping Dog".
Gracie Fiegen was awarded blue and Grand Champion honors in the Behavioral Science division. Her project was entitled "Can an Adult Pass a Middle School Test?" Earning a red in the same division was Harper Johnson with "Does Color Affect Taste?"
"How Long Does It Take for Different Brands of Popcorn to Pop?" by Martin Welch was awarded blue and Grand Champion in the Biochemistry category.
Another large category was in the area of Chemistry. Blue and Grand Champion went to Eliza Potter's "Phosphorescence".
Maci Rotert earned blue and Reserve Champion honors with "Which Laundry Detergent Actually Works?" Other blue-ribbon placers were Cole Jessen's "What is the Effect of Salt on the Boiling Temperature of Water"; Addison Hove's "White Candles vs. Colored Candles"; Brooklyn Jacobson's "Charcoal Water Purifying Experiment''; and Charli Jo Peterson's "How Long Can Glo Sticks Last in the Dark and in the Light?".
Earning red ribbons were Tayler Benson's "How Long is the Glow?"; Drew Chester's "Which Soda Will React the Most to Mentos?"; Cody Facile's "How Much Damage Does Helium Affect Oxygen?"; Torielle Gehrke's "How Salty Water has to be for an Egg to Float?"; Kaylin Leedy's "Do White Candles Burn Faster than Colored Candles?"; Madison Lumpkin's "Which Candles Burn Faster, Scented or Unscented?"; Ethan Magnuson's "How Different Amounts of Food Coloring Change the Colors of Growing Crystals"; Cortney Rogich's "Banana Power"; and Jayda Snedeker's "Juice Balls: The Science of Spherification".
White ribbons in this division went to "Can You Make a Lemon Volcano?" by Jayden Davis; "Which Liquid Freezes the Fastest?" by Tyler Erickson; "Testing if the Mountain Dew Trick Will Really Work" by Austin Freestone; and "How to Get Rid of Rust" by Luke Persing.
A red ribbon was awarded to Cole Schleuter in the Earth Science category for his "What Type of Soil Has the Most Water Filtration?". Calvin Larson received a white in the category for his project "Volcano Lab Showdown of Doom".
Joshua Gilbert's "Is a Homemade PC Faster than a Store-Bought PC?" earned him a red in Engineering, Computer Science. In the area of Engineering, Materials Nicholas Wynia with "Which Bridge Will Support More Weight: Beam, Arch, Suspension, Cantilever, Tied Arch, or Cable Stayed?". Earning red ribbons in Engineering, Mechanical were Colin Shellum's "How Does a Steam Engine Work?" and Malick Wylie's "Is an RC Car Able to Drive on Land and Water?".
Blue and Grand Champion in Medicine and Health was awarded to Ava Nordstrom with her project entitled "Is Just Washing Your Hands Enough?". Blue and Reserve Champion went to Nora Bonte's "Rethink Your Drink". Also earning blue ribbons were Karlie Genzlinger's "Which Type of Water is the Healthiest?" and Isabella Sysa's "Which Mask is Most Effective?". There were two red ribbon winners in this category with Kassidy Debates' "Which Brand of Diapers is the Most Absorbent?" and Kenzie Jansen's "Tooth Decay Egg Project".
Physics has historically been one of our largest categories and this year was no different.
Mia Christensen's "Battery Power" earned blue and Grand.
Treyton Decker's "How Does the Sweet Spot of a Baseball Bat Correlate with Movement and Vibration?" and Brooklyn Trudeau's "Does the Surface of the Ground Have an Impact on a Soccer Ball's Bounce?" earned blue and Co-Reserve Champion honors.
Red ribbons went to Reece Connelly's "The Lemon Battery"; Jordan DeWitte's "How Different Surfaces Affect the Bounce of a Basketball‚"; Jakob Gnadt's "Which Type of Fishing Line is the Strongest?"; Daniel Hoskins' "Does Distance Matter in Accuracy?"; Jake Jones' "Egg Drop Test"; Riley LaffertyMack's "What Color of Spray Paint Dips the Best?"; Ava Ockenga‚'s "Does Air Pressure Affect the Bounce of a Basketball?"; Alyssa Olson's "Does the Amount of Air in a Soccer Ball Affect the Distance it Will Travel?"; Serie Risty's "How to Make the Perfect Basketball Shot"; Noah Schotzko's "What Water Bottle has the Best Insulation?"; Maiya Strand's "Dancing Salt"; and Cade Uhlich's "Epoxy Challenge".
White ribbons went to "Does the Shape of an Ice Cube Affect How Quickly it Melts?" by Landon Bakker; "What Type of Bike Patches Work Best?" by Wyatt Fry; "How Different Angles Affect How Far and How a Rocket Travels" by Jesus Gonzalez.
Grand Champion and a blue ribbon were awarded to Andres Stensland in the Plant Science division. His project was entitled "What is Hydroponics?". Red ribbon winners in the category were Kaelyn Braun with her ‚"Does Acid Rain Affect Plants?" and Deborah Stowe with "What Happens When You Add Food Coloring to the Water of Fresh Cut Carnation Flowers?"
This year's Overall Honorable Mention went to the Physics project by Mia Christensen, daughter of Aaron and Stacy Christensen.
The Reserve Grand Champion project came from the Medicine and Health division and was awarded to Ava Nordstrom, daughter of Shannon and Tamie Nordstrom.
Our Grand Champion award this year came from the Chemistry division with honors going to Eliza Potter, daughter of Bruce and Laura Potter.
