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This year’s Globe Science and Engineering Fair was held Friday at High Desert Middle School. Students from grades 5th through 12th entered 166 science projects, and students from grades K through 4th entered an additional 20 (for exhibition only).Early in the afternoon, 25 judges went from table to table, carefully studying the displays in the auditorium. After about two hours, students were allowed to answer questions from the judges about their projects. GMT had the opportunity to talk to five individuals or groups about their projects. Here is what they had to say:
Blayze Vanta: Do Brand Batteries Last Longer than Generic Batteries?
Specifically, Blayze Vanta wanted to know: Do more expensive, brand batteries last longer than less expensive, generic batteries in a flashlight?
“My family uses remotes, toys and flashlights in their everyday life,” she said. “It would be easier for my family if batteries didn’t burn out continuously all the time.”
So, she bought Kirkland, Sunbeam and Panasonic batteries (generics) as well as Rayovac, Energizer and Duracell (name brands). She put each kind in a different flashlight, and left them all on for five hours. She found that Duracell lasts the longest, and Kirkland is a close second.
Eventually, she wants to find out how the makeup of a battery affects how long it lasts. She also wonders what results she would get with different batteries next time.
Vanta is a 6th grader at High Desert Middle School. She placed first in the engineering category, in the elementary division.
Jacob Sukosky, Patrick Tarango, Aaron Smith: Can Electrolytes Charge an iPod Through an Onion?
Inspired by a YouTube video, these three wanted to know if electrolytes could charge an iPod through an onion. They drilled a hole into an onion and plugged an iPod into it (after soaking the onion in electrolyte-rich Gatorade). They tried plugging the iPod into the onion four times. All four times, the iPod did not charge.
“We thought it was going to work,” Sukosky said.
Next time, they said they might try a different electrolyte solution, instead of Gatorade.
Sukosky and Tarango are 6th graders at High Desert Middle School. They, along with their partner Aaron Smith, placed third in the physics and astronomy category, in the elementary division.
Kaitlyn Derhammer and Megan Perez: How Does an Acoustic Guitar Make Sound?
Coming from musical families, Kaitlyn Derhammer and Megan Perez were curious to know how an acoustic guitar makes sound. They tested different strings three to four times each, and found that different strings make different vibrations based on their thickness and how much pressure is applied to them. Meanwhile, the guitar’s hollow body amplifies the sound.
“We put a lot of work into it, but we would try ten times harder next time,” Derhammer said. “We would try an electric guitar next time,” Perez added.
Derhammer and Perez are 7th graders at High Desert Middle School.
Kendra Martinez: Does More Force Affect a Rubber Boot Being Pulled Out of Mud?
One day Kendra Martinez stepped in mud, and wondered whether or not more force affects a rubber boot being pulled out of mud. To find out, she built a lever out of 2 x 4 pine board, screws, a chain and clamps. She created a muddy puddle by adding water to soil. Then she positioned the lever over the puddle, attaching a women’s rubber boot to one side and circular weights to the other. In five different trials using different weights on the end of the lever, she tested lowering the boot into the mud and pulling it out.
“The more weight I added, the more violently the boot reacted,” she said.
Next time, Martinez said she would consider using more detailed soil samples, and observe how different soils react with the boot.
Martinez is an 8th grader at High Desert Middle School. She placed second in the physics and astronomy category, in the junior division.
Matthew Haro: Is There A Correlation Between Fingerprints and Toe Prints?
After dabbling with fingerprinting as a boy scout, Matthew Haro wanted to know if there is a correlation between fingerprints and toe prints. He collected finger and toe prints from seven family members, and observed them to see if they matched. He discovered that some fingers and toes did have the same print, and others did not; for instance, sometimes the right middle finger print matched the right middle toe print, while other times corresponding finger and toe prints didn’t match.
“It’s more of a luck-of-the-draw type of thing,” he said.
In the future, he would like to collect sample prints from non-family members, and see if the results are similar.
Haro is a sophomore at Globe High School. He placed first in the medicine and health category, in the senior division.
Jenn Walker began writing for Globe Miami Times in 2012 and has been a contributor ever since. Her work has also appeared in Submerge Magazine, Sacramento Press, Sacramento News & Review and California Health Report. She currently teaches Honors English at High Desert Middle School and mentors Globe School District’s robotics team.
