Gilpin school science fair, students share unique and useful findings

Lynn Volkens

2/2/2006 - If you want to make your houseplants really grow, feed them water and Diet Coke. That’s what Gilpin student Katie Schimanskey (eighth grade) found they preferred. According to fourth grader, Michael Bartlett, plants grow even better if they can listen to non-stop music (but he didn’t say what kind). For optimum growth, add the secret ingredient that Aspen Walters (sixth grade) discovered – worms. (She also discovered that worms can swim and squeeze into really tight places that you wouldn’t think they could – but that’s a whole ‘nother experiment.)

  If you want to keep your chickens happy, let them sleep together. Elementary students, Uriah (first grade) and Jaccob Hockley (third grade) provided cozy straw-bedded buckets, (tipped sideways for easy access) for their chickens’ snoozing comfort. “No deal,” they squawked, preferring to roost side-by-side. Middle-aged Gilpinites might be surprised to learn (as did sixth-graders Kaitlyn Luers and Sydney Demo), “The younger you are, the more sleep you need.” Of course, their test subjects were eight-, ten-, and twelve-year-olds. Not surprising, sophomore Dan Gwizdalski found the smell that made his test subjects happiest was…chocolate! But, did you know that 30 out of 50 people tested, like peanut M&Ms better than the plain ones? Further, it seems that kids prefer the plain chocolate M&Ms while adults are vice versa. (These tidbits provided by fifth-grader, Vince Marone.) Dogs and cats are more alike than different in a lot of ways, according to third graders Delainey Lepro and Nicole Morse. Kindergartner Josh Trujillo is convinced dragons really did, and maybe still do, exist. His display of aerial photographs and other “documentation” depicting dragons supports his argument. Erin Conley and Shelby Foelsch (sixth grade) found that girls’ handwriting is neater than boys’ handwriting, at least from first to fifth grade. (Erin and Shelby are both girls – hmmm.) Romantics – don’t read this. Fifth-grader Martin Jenkins has proven that moonlight (that’s right, “moon” light) really comes from the sun. Sigh…

  Gilpin County RE-1’s Science Fair was held last Thursday and Friday, January 26^th and 27^th. Students from kindergarten through twelfth grade had entries (approximately 100 in all) that encompassed topics in the categories of biology, health and behavioral science, physical science, earth and environmental science and engineering. Did you miss it? Too bad – better mark your calendar for next year. Otherwise, in addition to all of the above, you’ll never know all of the cool stuff that Gilpin students do about the sphinx, star formation, psychic abilities, the Bermuda Triangle, propeller power, etc. There are always some projects to help consumers determine the most effective cleaners and other products. Some projects have great mold and slime characteristics – if that’s what you’re into. Of particular interest to mountain dwellers (especially at snowmelt time), a mixture of dirt and sand works the best for filling sandbags (thank you sophomore Cecelia Smyth). For commuters – tinted auto windshield glass really is very effective at blocking ultra-violet light (courtesy of eighth-grader Kira Hicks). Finally, “Dukes of Hazzard” fans: if your vehicle can clear the guardrail on Virginia Canyon at a 25-degree angle (as opposed to any other angle), you’ll get the optimum amount of distance in the air. (Just thought you’d like to know…) However, you’ll have to speak to David Smyth (sixth grade) to find out how he knows.

  This year’s winners (only the secondary projects are judged):

Biology:  1^st Place (tie)-David Yerkman/Conner Marshall/Jose Rodriguez (Animal Growth) and Liesl Kagy/Bre Herburger/Kristine Route (Cleansing the Life of Algae); 2^nd Place-Katie Schimansky (Will Plants Grow in Fluids Other Than Water); 3^rd Place (tie) -Cord Casias (Plant Growth Revolution) and Lisa Kline (The Effect of Temperature on the Life Cycle of a Fly).

Health and Behavioral Sciences: 1^st Place-Jayme Smyth/Megan Spellman (Pop Hop); 2^nd Place (3-way tie)-Erin Conley/Shelby Foelsch (Boys Against Girls); Jonathon Adams (The Protective Cover); Amanda Goodwin (Fighting Off Germs One Drop At A Time), 3^rd Place-Nichole Cocharo/Alicia Kapke (Whatever, Whatever, I’ll Dress How I Want).

Physical Sciences: 1^st Place-Cecelia Smyth (Water’s Rush Hour); 2^nd Place-Kira Hicks (Solar Spectrum:UV Light Transmission Through Different Types of Glass and Sunglasses) 3^rd Place (tie)-Josh Norris (Paper Towels); Beth Bendrat/Amanda Barngrover (Desiccated Nail Polish).

Regional Qualifiers: Cecelia Smyth, Kira Hicks, Ciara Ryan-Todd/Chelsea Norris (The Effects of Temperature on Epsom Salt Crystal Growth), Baily Flowers/Jeff Hartman (Study of Magnets), and Erin Conley/Shelby Foelsch.