77th Pittsburgh Regional
Science & Engineering Fair
Junior Division
6th Grade
Student Project Abstracts
April 1, 2016
Notes to Judges
Students prepare Abstracts limited to 100 words that include the following:
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Purpose of the experiment
Procedures used
Data
Conclusions
Possible research applications
Minimal reference to previous work
For continuation projects, the abstract should focus on work done since the
last PRSEF
Should not include: a) acknowledgments, or b) work or procedures done by
the mentor
Many students continue their research after the Abstract is submitted, and
therefore the Abstract may not fully represent the Project.
Abstracts are available to the Judges prior to the Science Fair as an aid in prescreening the Projects. Judging is to be based on the actual Project as presented
by the student.
Project Numbers are assigned as XYYABC
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J-Junior Division (6th grade)
Category Name
 PS - Physical Science
 LS - Life Science
 CS - Consumer Science
ABC: Project number
 1xx or 2xx - Individual student projects
 3xx - Team projects (2 or 3 students)
X:
YY:
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. i
Junior – Physical Science (JPS) – 6th Grade.................................................................. 1
Junior – Life Science (JLS) – 6th Grade........................................................................ 17
Junior – Consumer Science (JCS) – 6th Grade ............................................................ 26
PRSEF Student Abstracts
Page i
Junior – Physical Science (JPS) – 6th Grade
Junior – Physical Science (JPS) – 6th Grade
JPS100: The Electrolysis of Water
My purpose was to test which electrolyte would produce the most hydrogen in a set of experiments where all other
factors remained unchanged. To facilitate this, I used the same voltage, volume of water, and equipment. My
procedure consisted of mixing different electrolytes with distilled water to see which one would produce the best
amount of hydrogen within the graduated cylinders. Electricity was passed through the water solution to facilitate
electrolytic generation of hydrogen and oxygen. The resulting gasses were then collected in inverted graduated
cylinders to measure the volume of each gas. Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) consistently produced the highest
measured volume of hydrogen, and a large amount of oxygen as well.
JPS101: Plant Lighting
I did this experiment to test which light would work better while growing plants indoors. I put bean sprout plants in
some dark rooms sitting next to their lights such as sunlight, fluorescent, and incandescent lights. I hypothesized that
sunlight would be best because it's more natural, but after my experiment, it seemed that lights with more heat and
intensity were better. I concluded that lights with more heat and intensity would grow taller, greener, and have
broader plant leaves. Sunlight, though, was at a disadvantage because it was in a cooler climate.
JPS102: How Water Flows
The topic of this experiment was the rate of the absorption of water in celery. I chose this topic because I have a
garden and I enjoy gardening. I wanted to see if adding salt to the water would alter will affect the absorption of the
water by the plants. The hypothesis of this experiment is if eight pieces of celery are placed into separate containers
then water will be absorbed by the celery in the salt sample at a slower rate.I measured 240ml of water into eight
glass containers. I placed 5 drops of food coloring into each of the containers. I placed one teaspoonful of salt into 4
of the containers and the other 4 containers remained fresh water. All jars were labeled and one piece of celery was
put into each jar. I observed the rate that the blue dye moved up the celery and measured and recorded the height
daily. In each of the “no salt samples,” the height was at 0.5 centimeters after day one but reached 30 centimeters by
day 5. “No salt sample 3” was limp after day 1 but by day 3 was no longer limp. All of the “salt samples” were at 0.5
centimeters after day 1 and by day day 2 were at 1 centimeter. None of the “salt samples” reached 30 centimeters
and all samples dried out by day 5. Plants absorb water through both active and passive transport. Passive transport
is done by osmosis. Osmosis depends on the concentration of the solution around the plant. The salt in the water
makes it more difficult for the water to be absorbed by the celery.
JPS103: Does PSI of a football matter?
“Deflate-gate” …did it matter? This is the problem I’m tackling. It is important to me because I love football. First, I
tested the air pressure of footballs for accuracy. Next, I threw the balls as far as I could. I measured the distance
traveled with a yardstick. I repeated this process three times for each football. I recorded my data and compared my
results. My research answered the question. It matters. To reach my hypothesis, I thought about how PSI may alter
the grip on a football and the distance it travels.
JPS104: Which Liquids are the Most and Which are the Most Alkaline?
The purpose of this experiment is to see which liquids are the most acidic or alkaline. To conduct this experiment i will
see which liquids are the most acidic or alkaline. The experimental results were measured acidic or alkaline liquids
JPS105: Will You Bank The Shot?
The purpose of this experiment is to see what angle is best to shoot a basketball shot. To conduct this experiment I
will have 6 participants shoot 3 shots from 45 degree right and the 45 degree left angle and 180 degree angle away
from the hoop. The experimental results were measured by the success rate of the shot. The results of the
experiment showed that the 45 degree right angle was the best angle to shoot at on a basketball court. The results
indicate that my hypothesis should be accepted because all of my participants did a better job on the 45 degree
angle than the other angles.
PRSEF Student Abstracts
Page 1
Junior – Physical Science (JPS) – 6th Grade
JPS106: Which type of diet soda makes the largest geyser?
The purpose of my experiment is to discover which diet soda makes the largest geyser. I will start by weighing the
mentos and measuring the temperature of the soda. I will place the sodas in boxes and attach yardsticks. Using a
geyser tube, I drop the mentos in the soda and record the explosion. I will measure how high the explosion goes and
what remains in the bottle. I will record all data and repeat the procedure for all bottles. My hypothesis is that the diet
root beer has the highest geyser because of its foaming properties. Experimentation is continuing.
JPS107: Hydroelectric Power
I did this project to see how much power is actually produced using water, a natural and renewable source. I
hypothesized that the higher the level of the water dropping into the turbine the greater the output of energy created.
In order to complete this project and measure the actual voltage I had to rely on the expertise of my grandfather. We
had to build the dam. Using a small clear plastic storage tub as our body of water and several 2 inch clear PVC pipes
at different heights. We created a mini hydropower dam. After three trials at each level the output for the respected
levels were similar. Increasing the height increased the results. The highest level averaged voltage 0.023ohms.
Proving my hypothesis true.
JPS108: Funnel of Fear
Can tornadoes form at 4C, 15C, and 26C? I hypothesize that a tornado will form at 26C because it is the warmest
temperature. I first filled my tornado lamp with 4C, 15C, and 26C water. Then I watched the magic happen. Some
funnels formed and others didn't. At 4C there was not any rotation at all, and at 15C there was a little rotation but not
too much. But at 26C a lot happened, there was big rotation. In conclusion of my experiment, my hypothesis was right
because there was a big funnel at 26C!
JPS109: Colors and Heat Absorption
With this experiment, I wanted to learn how light is reflected and why different colors and textures absorb more or
less heat when exposed to light. I tested this by exposing 6 different colors, 3 materials, and 2 different paper
surfaces to sun light and lamp light. I measured the surface temperature after light exposure. The black color
absorbed most heat and white color the least. My experiment went partly as I expected. The light lamp didn't make a
great effect on the temperature. I discovered that the light lamp didn't give off light but, not heat. The sunlight, on the
other hand, agreed with my hypothesis. The black paper went all the way to 76 degrees average fahrenheit and the
white paper went to 53 degrees average fahrenheit. Darker colors absorb more light and get warmer to light
exposure. Textures absorb differently and influence the heating of the surface. Mat surfaces will absorb more than
glossy ones. Houses, cars and clothes will heat up differently depending on which color or texture they have.
JPS110: Will Pretty Packaging Persuade People To Eat Healthier
According to my research of first and third grade students,pretty packaging does persuade children to eat
healthier.depending on the age group,icons on packaging are selected more with current icons like,The Good
Dinosaur or as kid classics such as spongebob square pants. i believe that certain bags were picked because of the
icons rather than color.In my observations, more kids these days wish to see more fun looking packaging in their
lunch rather than plain. In conclusion i noticed that if there is popular icons on the bags kids will pick it healthy or not.
JPS111: Cold Room? Heat it up with a Solar Air Heater
The purpose of my experiment is to see if a solar air heater will produce as much heat as my regular at home
furnace. To conduct this experiment I will construct a solar air heater and compare it to my at home furnace. The
experimental results were measured by showing that my solar air heater will produce as much heat as my at home
furnace. The results of my experiment were that my solar air heater took longer than my regular at home furnace. The
results indicate that my hypothesis should be rejected because the solar air heater took longer.
JPS112: Shoot to Score
This project tested how the flex of a hockey stick can affect the speed and accuracy of a puck. I wanted to test this
subject to determine the best stick flex for my game. I tested nine sticks by shooting five slap shots and five wrist
shots with each stick. I measured the speed with a radar gun and accuracy with a goal target. My data proved that a
stick with a 60-75 flex was the fastest and most accurate given my strength and size. This plan can determine the
right stick to shoot and score.
PRSEF Student Abstracts
Page 2
Junior – Physical Science (JPS) – 6th Grade
JPS113: Weight! Is Your Car Ready?
The purpose of this experiment was to see how the placement of the weight affects the Pinewood Derby car’s speed.
I predicted that the car with the weight in the middle would move the fastest; because it used the center of gravity
best. Three Pinewood Derby car kits were purchased, adding four wheels to each car in designed slots, added equal
weight to each car positioning the weight on the back, middle, front, and finally racing the Pinewood Derby cars on
the traditional track. The fastest car was designed with the weight in the middle at a 2.73 second average.
JPS114: Household Products
I wanted to test plastic straws in different products to see if the color would be removed.
JPS115: Which Bridge design will hold the most weight?
This project tested strength of various bridge types: platform, truss, beam, arch, suspension, and double-truss
bridges. To tackle which of these bridge types would support the most weight, the six bridge designs were built and
tested using wooden craft sticks, hot glue, five pound working load twine, and the weights. My hypothesis stated that
the double truss that I designed would support the most weight since it had the most triangles, and the results
supported my hypothesis: the double-truss bridge held 51.5 pounds of weight. This experiment impacts designing of
the strongest bridge possible for safety of people.
JPS116: Batter Up
I picked this topic because I play baseball. I wanted to see if a metal bat would hit harder than a wooden bat.
Baseball players have wondered for years if a metal bat would hit harder than a wooden bat. I think a metal bat will hit
harder because of the compact of the bat.
JPS117: Effect of Suction Cup Size on Load
I wanted to see if different sized suction cups could hold more mass. I experimented with small, medium, and large
sized suction cups. The small suction cup held an average mass of 990g. The medium sized suction cups held an
average mass of 1900 g. Large suction cups were able to hold an average mass of 3300 g. In all, the experiment
showed that the size of the suction cup has a direct correlation with how much mass it could hold. The greater
surface area created a larger airtight seal.
JPS118: Salty Water Eggsperiment
The purpose of my experiment is to find out how salty water has to be for an egg to float. First, the researcher would
make a stock solution and then a diluted version of the stock solution. Then the egg would be tested in each solution
and observed to see what cup the egg first floated in. After testing several solutions, the researcher would figure out
the eggs density. The results will be available at the science fair.
JPS119: Turning yougurt into ravioli
The reason why choosing this to conduct this experiment is to try something that would sound impossible, but with
the magic of science hopefully will be able to find out how to turn yogurt into ravioli. the procedure used to conduct
this experiment is simply testing the yogurt samples by cooling them to their freezing point, then boiling them. then let
them sit in the refrigerator. samples sat through a 24 hour period. this experiment took 3 days to perform to conduct.
the data collected shows the mass over a 24 hour period, the mass was measured in grams.
JPS120: Who Would Win? Hdroponics vs Soil
I chose this project because I saw it on the Disney Channel ad I thought it was interesting.I wanted to find out for
myself which would grow faster,a plant in soil or hydroponic tank. I constructed a hydroponic tank and ensured that
each plant would receive the same amount of light each day.to determine the results i had to measure the
height,number of leaves,and leaf growth throughout my experiment. my final results showed that the plant in soil grew
taller and had longer leaves. while,the plant in the hydroponics tank produced more leaves.
PRSEF Student Abstracts
Page 3
Junior – Physical Science (JPS) – 6th Grade
JPS121: Keep Me Warm!
The question of my project is: which insulation will keep heat in your house the best - fiberglass roll, cellulose blown
in, or fiberglass blown in insulation? My hypothesis is that the cellulose blown in insulation would work the best. I
insulated 3 boxes with 3 types of insulation and heated them with a blow dryer for one minute. I then placed them
outside and waited 5 minutes before taking the temperature of the inside of the box to see which insulation would
keep the inside of the boxes the warmest the longest amount of time. My summary is that the fiberglass blown in
insulation worked the best each time.
JPS122: Focusing In
Some people with glasses know the make-your-fingers-into-a-pinhole trick, but how small do you have to make the
pinhole? This project looks at how small you have to make your fingers to be able to see out of the pinhole. This will
be tested by putting a camera with no lens into a box with multiple sizes of holes and holding the camera up to each
hole. The hole with the clearest image, would be the pinhole size. My hypothesis is that the smaller the hole, the
better you will see. Final results will be available on the science fair day.
JPS123: How Fast Does Limestone Dissolve
Please visit student’s exhibit for abstract.
JPS124: That Makes Cents
My project was to determine whether orange juice, Coke, vinegar, salt water, or water cleans malachite off a penny
the best. To begin, I put clean pennies in vinegar and let them it on a paper towel without rinsing them off in order to
form malachite on all the pennies. For the main experiment, I put each penny covered in malachite in each of the
different liquids for the same amount of time. The result was that orange juice cleaned malachite off the best.
JPS125: Color,Can You See It?
My science experiment is based on this very topic. I did this project because I personally like art and colors, and I am
interested in how the eye works. This is important to society due to the census of people who see colors usually mix
up red and magenta, neon green and yellow, or blue and violet. This experiment is based on a test I took on the
internet, this test is appropriately named “How Well Do People See Colors?”, after I took the test, I had an idea to do
that topic for a science fair project. My Hypothesis is: If I test 20-30 volunteers, I think that they will see lighter colors
such as red, orange, and yellow because darker color cones such as blue or purple are less sensitive to those
colors. My procedure is: 1. You gather all materials such as informed consent, pictures of color tests (7), volunteers
(23), and logbook for results; 2. Show volunteer #1 the pictures of colors, they shall have at least 15 seconds to
respond, if it is outside of the 15 seconds I will get them to answer; 3. In logbook, write results of incorrect or correct
guesses for each color, for how I had drawn x’s and checkmarks; 4. Repeat steps #1-3 for all remaining volunteers, I
repeated the first three steps so nothing would change in my routine; 5. Show data results in a table. After my test I
found my results. In my results, I found that my subjects could see red, orange, and yellow easier than blue and
purple which had proved my hypothesis correct, also in my test I found that the results for turquoise and green were
mediocre. In conclusion, I found that my experiment was a success, I got my data and everything was answered. If I
did this experiment again I would change the lighting of the room I test in, and I would have more colors than red,
orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and turquoise. I could have never done this project without my subjects, my
perseverance to do this experiment, and my teachers who helped me through all of this experiment.
JPS126: Homerun?
The purpose of this experiment is to test which bat works better an aluminum or a wooden bat. To conduct this
experiment I will compare an aluminum and a wooden bat by testing its performance. The experimental results were
measured by the distance traveled by the ball. The results of this experiment are that the wooden bat hit the ball
farther than the aluminum bat. The results indicate that the hypothesis should be incorrect because the wooden bat
hit the ball farther than the aluminum bat.
JPS127: The Power of Wind
I designed, built and tested five different windmill blade designs to see which generated the most electricity. I did this
to determine which blade design would be best to use in a real life situation using wind as an alternative to fossil fuels
which are limited in quantity and their use is harmful to the environment. My results showed that using just two blades
with the widest dimension and lightest weight of those tested generated the most electricity because it weighed the
least of all the models tested.
PRSEF Student Abstracts
Page 4
Junior – Physical Science (JPS) – 6th Grade
JPS128: Keeping Cool at Kennywood
Some days I am cool when I go to amusement parks, but other days I am hot. It is because different color shirts
absorb or reflect different amounts of heat. The white material was the coolest, it reflected heat more than other
colors, with a temperature of 34.4degrees Celsius. Black was the hottest, it absorbed the most heat, with a
temperature of 37.2degrees Celsius. I took blue, white, purple, black, and red shirts and used a lamp. When the shirt
was in place, I set my timer for five minutes. I used my laser heat gun then recorded the data.
JPS129: Fluid Flow Rates
The purpose of my experiment is to see if water moves faster with or without pressure and larger openings. To
conduct my experiment I will be applying forces or not applying any forces to three two liter bottles to see how fast
water flows. The experimental results were measured by the best flow of water. From this experiment, I concluded
that water does move faster with pressure and larger openings. It turns out that for every one of my three bottles, that
the number of seconds it took to fill up the graduated cylinder without any pressure from the tongs, was greater than
the number of seconds it took to fill up the graduated cylinder with pressure. The results indicate that my hypothesis
should be accepted. My hypothesis stated: that if I take three two liter bottles, and have the openings different sizes
for each bottle and apply pressure to all three bottles by squeezing, then the two liter bottle’s water with the two
centimeter hole will flow the fastest out of the bottle and into the graduated cylinder. My hypothesis should be
accepted because it turns out that the bottle of water with a diameter hole of two centimeters with pressure had the
lowest average number of seconds for flow rate of all the other groups of trials.
JPS130: Does it Conduct?
The purpose of my experiment was to determine if all metals conducted electricity equally and if other materials
conducted also. We tested each of the materials with a 12 volt car battery and a light bulb. We tested the conductivity
of Silver, Copper, Gold, Aluminum, Tin Foil, Brass, Wood, Plastic and Glass. We were able to determine which of
these materials conducted electricity by lighting the bulb.
JPS131: Goal!
The purpose of this project is to discover if a curved kick is more accurate than a straight kick. I also wanted to figure
out if the speed of the ball affects the curve. The procedures I performed to conduct this project was about kicking the
ball at varying speeds and calculating there spin. Also I observed if a curved ball would be more accurate. In my
conclusion and procedures, the faster kick produces more spin and the curve ball is more accurate.
JPS132: Hot VS Cold Magnet Style
In the Hot VS Cold Magnet experiment I explored the effect of heat and cold on different types of magnets. I tested to
discover if the magnets' strengths increased or decreased when exposed to different temperatures. Each magnet was
tested to determine how much mass it would pull at room 22, .2, -8, and 100 degrees Celsius. The magnet showed
the strongest pull at 22 degrees Celsius. According to the data there wasn’t a correlation between temperature and
magnetic pull, but the larger the mass of the magnet the greater the magnetic force.
JPS133: Just How Strong is a Silver Spoon? The Bactericidal Effect of Silver (Ag) in
Drinking Water
For hundreds of years, people have used silver (Ag) to purify food and water. In some churches, holy water is kept in
large silver bowls. People around the world have made bowls, chopsticks, and other eating and drinking materials to
purify whatever they consume. My hypothesis is that silver in “macro form” will destroy more bacteria when more of
its surface area is exposed to water, but neither will be as effective chlorine, which is a traditional treatment for
swimming pool water. I expect chlorine, the control, to kill most if not all of the bacteria. When I compare the two
silver samples, there will be fewer bacteria remaining in the one with small pieces of silver than in the one with a
whole piece of silver.
PRSEF Student Abstracts
Page 5
Junior – Physical Science (JPS) – 6th Grade
JPS134: The World Cup of Programming: NXT vs. EV3 vs. Robot.c
There are many types of programs to use for programming robots for robotic competitions such as First Lego League.
My project will help students or teachers choose the most precise and accurate program. Throughout my project, I
tested 3 main robot programming languages: Robot.c, NXT, and EV3. While doing the experiment, I ran each
programming language through 6 complicated and simple tasks 5 times to find the average. I then calculated the
precision and accuracy of the programs throughout the testing. This experiment confirmed my hypothesis; the EV3
program is the most accurate and precise program.
JPS135: Does Music Affect Running Performance?
The purpose of the experiment was to test if music had an affect on running speed. To test this, I timed five-0.5 mile
trials with music and five-0.5 miles without music on the same track, under the same conditions. The average time for
.5 mile with music was 184.410 seconds and the average without music was 179.832 seconds. I concluded that
music did not have a positive affect on my running performance. If I did the experiment again, I would also include
less experienced runners. Additionally, I would test the affect of different songs with different tempos.
JPS136: Does temperature affect the magnetic field of iron filings?
The warmer the magnet is, the weaker the magnetic field.
JPS137: Make An Egg Float In Saltwater
My project was to make an egg float in saltwater. I did this project to test and to learn more about density. Also to see
if the egg would actually float. I took 3 of the same sized containers, filled them,added the salt, and added the eggs. i
then waited and checked on them. I did this procedure 3 different times. The first two tests didn't go too well. On my
last test the egg poked through the surface of the saltwater just a little bit. The only difference is the climates that the
eggs were in.
JPS138: What Ya' Gonna Use? STAINBUSTERS!!!
To determine best stain removal process from a variety of relatively common objects using a variety of easily
available and relatively inexpensive agents. Also using the resultant information to provide consumer benefit,
especially in the average home.
JPS139: Think Fast
Please visit student's exhibit for the abstract.
JPS140: Which type of oil can be reused the most?
Olive, Soybean, and Canola oils are commonly used in deep frying. I wanted to find out which oil type can be used
the most without significantly damaging its quality. Unsaturated oils are better for health compared to saturated oils
and fats. Unsaturated oils carry one or more double bonds between the carbon atoms. When iodine is added, it will
react with unsaturated bonds. When oil is heated, it is believed to reduce the number of double bonds between
carbons. Therefore, after each time oil is heated, it will require less amount of iodine. I chose this project because I
wanted to know how many times different cooking oils can be reused without affecting the quality of the oil and the
users’ health. I poured a specific amount of oil into labeled cups after each heating. I added iodine drops until the oil
changes color permanently while comparing it to the control color (R0) I hypothesized that Olive Oil can be reused
the most number of times compared to Canola and Soybean Oils. At the end of my experiment, Soybean OIl lost the
least amount of double bonds, while Canola Oil lost the most. I reject my hypothesis.
JPS141: Tee It Up High Or Low
The purpose I picked my experiment was to improve my game and others. I went a golf simulator at Dick`s Sporting
Goods. I hit ten golf balls of each tee size and my parents hit ten also.Our helper Matt gave us all help then I went
home and made the graphs with the information I got.I made my board and had fun doing it.
JPS142: Gears go Round
The purpose of this experiment is to find different gear ratios and how efficient they are. To conduct this experiment I
will use different combinations of gears to see which combination of gears is the most efficient. The experimental
results were measured by which combination of gears is the most efficient. The results of the experiment were that
the higher the ratio the more efficient. The results indicate that the hypothesis should be correct because the larger
ratios are more efficient than the smaller ratios.
PRSEF Student Abstracts
Page 6
Junior – Physical Science (JPS) – 6th Grade
JPS143: Does the Diameter of the Loop on a Roller Coaster Affectthe Speed of a Cart
Traveling Through a Loop?
Determine if the diameter of the loop on a roller coaster track affects the speed that the cart travels through the loop.
As the diameter of the loop on a roller coaster track increases the speed that the cart will travel through it will
decrease. PROCEDURE: 1:Construct a roller coaster with the diameter of the loop being tested, 2:Release the cart
from the starting point on the track and determine the time required for it to cross the finish line, 3:Repeat step2 for
29more test runs, 4:Repeat steps 1-3for other diameter loops being tested. CONCLUSION: Available at fair.
JPS144: Spread the Mass
I set up water bottles in a pyramid shape and threw a ball at them to see where I could put full and empty bottles and
if it would be easy to knock over. The results showed that pyramids three and four were knocked over the easiest
pyramid three were knocked over easily because most of the bottles were empty and pyramid three was knocked
over easily possibly because of the direction that I threw the ball.
JPS145: The temperature That Makes a golf ball go the farthest
My project is about what is the best temperature to go golfing. I experimented to find out how far a ball travels given
different temperatures by heating or cooling the golf ball. Using a stimpmeter I created I then i recorded the distance.
If golf balls of various temperatures are hit, then the warmed golf ball will travel farther. Using a laser temperature
pen, a stimpmeter, an oven and freezer I was able to heat and cool quickly my golf balls to roll and measure distance.
The average distance traveled was at its greatest for the ProV1 golf ball at 56 cm and 29.4 c. It’s lowest travel
distances of 48 to 51 cm was interesting because it was at the lowest temperature of 21.1 c which was expected and
at the highest temperature of 37.8 c which was not expected. Additionally, the average distance traveled was at its
greatest for the Pro V1x golf ball at 60.8 cm and 32.2 Celsius. It’s lowest travel distances of 48 to 51 cm was
interesting because it was at the lowest temperature of 21.1 c which was expected and at the highest temperature of
37.8 c which was not expected. In Conclusion, the pro v1 reacted to different temperatures then the pro v1x.
JPS146: Snow Inspired
I really enjoy science and school, but I enjoy snow days too. Sometimes we would have two hour delays. I was told
that sometimes in the morning it's too dangerous to drive on the roads due to ice, and that salt or other melting
chemicals would be spread on the roads to melt it. I wondered how the ice melted so quickly. I decided to investigate.
I measured all of the contents and put them in the bottles and tested each to see wha makes ice melt the fastest. I
concluded that rock salt does in fact melt ice the fastest.
JPS147: Eggainst All Odds...
The purpose of my experiment was to find how much salt has to be in water for an egg to float. I made the salt
concentration and tested if the egg would float. I tested with five different kinds of mixtures and found out which ones
floated and which ones didn't. I found out about buoyancy and density. I also found out that the water needed to be
denser than the egg for the egg to float. My hypothesis that the more salt in the water the better the egg will float was
proven true.
JPS148: Running On Air
In my project, I am attempting to find out which balloon powered car model will go the farthest - the toilet paper roll
model, or the water bottle model? I hypothesized that the water bottle model will go farthest. I first built one car and
attached two balloons to it. Next, I constructed the other model and attached two balloons to it. I measured the
distances both cars traveled three times each. I recorded my data. My hypothesis was correct. In every trial, the
water bottle model traveled farther than the toilet paper roll model.
JPS149: Liquid Evaporation Rate
The purpose of this experiment is to discover if liquids evaporate at the same rate. My procedures were, pour the
same amount of liquid into each beaker, note the amount on paper, set the beakers in a dry location at room
temperature, monitor the level of the liquids in each beaker everyday for one week. Nail Polish Remover evaporated
first with 10 mL left and Orange Juice evaporated last with 275 mL left. The reason Nail Polish Remover evaporates
so fast is; because, Acetone does not participate in hydrogen bonding, so its intermolecular forces are comparatively
weaker.
PRSEF Student Abstracts
Page 7
Junior – Physical Science (JPS) – 6th Grade
JPS150: Will You Bank the Shot?
The purpose of my experiment was to find out what angles on the court were best for a bank shot. I made a scale
model of the court with poster board I also made the shooter with a paper towel roll. I labeled zero to twenty
centimeters on the backboard. Then I labeled ninety, sixty, thirty, and zero degrees on the model to represent the
shot. I rolled the ball down the tube twenty times trying to hit zero to nine centimeters and recorded the data. Thirty
degrees had the most successful bank shots.
JPS151: Frisbee Weight and Flight
You’ve seen all the frisbees lined up on a rack, all with different weights. But, do you know how the weights actually
affect the frisbee throw? My hypothesis is that the lighter frisbees fly farther. I tested my hypothesis by making
weights and putting them on frisbees, then measuring the distance flown. I did some background research on the four
forces of flight, and basic aerodynamics. My experiment’s results showed that my hypothesis was correct, the lighter
frisbees flew the farthest.
JPS152: When Does it Break?
My project tested whether the strength of a beam is directly proportional to its diameter. I became interested in this
concept after a classroom activity constructing bridges out of Popsicle sticks. I tested this by making different size
beams from strands of spaghetti, then adding weight to see when each beam size would break. My testing showed a
direct relationship between the diameter of the beam and the weight it supports, but it was not totally proportional. If I
did this project again I would use a different form of pasta with flatter sides to improve the beam construction.
JPS153: Ice Melting Mayhem
Do you ever wonder why trucks use salt on the roads and not something else? My project was Ice Melting Mayhem
and I have done my experiment on what substance made ice melt the fastest. I have done this project because I am
interested in chemistry, and this experiment is not too far off from chemistry. My hypothesis was, “If I add salt to ice,
then the ice will melt the fastest because salt is used by trucks on the roads to help clear them of ice. I did this
experiment by first putting the ice into bowls, putting them in the refrigerator to melt, and then measuring the amount
of water in the bowl in mL. My results were that the salt melted the ice the fastest at an average of 17.67 mL of water
melted, sugar coming in second with an average of 7.66 mL of water melted, the control (nothing) coming in third with
an average of 4.67 mL of water melted, and sand coming in last with an average of 2.17 mL of water melted. My
project was successful, but not everything went according to plan. The sand absorbed any water that it may have
melted, and we needed to do a workaround. I would have replaced the sand with a non-absorbent material and took
the temperature directly after the experiment occurred if I could. I enjoyed this project.
JPS154: Nothing But Net
The purpose of my experiment is to prove that the position of a shooter's body determines whether or not a shot will
be successful. It is expected that the best body position for a good shot will be when the elbow is in, the ball is in your
dominant hand and your legs are bent. This provides the most power and control over a shooter's shot. Four subjects
of varying basketball skill level were selected to perform eight different shots three times each. The eight shots were
a) legs bent, elbow in, dominant hand b) legs bent, elbow in, non-dominant hand c) legs bent, elbow out, dominant
hand d) legs bent, elbow out, non-dominant hand e) legs straight, elbow in, dominant hand f) legs straight, elbow in,
non-dominant hand g) legs straight, elbow out, dominant hand h) legs straight, elbow out, non-dominant hand. (Each
subject was allowed practice shots to acquire skill at the different positions.) The shot position was at six feet two
inches to ensure the distance was not a prohibitive distance for making a shot. The shots were recorded as either
made or missed. The results from all four subjects at each shot position was summed together and a percent made
was calculated for all eight positions. It was determined that the best body position to make a shot is when the subject
has legs bent, elbow in and uses their dominant hand. An unexpected result was that the second and third best shots
occurred when the non-dominant hand was used. The subjects had to concentrate more with their left hand which
caused the to make more shots, even when the elbow was out which makes for a weaker and harder shot. However,
greater concentration makes up for the harder shot and forces them to aim better.
JPS155: Does the Length of the Arrow Affect the Speed?
Will the Length of the Arrow Affect the Speed? Purpose: to investigate the effects of various of arrows.
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Junior – Physical Science (JPS) – 6th Grade
JPS156: Thin Ice
Rock salt is an essential resource during the winter in many parts of the U.S. because it melts snow and ice. Due to
rock salt shortages, I investigated possible household alternatives. To do so, I compared how quickly five solvents of
different sodium levels-- table salt, soy sauce, Italian dressing, pickle juice, and beet juice-- could melt ice. I
measured the volume of ice melted at ten time intervals and found soy sauce was the most effective, melting 100% of
the ice after seventy minutes, which caused me to reject my hypothesis that table salt would be the fastest de-icer.
JPS157: Bristle Bot
The purpose of this experiment is to see which battery AA or AAA is more powerful in a bristle bot TO conduct this
experiment I would compare AA and AAA battery to see which one make the bristle bot move faster The
experimental results were measured by seeing the speed of the bristle bot
JPS158: Which Wheels Will Blow You Away?
The purpose of this experiment is to see if the thickness of wheels on a balloon powered car will affect its speed. To
conduct this experiment, I am going to test four different thicknesses of wheels to see which one makes the car go
the fastest. These include 5 mm thick by 24 mm tall wheels, 9 mm thick by 29 mm tall wheels, 10 mm thick by 13 mm
tall wheels, and 11 mm thick by 30 mm tall wheels. The experimental results were measured by the speed of the car
because of the different thicknesses of wheels. The results of the experiment indicated that the vehicle with the 10
mm thick by 13 mm tall wheels were the fastest. The results indicate that the hypothesis should be rejected because
the 5 mm thick by 24 mm tall wheels did not go the fastest. Instead the 10 mm thick by 13 mm tall wheels went the
fastest.
JPS159: Glowing Detective
The purpose of my experiment is to see if temperature will affect how long luminol glows. My procedure is to measure
and put a luminol pre carbonated mixture and copper into each cup. Then I will put cold water and ice into a cup. The
temperature will then be recorded. I will repeat this with hot water in a cup and take the temperature. Next I will take
the water and put it into the cups with the mixture and leave it for three minutes. I will then measure the brightness on
a brightness scale and write down the time. The results will be available at the science fair.
JPS160: Crystals
This experiment was designed to test whether temperature affects crystal growth. Three different test samples were
put in different locations with different temperatures. My hypothesis was that cooler conditions would grow bigger
crystals. Some conclusions were that crystals in cooler temperatures grow faster with a lot more crystals than warmer
temperatures, but crystal growth slowed down pretty quickly. This maybe due to the fact that the crystals cool before
getting their impurities out. If this experiment was to be done again, I would add more Borax, have more extreme
temperatures, and let the solutions sit a little less time.
JPS161: How does the magnetic field affect water flow?
I wanted to figure out if fresh water, salt water, and salt water with magnets affected how water flowed. I filled the
burette with 200ml of water and timed the flow five times. Then I made a salt solution and added that to the
experiment. Lastly, I added magnets at the bottom of the large tube. My hypothesis was that the water would flow
slower, and this is not what happened. As a result, the water flowed faster. This could help many people in life.
Boaters and exporters will benefit from this because they should know the speed of currents.
JPS162: Stained or Maintained
My experiment is about seeing which liquid out of coffee, tea, and grape juice would stain teeth the most. My
experiment will help dentist all around the world to know what to tell their patients what drinks to stay away from when
they are doing treatments to get the stains out of their teeth. I used a color scale that goes from white to a dark
brown, to compare the stains. I used chicken bone to put the stain onto because a real tooth would be too small to
see the stain color as clearly.
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Junior – Physical Science (JPS) – 6th Grade
JPS163: Heat Conduction
I was curious about how well different materials conducted heat. This project could help you know what to do in
certain conditions like keeping a building warm. I gave different materials a heat source and melted an ice cube. The
materials I used were polyester, styrene, glass, copper, brass, and stainless steel. I got the average of the materials
and compared the times. The styrene took the longest and copper the shortest. I learned that materials with good
conduction of electricity are also good at conducting heat. This means that copper is a better conductor than styrene.
JPS164: Can You Change the Rate of a Chemical Reaction by changing the size of the
reactants?
The purpose of this experiment is to see if I breakdown Alka-Seltzer there will be more gas. To conduct this
experiment I will be measuring the gas of the broken down Alka-Seltzer. The experimental results were measured by
the speed of the reaction.
JPS165: Will adding the proper elements to bubble solution make it invinvible?
This science fair project was performed to determine if adding other elements to a bubble solution can help the
bubbles last longer. Testing was done by adding corn syrup, soap, glycerin, sugar and lemon juice to the bubble
solution. The method that worked the best was the glycerin bubble solution. Lasting 178 seconds this was because
glycerin weakens the hydrogen bonds in the bubble therefore slowing done the evaporation process. The other
solutions were not nearly as close to the glycerin. The soap was 26 seconds, the corn syrup was 38, the sugar 24,
lemon 27. The results were very incredible for just these elements that were added to the bubble solution.
JPS166: How Does Temperature Affect Battery Life
The purpose of this experiment is to see if/how temperature affects how long a battery is effective. I selected 3 types
of batteries, bought 6 flashlights, and took 2 flashlights for each set of batteries. One of each pair of flashlights would
go into a refrigerator, and the other in my dining room. All of the room temperature flashlights died before any of the
ones in the refrigerator. Also, each set died in this order: Most expensive, mid-price, and then cheapest. The cold
temperature kept the flashlights on longer, s that was different than my hypothesis.
JPS167: Don't Text and Hike...Or Can You?
In my experiment, I tested different ways to charge a phone different ways in places that don't have power.
JPS168: Light It Up
IF a light bulb gets too hot, and is near flammable objects, it could catch on fire. The purpose of this experiment was
to see what kind of light bulb gets the hottest. I measured the temperature of incandescent light bulbs (40W, 60W,
100W), light emitting diode (LED) bulbs (40W, 60W equivalent), and compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs (40W,
60W, 100W equivalent) with a thermocouple. My data shows that the incandescent light bulbs got the hottest, and the
LED light bulbs were the coolest. I also discovered the higher the wattage, the hotter the bulb. The data supported my
hypothesis.
JPS169: Robotic Penguin Cam
My project is about Robotic Penguin Cams. These cams are important to scientists and researchers to gather more
accurate information from the microchips embedded under the penguin's skin, by causing the penguins less stress.
This year I decided to continue my 5th grade project by replacing the wheels on my Little Blue Penguin Cam with
robotic feet. I researched bird leg ideas using Mindstorm robotic components and after many attempts plus design
changes my penguin could walk. I believe that the realistic legs will further aid in the development of a less stressful
prototype for the penguins.
JPS170: Solar Power vs Propane Grill: "Which could cook a hot dog faster?"
I performed this experiment to see if the different energy forces of either a solar grill or propane grill would cook a
hotdog faster. First I questioned various classes across 5-6 weeks to get their best guesses. Next I physically
experimented with the hotdogs. I learned that the propane grill did cook the hotdog faster and created a much higher
internal temperature. My results suggested that propane energy worked much more quickly than solar energy. I could
compare this experiment to electricity vs. solar panels running through a house during different seasons throughout
the year.
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Junior – Physical Science (JPS) – 6th Grade
JPS171: Color Catastrophe
Mentos and diet Coke have always been known to cause a reaction due to the aspartame, gum Arabic, and the rough
surface of Mentos. I compared the different colored Mentos to find out what color caused the greatest reaction. I did
this experiment because I wanted to see if the different coloring chemicals in multicolored Mentos made a difference
in the reaction. My procedure included using one diet Coke bottle for each Mento. These findings indicated that the
green Mentos caused the greatest reaction, disproving my hypothesis.
JPS172: Permanent Magnet Generator
Energy production is a major problem. This study evaluated ways to produce energy using magnets. After comparing
different clean, safe generators, I chose to build and test a permanent magnet generator. Its rotor turned at 200 rpm.
The neodymium magnets functioned as a substitute for fuel by using the opposing force to rotate the fan while the
magnetic flux was amplified by conducting coils to create voltage. The results were the generator having a pattern of
increasing to decreasing energy. It was too heavy to spin disproving my hypothesis of it being capable of powering a
small electronic device.
JPS173: Spooky Action: Evidence of Quantum Entanglement
Einstein called Quantum Entanglement “Spooky Action at a Distance.” My project is about Quantum Entanglement,
an exciting phenomenon between two particles. It seems to break a lot of physics laws that we take for granted. It
happens when two particles are linked in a special way. In my experiment, these particles are photons. The particles
go away from each other, but they seem to communicate instantaneously! This breaks the law that the speed of light
is the “speed limit” of the universe. In this experiment, I hope to find evidence of this phenomenon with little
equipment.
JPS174: How to make the perfect basketball shot
The purpose of this experiment is to see witch angle can make a perfect shot. To conduct this experiment my
participants will shoot a basketball from three different angles to see witch would make the perfect shot. The
experiment results were measured by the success rate of getting a perfect shot. The results of my experiments show
that both 180° and the 90° angle or equal with the success of the shots made. The results indicate that my hypothesis
should be partially correct because I said that the 180° angle would be the most successful with shots. However, the
90° angle was tied in shots with the 180° angle.
JPS175: Who Will Stay the Longest
The purpose of this experiment is to test what battery will keep it's charge the longest. To conduct this experiment I
will be comparing 4 groups of batteries for their charge. The experimental results of the experiment were measured
by the life of the AA batteries. The results of the experiment told me that Energizer lasted longer than any of the other
3 brands of batteries.
JPS176: Does ball position affect shooting?
The topic of my science experiment was about different basketball shooting techniques. I tested if overhead, chin
height, or chest height goes in the most. This is important because it says which shot is most effective and can be
used to score the most points. Each of my volunteers shot five of the previous shots at the foul line and I recorded the
amount of made shots. I was correct when I predicted that the most made should be at chin height. This is very useful
information to improve shots in many basketball players.
JPS177: Does the type of material affect how far sparks can jump?
Please visit student's exhibit for the abstract.
JPS178: pH Levels in Rain Water
The rationale for my project is that I wanted to know more about what is inside rain water. I was curious about the
acid levels of rain and how it changes in different areas. I also wondered about how baking soda would affect acid
levels would it rise or lower? I found out that it would lower pH levels. Also I wanted to know what could detect acid
and how it detected it. pH testing strips were my answer. They work when chemicals exchange a proton. Hydrogen
ions produce pH indicators that cause the colors that represent acid levels.
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Junior – Physical Science (JPS) – 6th Grade
JPS179: Pretty Penny
The question was "Which solution vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, or salt water will clean tarnished pennies the
best?" The problem was trying to figure out which solution would clean the tarnish off the pennies the best. I
hypothesized that lemon juice would clean the pennies the best because I found in my research that it has the lowest
pH.
JPS180: Which Nerf Gun Shoots the Farthest?
It's sometimes boring with nothing to do on the weekend! Then you grab a Nerf gun and a friend, and start playing
Nerf battles. You get a Nerf gun that shoots about 10 feet and you keep losing, and you just want to know, which type
of Nerf gun shoots the farthest? I tested three (3) different types of Nerf guns to determine which one shot the
farthest. I set up a Nerf gun on a table and fired it four times, recorded my data, and analyzed it against the other
types.
JPS181: Need For Speed
The purpose of my experiment is to find out if the shape of a matchbox car affected the speed. When I started, I first
gathered my materials which were four different shaped cars, some track and a timer. When you have your materials
set up the track in a hill formation. Time the different cars as they go down the track. When I was done with my
experiment I looked back at my data. My data told me that the different cars went different speeds. This data tells me
that my hypothesis is correct!
JPS182: Surface Tension in Bubbles
Bubbles are beautiful! Making them last is hard. My experiment compared soap solutions, with glycerin, and corn
syrup I will examine surface tension in bubbles. I made three solutions, testing each one 12 times and determined
that a solution with glycerin worked best. Corn syrup worked second best. Detergent worked least of all.
JPS183: Chest, Chin, and Over the Head
The purpose of this experiment is to see what position is better to make a shot. To conduct this experiment is to ask
people to shot from the chest, chin, and over the head. The experimental results were measured by the success rate
of making a shot at these three positions.
JPS184: Separate Constituents of Table Salt
Three experiments were conducted with two pieces of copper wiring, salt and tap water solution, with three different
batteries at 4.5, 6, and 9 volt. Through the various test, this experiment will provide that a 6 volt battery showed the
best results for the desaltation process.
JPS185: The Affects of Air Pressure
Proper tire inflation is a small factor that can make a big difference when it comes to rolling resistance and ultimately,
fuel efficiency. My experiment showed changes in rolling resistance based on pressure. To test this, a car was
coasted down a small hill to a flat section with five difference tire pressures in all four tires. The distance traveled was
measured after each test. The pressure started at three pounds about recommended pressure, then reduced by three
pounds each subsequent test. Each test was repeated five times. As the air pressure decreased, the rolling
resistance increased, accepting my hypothesis.
JPS186: Cooking Up a Smart Cookie
This experiment was conducted to discover which cookie sheet was best at conducting heat. The procedures were to
preheat the oven to 350°F, place the same amount of cookie batter on one cookie sheet, place the same cookie
sheet in the oven for ten minutes, take the sheet out of the oven, examine each baked cookie for uneven baking,
repeat steps 3-6 twice for every cookie sheet and tabulate the results of uneven baking to determine which cookie
sheet conducted the heat most evenly.
JPS187: That's the Way the Ball Bounces
I did this experiment because I wanted to see if we could use different surfaces for a ping pong table. A ping-pong
ball was bounced from five feet high, we did five trials for each surface. The surfaces were glass, cement, cardboard,
towel, wood, and a ping-pong table. I predicted that the ball would bounce highest on cement, because it was the
hardest surface that I used, and opposite for towel. In the end glass bounced the highest, and I concluded the height
of the bounce also depended on the rigidity, and cement bounced the same as a ping-pong table.
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Junior – Physical Science (JPS) – 6th Grade
JPS188: How does friction affect the speed of a toy car?
The purpose of this experiment is to find out how friction affects the speed of a toy car. To conduct this experiment
I’m going to compare the speed of the toy car while racing on a track while driving over gravel, concrete and
sandpaper. The experimental results were measured by recording the time it took the toy car to cover each track.
The results of the experiment show there is an inverse relationship between amount of friction and speed of the toy
car; as friction goes up, speed goes down. The results indicate that the hypothesis should be supported by the results
because there was more friction in sandpaper and gravel than in concrete, and therefore the speed of the toy car was
slower on sandpaper and gravel than on concrete.
JPS189: Sadness- It's a Minor Thing!
The purpose of this experiment was to determine how changing a song to a minor key effects the way that people
feel about it. I hypothesized that the subjects would think that the minor key versions of songs sounded sadder. I
played six recordings to nine subjects and used a rating scale to measure their reactions to the songs. the results
supported my hypothesis; the subjects thought the minor key songs sounded sad 89% of the time. If I performed this
experiment again, I would use more subjects, more songs, and I would put more detailed questions on the survey.
JPS190: Portable Cell-Phone Microscope and What It Can Do for Society
People need ways to examine plants in the field without harming them, but how? They need an easy portable
microscope, so I am building a portable microscope for its use in farming sciences. To accomplish this, I am building
a prototype of a portable cell-phone microscope that almost everyone will have access to, because about 80 percent
of the world has cell phone coverage.
JPS191: What is the fastest way to melt ice???
I wanted to figure out what was the fastest way to melt ice. I used salt, sugar, sand, and I tried it with nothing.
JPS192: Was Bernoulli Really a Genius?
I conducted my experiment to see if different speeds would change the way Bernoulli’s Principle works. The question
I wanted to answer was if Bernoulli’s Principle is correct all the time. In my experiment, I started by using a hair dryer
on low speed, then high, and finally, blowing. I learned that Bernoulli’s Principle is always correct and different speeds
do not change the principle. My results show that velocity and pressure are always going to be opposites. Something
I can test in the future is using different hair dryers and placing them in different positions.
JPS193: Does Temperature Affect the Height That a Golf Ball Bounces?
Purpose:To determine if temperature affects the height a golf ball bounces. Hypothesis: As the temperature
increases the height a golf ball will bounce will decrease.
JPS194: Strength Testing with Wood
The purpose of my experiment was to figure out how different woods bend and break. I really like building so I
thought that knowing how strong and flexible different woods are would help to decide what wood to use. I did this by
getting three, three foot sections of four different woods then hanging weights from the wood and measuring the bend
in the wood. I concluded that the oak and the cedar where the most bendy but the oak was stronger because only the
cedar broke. The pine and the poplar did not bend as much.
JPS195: Osteosarcoma
Osteosarcoma is a common bone cancer that commonly affects tall, african american, males. I was interested in
learning more about this cancer because of how it affected a character in my favorite book. I wanted to build a model
to better understand how this cancer destroys healthy tissue. I built three models. The first model demonstrates
healthy tissues. The second model demonstrates how an osteoclast creates holes in the healthy tissue. The third
model demonstrates how the cancerous osteoblasts form a tumor in the holes created by the osteoclasts. Future
studies are planned to see what metastasizing osteosarcoma looks like.
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Junior – Physical Science (JPS) – 6th Grade
JPS196: Which antacid is most effective?:
Antacids companies are always promoting that their brand has faster acid reducer relief than the competitor. Which
antacid really reduces stomach acid the quickest? My experiment compares the effects of five liquid antacids on a
lemon/grape juice acid solution. The acid solution has a pH of 2. The goal is to produce a neutral base pH reading of
about 8. The procedure added drops of antacid to an acidic solution until it changed to a base. My hypothesis that all
liquid antacid acids will respond about the same was proven false. Phillips (Milk of Magnesia) proved significantly
better results than the other four brands. Better advertising doesn’t necessarily mean better product.
JPS197: What causes iron to rust?
My science fair project was about what substances causes iron to rust. The research question: What makes iron
rust? I want to know why my bike rusts in the rain. The key element to rust is oxygen. I did research and interviewed
an expert. In my experiment I put different solutions in 4 jars with iron. Each jar had a different result. My hypothesis
is: If iron is placed in vinegar then it will rust. My research showed that rust forms fastest with acid. My hypothesis is
correct and I understand why my bike rusts.
JPS198: Unshockable: The Invention of a Non-Shocking Plug
I am creating a solution to not be shocked by an electrical wall plug. My “paint” coating hasn't started experimentation
yet. Instead of creating a spring loaded cover it will just be covers that cover part of it and I will find how small I can
make the coating. This will be based on British covers. I am doing this experiment because I have been shocked by a
wall outlet like this many times before.
JPS199: How does appearance influence perception?
This study looked at how a person’s attire, hair color, and facial expression affect the way other people perceive them
in terms of intelligence, kindness, and courage. This is an important research experiment because research suggests
that social perceptions can be important factors in personal relationships and career success. Fifty pictures of people
were evaluated by eighteen individuals in terms of the personal qualities previously stated. The results suggest that a
person’s attire is one of the most important predictors of perceptions of intelligence and courage and facial
expression is the most important predictor of perceptions of kindness.
JPS200: How Far will the Balloon
My project tests the laws of motion.It tested two cars a wooden car and a homemade cardboard car with CD wheels.
We used balloons to make them go, and changed the tubes to blow out the air from small to large.The small tube
didn't push out enough air for the cars.The larger tube took each very far.Many factors affected how far and where it
went.The cardboard car with the big tube went the farthest.
JPS201: Different color....Different appetite?
If you’re trying to diet or some other reason not to eat as much food you may want to know what kind of color affects
your appetite the most. My experiment tells about what colors you should avoid...and what colors you should see. I
hypothesized that warm colors make you hungrier. To do this I will put people through a survey and figure out which
kinds of colors affect your appetite the most. The experimentation is still continuing.
JPS300: Light: Is it a particle or a wave?
Is light a wave or a particle? We set up two experiments to answer this: One to show how light could act like a wave,
and one to show how it could act like a particle. To show that light could act like a wave, we performed the double slit
experiment. To show how light could act like a particle, we performed a demonstration of the photoelectric effect.
Light behaves as a wave when it is interfering with itself, and as a particle in a demonstration of the photoelectric
effect.
JPS301: Charging Cell Phones with Candles
Our science project was charging cell phones with candles. We wanted to find a solution to charging your cell phone
when there is a power outage or when you can’t use an outlet. The project uses candle energy to charge a cell
phone, such as iPhone, Blackberry, Samsung Galaxy, etc. We were able to charge the iPhone 1% for at least one
text or maybe even one emergency call. The project could help at any given time. Using candles to power a cell
phone can help anyone in an emergency. The experiment for using candle energy to power a cell phone was a
success. This could be put into many projects in the future for charging other items with batteries.
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Junior – Physical Science (JPS) – 6th Grade
JPS302: Use the Force or May the Force be with you
We chose our project because we both enjoy Star Wars and building stuff. We found this project where we took jello
and saw if a marble moved at all when we swung it. We wanted to see why when they spin upside down in the movie
they stay in their ships. We will prove this by finding out more about centripetal force.
JPS303: What Melts Ice the Fastest?
The purpose of my experiment is to show what helps ice melt the faster:putting on salt, sugar, sand, or nothing. I took
4 bowls and pot 3 ice cubes in each of them, then I added 1/2 tsp of the substance. After half the ice in one of the
bowls was half melted I measured the melt water in each bowl, and recorded my measurements in a table. I found
that the salt had worked the best then the sugar and the sand and nothing bowls melted the slowest.
JPS304: LD-50
The commonly used term to describe acute ingestion toxicity is LD50. LD means Lethal Dose (deadly amount) and
the subscript 50 means that the dose was acutely lethal to 50% of the plants/animals to whom the chemical was
administered under controlled laboratory conditions. The test plants/animals are given specific amounts of the
chemical in either one oral dose or by a single injection and are then observed for 14 days. In this experiment we will
determine the LD50 of mung beans and salt.
JPS305: The Mountain Climber
We did this science fair project to help engineers' of today with cost and energy efficient modes of transportation, and
we are interested in engineering and Legos. We first built our EV3. Then we made our stand for our robot to go
across. We then programmed it to go across a string that is 5 feet off the ground. Then we programmed it to go 2 1/2
feet off the ground. Our hypothesis is that gravity will not affect the EV3. We hope that our hypothesis is right.
JPS306: Common Insulators
Thermal insulation is the act of preserving an amount of heat in an object. Thermal insulation is important for many
reasons. Using common materials for this is helpful because you can easily get them and they are cheaper than
normal insulators. They’re also easier to get in larger quantities, and they aren’t dangerous chemicals like there are in
some industrial grade insulators. The materials used were aluminum foil, construction paper, plastic wrap, ice, bubble
wrap, a towel, and a control. We discovered that for cold water a fabric towel was the best, and for hot water ice was
the best.
JPS307: We're off to Oz
We decided to do this project because of our interest in meteorology. We wanted to figure out how big tornadoes get.
For this project we started by boiling the water. Then, we will turn on the hot pan. We will do one tornado with a fan
and the other without the fan. Then, we will add the dry ice into the water. The dry ice and water will make
evaporation.
JPS308: Science of the Swing
Have you ever hit a baseball with a bat and your hands really sting? The purpose of our project was to find out if
where you hit the bat with the ball affected the vibration. To do this we made a contraption that had three poles for
bats with different lengths and rubber bands that held up the bat and still let it vibrate. We had three spots on the bat
and we hit each spot three times. Our data did not support our hypothesis, which was as you get closer to the sweetspot there will be a higher frequency
JPS309: Mentos and Diet Coke Reaction
We will be doing a lab about diet coke and mentos reaction. We always wondered which type of mento went the
highest, either mint or fruit mentos. Our prediction is that the fruit mentos will go higher because when we saw
someone do it and we wanted to know which one goes higher. The fruit seemed to go higher, but we want it to be
official that our prediction is right. We think fruit mentos ingredients will have a better reaction with the diet coke. This
lab is still in process.
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Junior – Physical Science (JPS) – 6th Grade
JPS310: Rebound the Laws of Galileo
We dropped balls to see how high they bounce.The drop sight was a deck .The height of the drop was 3.54
meters.The drop surface was grass. First, we dropped was a pumpkin. The weight of the pumpkin was 4540 grams. It
didn’t bounce back up. Next, was a volleyball , weighing 250 grams it rebounded 0.95 meters. Next,was the
basketball and it weighed 500 grams and rebounded 1.55 meters. Next was the tennis ball. It weighed 25 grams and
rebounded 0.98 meters .Finally, was the soccer ball. It rebounded 1.80 meters. It weighed 400 grams.
JPS311: Elastics, How Far Can They Go?
Our project was to try and say which brand was the best of all the brands.This will effect society because now if
parents want to buy their kids some rainbow loom bands they can see which brand is the best to go with. If we test
the Regular Rainbow Loom Brand and the knock-off brands, then the regular brand will have better elasticity. The
microwaved bands will have the best elasticity.We tested the bands by putting them on the loom and stretching them
to the longest peg that they can go to before they break. We found out that the wonder loom bands were the ones
with the best elasticity. Our project was very successful because we found out the best brand to use for bracelets and
other jewelry. We definitely would have started with a metal hook instead of the plastic hook. When we started with a
plastic hook it broke after the sixth band so we had Arden’s dad make a metal hook, and that worked a lot better, but
it hurt your hand after a while.
JPS312: Remote Control Car Traction
Our experiment is about trying to see what terrains make it hard for Remote controlled cars to drive. We test the
speed of the car on these different surfaces. We are seeing how fast the car goes in three meters. The car is a Traxs
Rustler. The terrains are snow, grass, ice, concrete, sand, and asphalt. This experiment is still in progress.
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Junior – Life Science (JLS) – 6th Grade
Junior – Life Science (JLS) – 6th Grade
JLS100: Similarities within Genomic variants
From 1000 genomes project dataset, I downloaded the genomic variant information for chromosome 22 of 10 people
from two ethnic groups - Srilankan Tamils in the UK (STU), and Bengalis in Bangladesh (BEN). I compared their
variants using formulas in Microsoft Excel. My reason for conducting this project is to understand the similarities and
differences in genes of people in similar ethnic groups. My initial results show that the two ethnic groups STU and
BEN are very similar. I am continuing this analysis by comparing two distinct ethnic groups.
JLS101: What Color Will Absorb The Most Heat ?
My topic is which colors absorb the most heat. I chose this topic because I was going to paint my room black, but
then I thought my room might be really hot. I wondered which colors will have the most heat. That is why I chose this
project. My hypothesis is if I test different colored objects, then the black objects will be the ones that absorb the most
energy and will be the hottest. For this experiment, I heated up metal plates and took the temperature for 5 minutes to
see which colors was the hottest. The results of my experiment were that the black objects were the hottest and the
white objects were the coolest. I learned that if your room is black and your sister’s room is white, then your room will
be hotter. This is because the color black absorbs the most heat and white absorbs the least. Knowing this is
important because people can make a good choice about room color and the amount of heat that they want. If they
want a hotter room, they should paint the room black. If they want a cooler room, they should paint the room white.
JLS102: Is Yawning Contagious?
The purpose of my experiment was to answer the question is yawning contagious or just a result of being bored or
hot. I tested different ages of students, and read two books, while yawning as they were read. I tallied the total of
students who yawned in response. I found that it didn’t seem to be contagious, although younger students did yawn
more, but a previous test done with lions showed opposite results. My results gave me ideas of how to make the
experiment more accurate with future testing, such as experimenting at the same time of day.
JLS103: Which Breed of Chicken Produces Eggs Containing the Least Amount of
Cholesterol?
Purpose: Determine which breed of Gallus gallus domesticus produces eggs with the least amount cholesterol?
Hypothesis: The amount of cholesterol in the eggs produced by the different breeds of chickens will occur in the
following order: 1.Australorp-Most, 2.Rhode Island Red, 3.Speckled Sussex-Least, Commercial Eggs-(-Control),
Eggland’s Best 0 cholesterol Eggs(+Control)
JLS104: Do Different Types of Music, Pop, Country, and Classical Affect Concentration.
The purpose of this experiment is to see if music will help you concentrate better. to conduct this experiment I will be
asking participants to read a paragraph with 3 types of music and no music to help concentration. The experiment
results were measured by the amount of answers correct. The results of the experiment were that the participants
with no music answers the most correct answers. The results indicate that the hypothesis should be partially
accepted because no music made a slight difference in correct answers.
JLS105: Too Much Greenhouse Gas Emissions... Drive Less
Please visit student's exhibit for the abstract.
JLS106: Does Antibiotic Cream Work?
Whenever I get a cut, I put antibiotic cream on it. Antibiotic cream stops infection, but when I go to the store, there are
so many different brands. I want to know which one works the best. My project is about how much bacteria different
antibiotic creams killed. To do this, I grew a harmless bacteria called E. coli in a petri dish. Then, I put my different
antibiotics on the bacteria. My different creams were Neosporin, Polysporin, Bacitracin, and Triple Antibiotic Cream
(CVS). Neosporin and Triple Antibiotic worked the best. Polysporin and Bacitracin failed to kill E. coli.
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Junior – Life Science (JLS) – 6th Grade
JLS107: Does Name Influence Personality?
For a science, I did “Does Name Influence Personality”. This project shows if uncommon names have a different
personality than common names. 40 adults took a test to see their personality. I put all of the information and data
into a graph. The data shows that name does actually impact on personality. I was really happy to do this project and
it was really fun to do. If I had to extend the project I would want to do children since I did adults last time.
JLS108: Are Beans' Growth Affected By Magnets
I chose this experiment topic when I was scrolling threw ideas and saw this project that talked about putting a magnet
in the middle of a pot with eight bean plants. The purpose is to see how tall the bean plant would grow with a magnet.
I altered the experiment by building a structure above three pots and placed a magnet above the planted beans. I
measured the bean plant’s growth in centimeters. My hypothesis was the navy bean plants with a magnet 12 cm
above would grow taller than a navy bean in a pot without a magnet. The method of my project included obtaining my
materials and placing two ten centimeter long wood poles on each side of the pots. After placing the poles, I taped a
magnet above three of the pots. After the plant structure was built, I planted the navy beans, 2 cm below the dirt. I
then planned a schedule to water both planted navy beans every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with 100 ml of
water. I measured the navy beans’ growth every day and recorded the growth in my log book. The results of my
project concluded the plant with the magnet placed overhead grew taller than the plant without the magnet. What I
learned from my project was that just a simple magnet can change the growth of a plant. I also learned another new
method to grow a plant more efficiently.
JLS109: Does Using Mnemonics Really Work?
The purpose of my experiment is to see if mnemonics helps the human brain remember words easier. To conduct
this experiment I will test the first graders to see how many words my subjects remember. The experiment results
were measured on how many words my subjects remember. The results indicate that the hypothesis should be
rejected because there were no significant difference between the two groups. My hypothesis stated that if a human
uses mnemonics to help memorize the animal kingdoms then the mnemonics will help them learn the animal
kingdoms faster than not using mnemonics. My experiment proved my hypothesis was incorrect.
JLS110: Say Nay to Tooth Decay
My project consist of white vinegar, coke, and water. You also need 3 glasses and 2 1/2 eggshells. I tested this
experiment for one week. If you want to try this experiment, then I recommend making observations and taking
photos of the changes each day. At the end of the experiment, I found out that my hypothesis was right. I guessed
that the coke would have the biggest effect because it contains a lot of sugar, which stains teeth. My sister inspired
me to do this experiment, because she has cavities and I wanted to learn more about it.
JLS111: Comparison of Pianists and Non-Pianists Typing Ability
How people learn is still being explored. I thought that someone being a pianist might enable them to achieve higher
typing scores than a non-pianist. I executed my experiment by having two pianists and two non-pianists take identical
beginner, intermediate, and advanced typing tests on typing.com. My hypothesis was neither proven nor disproven, in
that one pianist had the fastest typing scores, however, a non-pianist had the second fastest typing scores. It made
me wonder if a typing test could predict your ability to play the piano.
JLS112: Interventions that affect sleep
Sleep is very important, I wanted to find a way to get more sleep at night. I asked some people who wear FitBits to
change their daily schedule. I wanted to know if skipping caffeine all day, exercising, or eating earlier or later makes a
difference in the quality and quantity of their sleep. I thought that skipping caffeine all day will help you get to sleep as
soon as your head hits the pillow. I believe this because you will be tired when you get home from school or work and
be able to go right to sleep.
JLS113: The truth behind the five second rule
Ever wonder how many times people drop food on the floor, pick it up, and eat it, thinking it was safe? I decided to
test whether the five second rule would really prohibit bacterial growth. I tested the rule by dropping food items for five
seconds and then swabbing them for bacteria. The bacteria were incubated on petri dishes with an agar medium. I
observed the petri dishes to see how much the bacteria grew. By observing and comparing, I discovered the truth
behind the five second rule.
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Junior – Life Science (JLS) – 6th Grade
JLS114: Do Colors Change Your Heart Rate
Have you ever wondered what to wear or what color would changes your emotion or heart rate. Well, my project tests
how your heart rate changes when you look at color. It influences the society in the ways such as what color you want
to paint a newborn’s room or what color to wear when working out. If they look at six different colors, than orange will
increase the heart rate the most because in my research it says that orange is the color that you should wear when
working out because it intends to make your heart rate increase and feel more enthusiastic. I did this experiment by
taking one person at a time, in a quiet room, with a timer, six science goggles with colors attached, and a data sheet.
I first took a color let them look at it for one minute then let their heart rate rest for a minute and record the data. I will
then do this for each color. The experiment is ongoing and the results will be available at the competition.
JLS115: What is the Effect of Pollutants on Aquatic Plants?
Do pollutants affect the growth of plants? Does acidic water affect the growth of plants? In My experiments I will
compare plants watered with normal water to plants watered with a dilute acidic solution. My dependent variables will
be plant height and leaf color. Experiments are underway.
JLS116: What type of light do plants grow best in?
I am just wondering what would happen to plants if they are grown in different types of light. My experiment would
have four groups of plants growing in each of their own containers. I would have four lamps project a different type of
light on each plant and keep track of them for a month. I’ll take pictures each week and take notes. This project still
needs to be started.
JLS117: Do the Contents of a List affect How you Remember it?
The experiment was to see if interest affected how you remembered a list. Ten basketball players, age 11-12, were
given 90 seconds to study a list of ten basketball related terms. Then they were given three minutes to write down
how many they remembered. The same procedure was used with a list of household items. The hypothesis was that
the volunteers would do better with the list of interest, but it turns out they only did better by .7%. The average of the
interest list was 8.7% and the non-interest one 8%.
JLS118: What stains your teeth
The purpose of this project was to see if certain drinks stained your teeth.What you have to do is get hollowed eggs
and put them in a container with a liquid of your choice Then let it sit for 15 minutes.Then you check on the eggs and
see if it changed at all take pictures and see if they changed at all.
JLS119: Got Mozart
The purpose of my project is to help people focus for a longer period of time. I hope this project will help children
become better students and be more productive with their time. My data shows that neuroscience based music
helped the participants most. My data also shows that people were able to complete their assignment faster while
listening to classical music. When the participants weren’t listening to any music their scores were worse in both
categories. My project will help students all over the world find a more productive and longer way to study.
JLS120: Does aspirin help plants grow?
Aspirin will affect plants growth.
JLS121: Along Came a Spider
The purpose of this project is to test store-bought and homemade spider repellants to determine if they repel spiders.
Three spider repellants will be tested on groups of 15 spiders, using water as a control. The homemade repellant will
repel the spiders the most because it is made of natural substances. Brand A will repel the second best, followed by
Brand B, then water. Individual sponges will be soaked with the repellants and put in plastic containers. Spiders will
be added to the containers and observed to see if they move toward or away from the sponges. The data gathered
will determine if the repellants affected the spider's behavior.
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Junior – Life Science (JLS) – 6th Grade
JLS122: Boom Goes the Skittle!
The purpose of my experiment was to show how stomach acid and ph are related to each other, and also how they
can react to different types of substances that are either exposed to the acid or not exposed by being covered in
different types of substances, pastes and spreads. I also wanted everyone to understand how the stomach works and
what happens when you digest different types of acidic candies that are either exposed or unexposed. I hope my
project is successful and accurate. Thank You!
JLS123: The Creek Journey
We went to Squaw Run Creek to investigate the wildlife habitat. To have a true understanding of a water ecosystem,
it is necessary to study the animals whose habitat is in a small creek and the health of the water of the small creek.
From understanding a small habitat like the small creek, we can appreciate the importance of its impact on a larger
one.
JLS124: Dance It Off!
The data showed that all of the average heartrates for each dance were about the same, no matter how many steps
there were. Since the heartrates were about the same, the amount of calories burned were also about the same. This
is because even though Jazz and Acro have less steps than Hip-Hop, they use other moves that require greater
physical exertion and therefore increase heartrate and calorie burn.
JLS125: Cricket Weather
Please visit student’s exhibit for abstract.
JLS126: Who's The Buggiest of Them All?
The project had two goals. The first was to determine which part of the body had the most grow able bacteria. The
second was to determine if my brother (who bathes less often than me) had more grow able bacteria than me on the
different parts of the body. We tested the forehead, nostril, belly button, and toes. Toes had the most bacteria
between the both of us. My brother had more bacteria than me at four body sites. Thus, I conclude my brother has
more bacteria than me!
JLS127: Telltale Liar
I am going to try to see the possibility to detect a lie. My hypothesis is that it would be highly difficult to tell the
difference between lying and tell the truth based on body language and heart rate.I will have students answer
questions asking them to answer some truthfully and some they are to lie. I will mark whether I think they are telling
the truth or lying based on body language and heart rate. I will then ask them which ones they lied on and compare it
to my choices of truth or lie. I was unable to see external signs of lying.
JLS128: Is It What You Think or What You Feel?
It is important to understand if our perceptions of things around us are based on preconceived notions or sensory
input. This information will help us choose better teaching methods and help advertisers. My hypothesis is that adults
rely more on preconceived notions, while children rely on sensory input, and there are no differences between girls
and boys. To test this, I blindfolded participants, had them feel several objects, and then they ranked them from
softest to roughest. They then read a list of objects and ranked those. The experiments are ongoing.
JLS129: Does the Color of Light Affect the Germination, Growth and Dry Biomass of
Plants?
Purpose: Determine effect of different colors of light on germination, growth, and dry biomass of plants. Conclusion:
Available at fair
JLS130: Bread Molds
I was very interested in bread Mold and how long it takes for bread Mold to grow on different kinds of bread. I had five
kinds of bread: there was fresh wheat and fresh white and organic white also non organic white and wonder
bread.The wonder bread had no Mold at all. The fresh wheat grew mold the fastest and then organic white than fresh
white than non organic white and last, but not least wonder bread.My conclusion is that the fresh wheat grew mold
the fastest.
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Junior – Life Science (JLS) – 6th Grade
JLS131: Clean Electronic Screen
I wanted to find out what cleaner works best for my iPad screen. I swabbed each corner of my iPad screen and then
cultured the swabs to see if my iPad screen can make me sick.
JLS132: How Does My Garden Grow?
The purpose of my experiment is to determine what type of soil affects the growth rate of plants. My hypothesis was
correct as I stated that the potting soil would yield the greatest number of plants. Potting soil also was the most
balanced of the soils. Local soil yielded the second greatest number of plants as it was not teh most balanced but
was closest in balance to the potting soil. Although sand germinated many plants, these samples will die as the root
system is exposed and the sand is not a balanced soil with all necessary nutrients. Gravel germinated the fewest
plants and these samples were the smallest of all the plants grown.
JLS133: Squaw Run Creek
We aim to assess the “health” of Squaw Run Creek by measuring the pH and dissolved oxygen and determine the
presence of species that would require a healthy environment. We will collect, study, document and release common
species. Water will be tested for pH and dissolved oxygen.
JLS134: Increasing Your Heart Rate.
My project is about increasing heart rate. So, I took 5 participants, and made them complete 3 minutes of each 3
exercises. The first exercise was walking, so what I did, was make the participants walk for 1 minute then take a 1
minute break. And I then, made them walk for another minute, then take another 1 minute break. And for the 3rd
minute, I made them walk for another minute, then take another 1 minute break. And during this whole project, I
recorded their resting heart rate, to see if over the minutes if it would increase.
JLS135: I'm NOT Molding It
The purpose of my experiment was to find out what type of bread molds first out of wheat, white, rye, and cinnamon. I
predicted that the white bread would mold first. The white bread did mold first, however, mold never appeared on any
other bread. Of all the trials, only one white bread produced mold. The bread was placed in sealed plastic bags in my
room. The lack of data in this experiment may show that there is a high amount of preservatives in store brand
breads.
JLS136: Visualize or Practice
The purpose of my project is to determine if a football player would be able to throw the ball better if they practiced by
imaging themselves throwing the ball. I became interested because I like football and I imagine myself throwing the
ball into the wide receiver’s hands and it always works.The information gained would be helpful because it shows if
you use your brain to imagine something, it has a great possibilities of happening. My hypothesis is if I use different
techniques to practice throwing a ball, such as visualization, actual practice, or no practice, then a person will be able
to throw the ball different distances. I think if a person practices throwing an actual football for an hour every other
day, their passing distance will increase by at least 60 %. If someone imagines throwing the ball an hour every other
day, it will help them throw 10 yards farther. If a person does not practice at all, I think that their distance will not
change. I will test this by having volunteers throw a ball as far as they can at the start of my project. I will then have
one person practice, one person visualize and another do nothing. I will have them throw the ball again at the end of
my project and see which person's distance improved the most.
JLS137: Do Vitamins Help Plants Grow?
People in developing countries are always struggling with hunger. Many people have little to no food to eat. I chose
Vitamin D because it has a positive impact on human growth, so I wondered whether or not it would enhance plant
growth. I got four different types of plants. I watered half of the plants with normal tap water, and the other half with
water containing vitamin D. In conclusion, vitamin D did not have a positive impact on plant growth.
JLS138: Water You Drinking
The purpose of the experiment its to find out if salt water can be changed into fresh water using common everyday
materials. To conduct this experiment I will be using solar energy to evaporate salt water making fresh water. The
experimental results will be measured by how much salt is left behind from when the salt water was evaporated.
PRSEF Student Abstracts
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Junior – Life Science (JLS) – 6th Grade
JLS139: Effect of Turmeric Upon Plant Growth
Plant products have been used throughout history for medicinal purposes. Curcumin, or turmeric, has been used for
thousands of years as a spice, but, recently, there has been a lot of information about its medicinal benefits. In India,
turmeric has been used in Ayurvedic medicine to improve energy, digestion, and arthritis symptoms. In China, it has
been used to treat different types of abdominal pain. Modern medicine has shown that the benefit of turmeric may be
because of its antioxidant properties. Antioxidants have been found to be helpful in term of health. Tumeric may also
prevent inflammation. In animal studies, turmeric may help to prevent different types of cancer, and most of these
benefits are due to the antioxidant properties of this spice. Plant growth is also affected by oxidative stress. There are
studies that show that Vitamin C can help plants grow and this may be because of its antioxidative properties. The
effect of turmeric itself upon the growth of other plants does not appear to have ever been studied. Accordingly, this
study aims to evaluate the whether turmeric added to soil can help plants grow.
JLS140: Putting Color To The Test
Today, people are trying to make improvements in their lives. This experiment will show on which color paper a
student should take a test to get the quickest speed and for the highest accuracy. This experiment tested the colors
blue, green, yellow, red, and white on a math test. Five subjects took each of the tests. The white test scores showed
the fastest time to complete and most accurate answers. I predicted that the white paper would show moderate
scores in both categories, the blue test would be the most accurate, and the red test would show the fastest
completion time.
JLS141: Does Insulin Dissolve in the Human Stomach?
The purpose of this experiment is to see how insulin dissolves in a proteases and blood solutions. To conduct this
experiment I will put gelatin in a proteases and blood solutions and see how long the gelatin or insulin will take to
dissolve thoroughly in both of the solutions. The experimental results were measured the time the insulin will take to
dissolve thoroughly.
JLS142: You Beta Not Mess With A Beta
The purpose of the experiment is to see what colors beta fish are most aggressive toward. To conduct this
experiment I will be placing three different colors of salamanders in a tank to see what colors the beta fish is most
aggressive to. The experimental results were measured by the aggressiveness to the color, by the spreading of the
beta fish's fins. The results of the experiment were that the beta fish was most aggressive toward the blue and green
salamander. The results indicate that the hypothesis should be rejected because the beta fish was most aggressive
toward the blue and green salamander, and my hypothesis states that the beta fish would be most aggressive toward
the purple salamander showing that my hypothesis is incorrect.
JLS143: What you View is What you DO
I chose to do this project because I thought viewing videos could regulate therapy. In my project I tested to see if
different types of videos had an impact on the brain. I showed four participants an intense and soothing video, and
then had them pump up a balloon to see if it popped or not. I learned that intense videos will make a person more
energetic or “aggressive”, and a soothing video will make a person calmer. In the future, with this experiment, I want
to try testing a variety of different ages and types of people.
JLS144: Exercise Your Heart
For my project, I tested heart rate and how or if it will change after exercising. I had testers do different exercises
such as,thirty push-ups, one hundred jumping jacks, two sprints, and fifty sit-ups. Before they exercised, I checked
their heart rate to see how many times it beat in a minute. They all had different heart rates. The testers were all
around the same height, weight, and age. Some of the exercises they did nearly doubled their heart rate per minute.
Exercise does affect your heart rate.
JLS145: Food Preservation with Lemon Juice
I was reading in one of the National Geographic magazines on how some countries don't have access a fresh fruits
because they don't have a way to preserve it. So I took four type of fruits and veggies (Cucumbers, Pears, Grapes,
Tomatoes) and applied lemon juice in various ways. I Painted, Dipped and Sprayed the juice on the variables to
determine which worked best.My results turned out that the Control was first, Diluted spray was second.
PRSEF Student Abstracts
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Junior – Life Science (JLS) – 6th Grade
JLS146: Does Music Affect Plant Growth
Please visit student’s exhibit for abstract.
JLS147: Mold in the Spotlight
Purpose: How does different colored light affect the growth of mold on bread? Hypothesis: I think that if I put the
bread under the blue light then the mold will grow the fastest because it is the darkest. Procedure: I will put the
different colored light bulbs into the socket. Then, I will place the slices of bread into Ziploc bags. Next, I will put the
bread under the different colored lights. After that, I will record the data on the amount of mold growing on the bread
everyday. Finally, after I finish the experiment I will throw away the slices in the trash. Conclusion: This experiment
was successful. It was successful because I found out many things that I did not know before. My hypothesis was
incorrect, because I thought that the blue light would cause the mold grow the fastest. It turns out the black light grew
the mold the fastest. I thought that the blue would be the fastest because I read that the black kills mold.
JLS148: Does Practice Make Perfect?
The purpose of this experiment is to see if practice makes perfect. To conduct this experiment I will compare
practicing shooting basketball mental practice or no practice at all leads to better shooting. The experiment results
would measure if hands on practice mental practice or no practice at all leads to better shooting. The results show
that practicing shouting basketball leads to better accuracy shooting basketball. the results indicate that the
hypothesis should be true,because when the participants practice shooting basketball they made more baskets.
JLS149: Does the Color of Light Affect How Rapidly a Cat Runs a Maze?
Please visit student's exhibit for the abstract.
JLS150: Hair Color and Perceived IQ
My experiment for the science fair is "Does Hair Color Affect Perception of Intelligence?" I used photoshopped
images of identical women with different hair colors and showed them to participants. The participant answered
questions relating to the perceived intelligence of the women in the photographs. My data showed that brown hair is
perceived to be more intelligent than others, with black next, red after that and blonde last. In conclusion, I found that
stereotypes favor darker-haired people and our society today has significant stereotypes against blondes and
redheads.
JLS151: Candy pH
Acidity is a common ingredient that is found in foods all over the world. My experiment provides us with knowledge
about how acidic some of the candies we eat are. Using a candy thermometer, I melted three types of candy
(Swedish Fish, Hershey’s, and Sour Patch Kids) three times, one time with water, then adding salt, and then adding
sugar. After each mixture melted, I used pH paper to see how the substance would rank on the pH scale. After
comparing all my tests, the Swedish Fish was the most acidic, proving my hypothesis of Sour Patch Kids wrong.
JLS152: Are You Really What You Eat
If you look at the news today you will see that obesity rates have gone up. This experiment compares different groups
of mice in controlled circumstances being fed different diets. I wanted to find out if weight gain varied depending on
the type of diet. For seven days I weighed the mice daily and fed them different diets. At the end of seven days the
mice whose diet was sugar weighed the least and the group eating the balanced diet weighed the most.
JLS153: Let It Grow
The purpose of my experiment was to determine if the amount of light will affect the growing of hydroponic plants.
Everybody can use the hydroponic way of growing plants and can go on a vacation without having to care about the
plants. It can help to all people especially farmers people who are always going somewhere on vacation. My
hypothesis was right and proved that the amount of light affects the growing of hydroponic plants. I found that every
living thing needs sunlight.
PRSEF Student Abstracts
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Junior – Life Science (JLS) – 6th Grade
JLS154: The Effect of Pesticide on Plants
There are some arguments about whether or not to use pesticide. I wanted to see if even household pesticides can
affect plants and if they do affect them, maybe the government should place stricter laws on the chemicals that go
into pesticides. My data showed that the growth slowed down for those plants which had been sprayed with pesticide.
This proves that some household pesticides are harmful to plants and may be gardeners should consider using less
pesticides.
JLS155: Binding Without Eggs
Egg allergies are common in infants and young children. My experiment provides parents with alternatives to eggs
when baking brownies. I needed to find out what replacers work chemically the same as eggs. To do that, I baked
different batches replacing eggs with yogurt, applesauce, and bananas; baking a batch with eggs as my control. Then
I conducted a blind taste test to see which replacers worked best for binding. From the results, I found out that yogurt
and bananas worked well but applesauce fell apart. My hypothesis, there are alternatives for eggs when baking
brownies, was correct.
JLS156: Understanding Lactose Intolerance
Dairy products contain the sugar molecule lactose, and the majority of people on the planet slowly begin to lose the
ability to digest lactose at the age of two. What is the activity of lactose, and the enzyme responsible for the ability to
digest lactose? My hypothesis is that lactose is some kind of chemical that is found in milk. I want to know why the
enzyme responsible for digesting lactose starts to lose its ability, and (if possible) how to prevent it from happening.
JLS157: Effect of Health Products on Pothos
The purpose of the experiment was to determine whether there are benefits from human health products on the
growth and health of Pothos plants. I took 6 pots of Pothos polants and added different health products to each;
coffee grinds, protein powder, green tea, water, and aspirin. The results of my experiment confirmed that the Aspirin
had the best effect on plant growth, but not on plant health. The plant with the Aspirin grew the most (5 cm), while the
protein powder plant grew 4 cm, the green tea plant grew 4 cm, the water only plant grew 1cm, and both the coffee
plant and the plant spike plant did not grow. However, the Aspirin plant had browning leaves at the end of the
experiment, as did the plant spike plant, while the other plants had no browning.
JLS300: A Dog's Sense of Smell
The purpose of this experiment was to test a dog’s sense of smell. We hypothesized that a German Shepherd would
find the food faster than a Poodle. We tested this by making a small course with two ends out of boxes with towels on
the concrete. At the end of the course we laid one piece of a hot dog in an exit. When we boiled our hot dogs we
made sure to save some juice to sprinkle on the towels, then put some perfume over the smell. By the end of our
experiments we proved our hypothesis to be correct.
JLS301: Planarian Regeneration
Our question is “How fast do planarians regenerate depending on what they eat.”
We chose this because we really wanted to learn more about planaria’s life, how they might be affected by what they
eat, and if they could possibly help human kind in the future. We are still in progress with the examination so no
results are available yet.
JLS302: Visit to Squaw Run Creek
We went to Squaw Run Creek to investigate the overall health of the creek. This means that the creek must have non
polluted water and air, life, no non- natural chemicals, and the correct amount of oxygen. Our Hypothesis says how
we looked for salamanders, crayfish, water striders, and frogs. The temperature, and dissolved oxygen was tested in
the creek also. The searching we in the creek did is important because we could find the life at the creek. The
research we did at school helped us learn more about the creek life that could be in Squaw Run Creek.
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Junior – Life Science (JLS) – 6th Grade
JLS303: Don't Got Water? How other Liquids affect plant growth
Have you ever wondered if plants actually need water or do they just need to be wet to grow? This project
investigated other kinds of liquids to see if plants can grow with liquids other than water. Five containers of green
bean seeds were each given equal amounts of water, milk, Gatorade, orange juice, and coca cola over a fifteen day
period. The green beans were measured by height and number of leaves produced every three days. By know the
types of liquids can help plants grow, we can have alternate sources for plants to grow when water is scarce.
JLS304: Our Creek Project
Our hypothesis for this project was that Glade Run Creek is clean and a good habitat for salamanders, snakes,
crayfish and stoneflies. We predicted that the pH would be between five and eight and the dissolved oxygen will be
around 10 mg/L.
JLS305: Caffeine Consuming Plants
Caffeine Consuming Plants required many steps. First, we bought or gathered what we needed. We planted the
grass into the three pots. We waited two weeks and started to see sprouts of grass out of all the plants. At that point
we gave one plant a cup of caffeine powder, one a cup of dissolved caffeine tablets, and the last a cup of plain water.
The last was the control. We continued this for five weeks. The plant that was being fed caffeine powder grew thirteen
inches, the plant being fed caffeine tablets grew twelve inches, and the plant being fed water grew ten inches.
JLS306: The A-maze-ing Guinea Pigs
What matters more, experience or instinct? This experiment was about just that. Two adult guinea pigs (the
experience) and two baby guinea pigs (the instinct) were timed in different mazes. They were also tested in
conditions of daylight and darkness. The run times in seconds were recorded on a sheet to see who was faster. The
babies did better in the dark and the adults did better in the light.
JLS307: What type of food do Darkling Beetles like to eat most?
The project that we are doing is what type of food out do darkling beetles eat of hard carrots, American cheese,
strawberries, Romaine lettuce, and Gala apples. We did this because some scientists may be curious of what food
the beetles like to eat. Put all the foods in one behavior trey and record every how much they ate every six hours.The
experiment is still going on.
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Junior – Consumer Science (JCS) – 6th Grade
Junior – Consumer Science (JCS) – 6th Grade
JCS100: Which Is Stronger?
The purpose of my experiment is to find out which thread is the strongest because I like to sew and would like that
the things I sew are sturdy. In my experiment, I will use many different types of thread such as cotton. I will soak them
in different solutions such as bleach. I will attach a weight to the thread and see at what point the thread will break. I
will compare my results with a control group and average them. The results of my experiment will be available on
competition day.
JCS101: Water Quality Compared to Water Price
Have you ever wondered which locations have the safest and cheapest water? My project investigated three
separate city’s drinking waters and one sample of well water. My water samples are from Cincinnati, Boston, Belfast,
and Pittsburgh. I tested for chlorine, pH, alkalinity, copper, nitrites and nitrates and saw if any went outside of the
recommended limits. The results concluded that Cincinnati’s water exceeded the recommended limit. It had 9.33 for
pH levels and 180 ppm for alkalinity levels. Overall, Cincinnati had the cheapest water, followed by Belfast,
Pittsburgh, and Boston.
JCS102: Hiding Vitamins
Some people don’t like taking their vitamins for any reason. Some don’t like their taste while others don’t like them.
My science fair project is on seeing which common drink dissolves vitamins the quickest. My drinks were Apple Juice,
Orange Juice, Lemonade, Water, Sprite, Diet Pepsi, and Ginger Ale. I put a vitamin in a clear bottle that had the
drinks in them and started the timer. I did this three time with each drink. After I got my data I averaged the times out.
The drinks dissolved the vitamins fast but the fastest drink was Lemonade and Water came second.
JCS103: Do all liquids evaporate at the same rate?
I think the different substances will evaporate at different rates.
JCS104: Ice Cream Meltdown
Over the years, American foods have become unhealthier with added ingredients and preservatives. My experiment
compared the melting time of four different ice creams. I wanted to find out which of the ice creams melted the
fastest. I equated melting fastest to being the healthiest. My procedure involved melting four different ice cream
brands to see which one would become a liquid first. In conclusion, the Friendly brand ice cream, which had the most
preservative, melted the fastest in a speed of 55 min proving my hypothesis incorrect.
JCS105: Cat Food Brands
I was curious about what are cats favorite cat food brands. So I choose three well known dry cat food brands, Grain
Free, Science Diet, and Instinct. I put twenty-five pellets of each cat food brand in three bowls that look the same. I
tested each cat five times and I used three cats. Overall the cats liked Grain Free the best. I think that why the cats
liked Grain Free the best is because it doesn't have any grains and cats are meat eaters.
JCS106: What's the Goop?
I conducted this experiment because many people suffer from dry skin. I wanted to find out which skin moisturizers
work best to resolve dry skin. Using the skin model, Jell-O gelatin , in twenty Petri dishes, I filled eighteen with nine
different moisturizers. I weighed and measured them for fifteen days assuming that by the end, the moisturizers
loosing the least amount would be the best. I learned that Occlusive Agents worked best, then Emollients, then
Humectants. My results show that the Occlusive Agent, Vaseline, worked best. In a future experiment, I would like to
find out what moisturizers consumers with dry skin would prefer.
JCS107: The Pasta Puzzle
The purpose was to see if you could use 50% less water than the box says to use. With the test I needed four quarts
of water. (8 pints of water.) It took eight minutes to boil and seven minutes to cook. The texture was a mushy texture.
The second test it took four minutes to boil and seven minutes to boil. The texture felt the same. The conclusion was
you can and you are saving water and energy. So you should use less water next time you cook pasta.
PRSEF Student Abstracts
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Junior – Consumer Science (JCS) – 6th Grade
JCS108: Fantastic Fertilizer For Your Future Food!
Please visit student's exhibit for the abstract.
JCS109: Do More Expensive Brands of Antibacterial Soap Inhibit Bacteria Better Than
Less Expensive Brands?
Purpose: Determine which liquid hand soap inhibits bacteria the best for the lowest cost. Hypothesis: As the price of
the soap increases, its ability to inhibit bacteria will increase. Conclusion: Available@fair.
JCS110: Processed vs Raw Sugar, The Race for the Queen's Largest Crystal Jewel.
Raw sugar and processed sugar were used to create solutions to be used in creating sugar candy. A wetted wooden
stick with raw sugar stuck to it was placed in the raw sugar solution, and another wetted wooden stich with processed
sugar stuck to it was placed in the processed sugar solution. The sticks were left in the solution for 24 hours. After 24
hours a crust formed on the surface that I broke with another stick. The sugar sticks were then left another 2 days.
Both sticks formed sugar crystals on them. The raw sugar formed larger crystals than the processed sugar.
JCS111: Is it out yet?
I would like to see less pollution on Earth so I decided to see which battery was the most efficient. I took two different
brands of batteries to see which one would last longer. I listed Energizer and Duracell. I put brand new batteries into
brand new flashlights. I sat there for that hour and observed the lights, waiting for one to stop working. I think that the
Energizer batteries will last longer than the Duracell.
JCS112: Which Brand of Deicer is More Environmentaly Friendly to Plants?
The purpose is to determine which eco-friendly deicer has the least negative effect on plants. Landscaping is often
ruined due to deicers and, it is important to find a solution to this problem. The procedure involves setting up growing
apparatus. Next, splitting plants and placing in pots and observing daily. Then, following the protocol, on day 1 week
2, different concentrations of salt solutions made from advertised deicing agents are added to plant samples over six
weeks. Changes in the plants are recorded using camera and observational chart. Final results will be available at
exhibit on Science Fair Day.
JCS113: Powerful Fruit
I am interested in electricity and batteries.I chose to make a fruit battery and my hypothesis was that more acidic fruit
would create more power than the less acidic fruit.Eight fruits were chosen according to their acidity level measured
with a multi meter. My results were not what I expected.The less acidic fruit had a higher reading. This may have
been due to the freshness of the fruit. I would like to test vegetables like potatoes next, since they are more plenti ful
in the world and may be looked at as an alternitive energy source in the world
JCS114: Battle of the Brands
The purpose of this experiment is to see which brand of eye-shadow is long lasting and easier to get off.To conduct
this experiment I am going to place a given amount of eye-shadow onto a latex-free makeup sponge and observe
which one is long lasting. I will then test the eye-shadow for it's three trials by removing it, swiping it with a make-up
remover cleansing cloth.The experimental results were measured to see which eye-shadow was easier to get off and
more long lasting. The result of this experiment state that Wet'n Wild is easier to remove and more long lasting than
L'Oréal. The results indicate that my hypothesis should be rejected because I thought L'Oréal would be easier to
remove and more long lasting than Wet'n Wild.
JCS115: Orange You Going to Get Your Vitamin C?
Please visit student's exhibit for the abstract.
PRSEF Student Abstracts
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Junior – Consumer Science (JCS) – 6th Grade
JCS116: Stain, Stain Go Away
The purpose of this project is to determine if OxiClean is the best product to use to remove clay stains from baseball
pants. Three household stain removers and one homemade one were applied to clay stained squares cut from white
polyester baseball pants. After the squares were washed, they were observed to determine the amount of stain that
was removed from each. Fels Naptha, not OxiClean proved to be the best stain remover. My results mean that my
hypothesis was proven wrong. Future experimentation would include using grass stains and additional stain
removers.
JCS117: Battery Power
Batteries power many things and people want batteries that are cost effective. Five different batteries were tested
Energizer, Duracell, Panasonic, Rayovac, and Interstate. I predicted that the Energizer battery would be the most
cost effective. The batteries were put in flashlights and recorded when each went out. I repeated this two more
times. After all three trials were done, the data was calculated with the price to see the price per hour. The data did
not support my hypothesis and the Rayovac battery was the most cost effective.
JCS118: Wrapping Up Evaporation
The purpose of this experiment is to find out which plastic wrap, Glad Press’n Seal® or Glad Cling Wrap®, is least
permeable to water vapor. After adding 100mL of water to nine graduated cylinders, I covered three with Glad
Press’n Seal, three with Cling Wrap, and left three uncovered. In three weeks, I recorded the daily rate of change in
the water levels of each cylinder. Press’n Seal® lost the least amount of water at an average of only 0.33mL per
week. Cling Wrap lost an average of 1.67mL, and no wrap lost an average of 21.56mL per week.
JCS119: Do Different Types of Chocolates Melt at Different Rates?
The purpose of this experiment is to see if different brands of chocolate melt at different rates. To conduct this
experiment I’m going to melt three different types of chocolate: milk, dark, and white to see which melts the fastest.
The experiment results measured by the melting rate of the chocolate. The result of the experiment is that the dark
chocolate melted the fastest which is an agreement with my hypothesis. The result indicate that the hypothesis
should be accepted because the dark chocolate melted the fastest.
JCS120: Which Paint is the Most Duralbe
The purpose of my project was to find the most durable Sherwin William's paint out of the three: Emerald, ProMar
200,or Property Solution. My hypothesis was that Emerald paint would be the best because it is a higher grade of
paint and most painters recommended it. I tested the three paints by painting them on drywall, and added crayon,
marker, mustard, and ketchup to each paint. I let them sit for a month to set. I cleaned it with water, sponge, and
scouring sponge. The results indicated that my hypothesis that Emerald paint would is the most durable was correct.
JCS121: Commercial Degerent vs Homemade
Some people say making their own detergent works as well as the store brands. I wanted to put it to the test against
commercial brands to see if it really is as effective at cleaning and removing stains. I used new white socks and
stained them. I added water at 104 degrees to a Mason jar and 1 tsp. detergent. The sock was added and closed and
shook 30 times, I let it sit for 30 minutes in the solution. The socks were rinsed and hung dry. In every test the
commercial brand was better at cleaning than the homemade.
JCS122: Pretzels Like Auntie Anne's
My project was how to brown pretzels most like the ones you buy at Auntie Anne's. Usually recipes for pretzels use
egg or baking soda, but old recipes use lye. Baking soda and lye are both basic which is supposed to cause more
browning. I made pretzels, treated the pretzels with egg, baking soda, baking soda that had been baked to make it
more basic, or lye and determined the browning after they were baked. Lye and baked baking soda were the most
basic and browned the best.
JCS123: Does hair gel, hair spray, or hair mousse increase the flammability of hair?
Products will increase flammability.
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Junior – Consumer Science (JCS) – 6th Grade
JCS300: It's Not All Trash Talk!
The purpose of our project was to see if Point Breeze, as a community, is aware of the dirty dozen rule, which is the
rule that states the twelve contaminants which are never to be recycled. We asked thirty five questions to forty six
people. Eight of the questions were about broad categories of recyclables and non recyclables. The rest of the
questions were about specific contaminants and recyclables which we grouped the results. The people who were
more aware of the recycling rules were female, older than thirty years of age, and with high school to bachelor's
degree education.
JCS301: Trashbag Durability
Breaking trash bags is a very frustrating and common occurrence. We are very interested in trying to solve that
problem. We will find out the answer by running tests and dropping weights into the bags until they break. In this
experiment we will find the strongest trash bag brand. The brands we are using are Glad, Up & Up, Hefty, and Good
Sense. Six trials will be conducted.The experiment still in session.
JCS302: Fat Content vs. Melting Rate
The purpose of this project was to see if the amount of fat in homemade ice cream would affect the melting rate. We
made four batches of vanilla ice cream with different amounts of fat and we timed how long it took for them to melt.
Our hypothesis was that the ice cream with more fat would melt faster. However, after our experiment we concluded
that batch two, the ice cream with less fat, melted quicker than the others. This would be the best batch to use if you
wanted to sell ice cream at an outdoor shop.
JCS303: Do you need help? Here's a helping hand
Scientists are always trying to improve prosthetic hands. Our experiment corresponds to that theory. We are
experimenting what kinds of straws can make a better hand. We will use store-bought straws and straws from a local
fast-food restaurant. We will be take the straws using string, clay, and thread to make a hand that can grasp items
around the house. We will see what kind of straw can hold on to different items for longer periods of time.
Experimentation is continuing.
JCS304: Hand Sanitizer Effectiveness
What sanitizers work best? We hypothesized ones with alcohol would work best. For this experiment, we had one
homemade sanitizer, two ethyl alcohol sanitizers, and one benzalkonium chloride sanitizer. The homemade sanitizer
consisted of tea tree oil, liquid castile soap, and water. We put the sanitizers on spacebars of different computers,
swabbed them, and rubbed it onto petri dishes. After seven days we counted the amount of squares that had bacteria
in them(on a 10x10 grid) and concluded, that the sanitizer with ethyl 70% is best, but the homemade sanitizer is good
if you use it every four days.
PRSEF Student Abstracts
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