Clatskanie PUD
Science Fair Fun
General Manager Marc Farmer helps judge local
Science Fair sponsored by Clatskanie PUD
By Sarah Rossi
What do exploding volcanoes, swimming Peeps, and
tornadoes all have in common? They were all on
display at the third annual Clatskanie Science Fair.
Proud parents and talented young scientists filled
the elementary school gym with excitement and
anticipation on the evening of April 10, 2014. Sixty
students from kindergarten through high school
seniors competed for prizes and a first place blue
ribbon. This was the first year that the middle and
high school students were able to participate at a
competitive level, the other years they just displayed
projects and helped with the elementary grades
competition.
Clatskanie PUD was proud to help sponsor
the science fair that was hosted by the Parents
Supporting Education Association of Clatskanie
Elementary School. “It was an honor to help provide
an opportunity for the next generation of scientists
to show off their hard work,” said Clatskanie PUD
General Manager, Marc Farmer. Marc served as one
of the judges along with: Mr. James Byrne- CMHS
Science teacher, Mr. Tim Kay- CMHS Science
teacher, Mr. Jordan Slavish- CMHS Math teacher,
Mr. Lloyd Hartley- Clatskanie School District
Superintendent, and Ms. Liana Harden- Faculty
Research Assistant, Oregon State University, GROW
Healthy Kids & Communities.
The room was filled with corrugated cardboard
display boards showing the details of the experiments. From magic sand to aerospace prototypes,
the same basic process was followed by each student no matter what the subject of their experiment. They started by asking a question and doing
the research on the topic to develop an informed
hypothesis. The student then developed a procedure,
identified the variables, gathered data and drew a
conclusion based on their results. The final step was
to display their findings and make a presentation to
the judges describing not only what their process
and findings were, but answer the judges questions
about what they learned from it.
Students eagerly awaited the judges’ arrival at
their display, so they could present their project.
Each student gave their presentation in front of a
team of two judges who scored the projects not only
on design and methodology, but on the interview
that was conducted with the student. “The diversity and quality of the projects was impressive; the
Judges evaluate and score the projects.
Photos by Sarah Rossi
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The winners of the 2014
Clatskanie Science Fair:
High School Division:
1) Brooke Hamilton & Henry Hunt- Subliminal Messages
2) Cassi White- Effects of Water Filtration on Different Populations of Fish
3) Brandon Haines- Color Changing Milk
Best Model/ Demo- no entrants
Middle School Division:
1) Kees Tjaarda: Preservation in Ice
2) Macy Simmons- Is 17 the Most Random Number?
3) Brian Points- Invasive Species
Best Model/ Demonstration : Eliza Laney- Volcanic Eruption
Elementary School Division:
1) Kade Tjaarda- Which Household Cleaner is Most Effective
Against Germs?
2) Jack Boothe- Basketball Bounce
3) Lilly Boothe- What’s Boiling?
Best Model/Demonstration: Grace Tallman- Cellphone Microscope
Marc Farmer presents the first place blue ribbon to
Brooke Hamilton and Henry Hunt.
Photo by Kristopher Larson
students gave insightful answers to our questions showing
their enthusiasm for their experiment,” stated Marc.
Parents and community members were also impressed
with the quality of this year’s projects. One of the most
popular experiments of the evening was the “Watermelon
vs Rubber Bands”. Set up in a small kid’s pool to contain the
mess, rubber bands were added one at a time to the middle
of a small watermelon to see how much it could take before
it was smashed by the pressure. Students and parents congregated around the pool to watch the progress, as they kept
their distance just in case the watermelon exploded all over.
The little watermelon held its own and stood up to the rubber
bands, after more than an hour and over 300 rubber bands it
still had not been smashed. Don’t worry though for those of
you who enjoy a gooey mess at your science fair, there was no
shortage of fluids oozing out of volcanoes and the other various liquid reactions that bubbled up and out into containers.
A highlight of the fair for many in attendance was the
“Science Guy” presentation by Mr. DJ Crawford. With foaming fluid reactions flowing out of beakers to the dry ice bubbles dropping down out of a tube, the students were enthusiastically participating in science fun! Educators hope that
the experience at the science fair will help students grasp how
scientists and engineers approach problems and that perhaps
they will consider a career in the field. It is never too early to
start planning your project for next year. We hope to see you
at the Science Fair in 2015. n
Left: Mr. DJ Crawford gave an entertaining and interactive science presentation. Right: Judges ask questions and score projects.
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