Two freshmen take top science fair honors

Taylor Janota smeared ketchup, grease and coffee on T-shirts in the name of science.

The stained shirts sat stacked on a table at the Show Me Center on Tuesday as she waited to get her science fair project approved.

"I'm just nervous about the wait, I guess," she said after setting up her project. Janota, a seventh-grade student at Cape Christian School, tested the effectiveness of different stain removers for her science fair project.

"I went over my notebook a few times to get ready," she said.

During the 54th annual event, 413 students from 29 schools competed. Students set up their projects in the morning and later returned for judging.

Logan Ressel, a freshman at Saxony Lutheran High School, and Austin Pierce, a freshman at South Pemiscot High School, took top honors at the competition. They will advance to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in San Jose, Calif., in May. Zach Raines, an eighth-grade student at St. Vincent de Paul School, will attend the competition as an observer for having the top eighth-grade project.

The awards were announced at an evening ceremony. Tuesday afternoon, 75 judges descended upon the floor of the center to interview students about their projects.

"I heard that sometimes they can really question you," said Rachel Gruenwald, a freshman at Saxony Lutheran High School.

Gruenwald tested her hypothesis that foods with higher pH levels conduct more electricity. She conducted the experiment with a volt meter on difference produce like lemons, cucumbers and carrots. In the end she was wrong.

"It's OK, that's what science is," she said.

Cliff Lankheit, a judge and science teacher at St. Joseph School in Scott City, said showing a clear and precise procedure is important.

Students are generally nervous, he said, but once they feel at ease, they sometimes cannot stop talking about their project.

"Don't use any highfalutin words because that just makes them more nervous," he said.

For his students, the science fair process, from idea to finish, takes months. Students come up with an idea, then a plan and, after some revisions, start their work. The process lasts from around Thanksgiving until February, he said.

The projects give students a chance to explore science on their own.

"You can't learn everything from a book," he said.

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Video: Jason Lindsey of Hooked on Science reports

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