Science and history let students shine

This Alex Heeb kid knows his stuff.

For those who missed the story, Alex Heeb, a student from Chaffee, Mo., has won the 52nd annual Southeast Missouri Regional Science Fair all three years he has presented in the senior high division.

Armed with an air monitor, he discovered that dangerous levels of particle matter are put into the air when farmers burn fields, up to 40 times over acceptable levels near the fields.

Heeb, a homeschooled junior, seems to take science seriously, which is an uplifting thought considering young people are sometimes erroneously stereotyped as interested in other activities instead of viewing the world from a scientific vantage point.

The science fair had hundreds of entries, all displaying a healthy curiosity in the world around us.

Meanwhile, the annual History Day for high school students was hampered somewhat by the weather, but many students put a great deal time and effort into those projects as well.

Both the science fair and history day were held at Southeast Missouri State University Congratulations to all the participants. Keep up the good work.