More than 150 students from the 13 schools in the West Suburban Consortium for Academic Excellence participated Feb. 20 in the Chicago Zoological Society’s annual science fair at Brookfield Zoo’s Discovery Center.
Students presented their projects to three judges in a series of conversations. The judges were Chicago Zoological Society staff members as well as employees from some Chicago-area companies, including BP America, the event’s presenting sponsor.
Projects were judged on their connection to the inquiry learning process or their ability to solve a real-world problem.
Additional judging criteria was based on how a project connected to the real world and a student’s overall understanding of how science and engineering processes are achieved.
“Our goal is to get kids excited about science,” said Angela M. Sullivan, vice president of education and community engagement programs for the Chicago Zoological Society. “I’m excited about the engineering piece that’s been added.”
While all projects were judged, Sullivan said the science fair isn’t a competitive environment, and all participants got feedback from judges.
Superintendent Victor Simon of Gower Elementary District 62, which originally partnered with the zoo to create the science fair, said the event is a great opportunity for participating students to have an opportunity outside of the normal school day.
“It showcases some of their talents and interest in science, and highlights collaboration,” he said.
Esha Patel, an eighth-grader at Gower Middle School in Burr Ridge, has participated in the science fair since she was in fifth grade.
“It’s a good chance for people who love science to come together,” she said. “I like sharing my knowledge of science with others and presenting something new each year.”
Esha’s project this year was a look into whether organic fruit or non-organic fruit lasts longer. Her conclusion was that it depends on the type of fruit.
Joyce Wang, a seventh-grader at Clarendon Hills Middle School, did her project on anthotype, a process used to create images using photosensitive material from plants.
“I chose this because it was a way to connect with nature” Joyce said, adding that she is interested in returning next year to participate in the science fair.
“It’s interesting to see the different people with different ideas for their projects,” she said.
Fifth-graders Sophie McCarthy and Samantha Austin from Laidlaw Elementary School in Western Springs, both said they enjoyed being part of the science fair. Their project was “The Power of Color,” which took a look at how different colors affect concentration. They found orange to most affect concentration and blue to least affect it.
“I always liked science and math, and this was a nice experiment to have,” Samantha said.
Eighth-graders Campbell Jones and Amal Arora from Butler Junior High in Oak Brook aimed to discover which generation uses cellphones the most.
More Top Picks Best Lighted Magnifying Glasses For Hobbies
They found that teens use their phones an average of 4.76 hours each day, and those in Generation X, generally born between 1965 and 1980, use their phones 2.43 hours each day.
“We decided to do our project on this because we wondered why parents always yell that we spend too much time on our phones,” Campbell said. “I’ve started trying to put time limits on how much I use my phone.”
First-place winners in the science fair included fifth-graders Leo Obloy and Carter Yates from Highlands Middle School in La Grange Highlands Elementary District 106 for their project, “In the Battle for Clean Water – Powdered Charcoal vs. Granulated Charcoal – who would win?”
In the sixth-grade category, there was a first-place tie between Rohan Nagale and Delilah Pawlowski, both from McClure Junior High in Western Springs.
Rohan’s project was “iPhone Radiation: What’s Your Solution?” and Delilah’s was “Unbe-leaf-ablyhappy.”
For grades 7-8, there was a first-place tie between Joyce Wang of Clarendon Hills Middle School and the team of Rian Mendi and Akshay Naik from Butler Junior High, whose project was “Pollution Planters.”