Chris Maine made his own snowmaker for the science fair at Herkimer County Community College Saturday.
What did he learn?
“I figured out snowmaking is not as easy as it looks,” said Maine, who is a 8th grader at Mohawk Valley Christian Academy in Little Falls.
And organizers couldn’t be happier with his revelation.
George Smith, a Chemistry professor at HCCC, said the goal of the fair, which is in its fourth year, is to teach the realities of science.
“We want to get students excited about science,” he said, “not just learning material but experiencing it.”
But Prevalere Life Sciences, a Utica based bio-medical company, also provided prize money to give a little added incentive for scientific inspiration.
Focusing on critical thinking skills and use of the scientific method of hypothesis, testing and conclusion, judges handed out $1,000 in total to six top three finishers in both junior and senior high schools categories.
Winners in the junior high school category:
First place ($200) went to Andrew Perkins, of Mohawk Valley Christian Academy, for his heat transfer experiment.
Second place ($175) went to Chris Maine, of Mohawk Valley Christian Academy, for his snowmaker experiment.
Third place ($125) was claimed by Dominique Pizzo-Palumbo, of Herkimer, for a biomass breakdown experiment.
Winners in the senior high school category:
First place ($200) for Daniel Watson, of Mohawk Valley Christian Academy, for his robotics experiment.
Second Place ($175) to Susan Smith, of Mohawk Valley Christian Academy, for her temp seeker experiment.
Third place ($125) to Jacob Caitlin, oh Herkimer BOCES, for a mass and projectile experiment.
As shown by a lot of the winners, a major trend among aspiring scientists is to focus on the trendy “green” technology, Smith said.
Donna Fulmer, a 7th-grade science teacher at Herkimer school district, said she brought three students to compete. All three also happened to be part of what Fulmer called a newly-formed “green team.”
The group of 7th graders at Herkimer decided they wanted to get proactive in making sure proper recycling technique was practiced throughout their school, Fulmer said. The nearly 20 students have been collecting over 100 pounds of recyclable material a day at the school since, she added.
The experience led students to the science fair and even resulted in one student, Pizzo-Palumbo, taking home third for a recycling-focused biomass breakdown experiment.
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Chris Maine made his own snowmaker for the science fair at Herkimer County Community College Saturday.
What did he learn?
“I figured out snowmaking is not as easy as it looks,” said Maine, who is a 8th grader at Mohawk Valley Christian Academy in Little Falls.
And organizers couldn’t be happier with his revelation.
George Smith, a Chemistry professor at HCCC, said the goal of the fair, which is in its fourth year, is to teach the realities of science.
“We want to get students excited about science,” he said, “not just learning material but experiencing it.”
But Prevalere Life Sciences, a Utica based bio-medical company, also provided prize money to give a little added incentive for scientific inspiration.
Focusing on critical thinking skills and use of the scientific method of hypothesis, testing and conclusion, judges handed out $1,000 in total to six top three finishers in both junior and senior high schools categories.
Winners in the junior high school category:
First place ($200) went to Andrew Perkins, of Mohawk Valley Christian Academy, for his heat transfer experiment.
Second place ($175) went to Chris Maine, of Mohawk Valley Christian Academy, for his snowmaker experiment.
Third place ($125) was claimed by Dominique Pizzo-Palumbo, of Herkimer, for a biomass breakdown experiment.
Winners in the senior high school category:
First place ($200) for Daniel Watson, of Mohawk Valley Christian Academy, for his robotics experiment.
Second Place ($175) to Susan Smith, of Mohawk Valley Christian Academy, for her temp seeker experiment.
Third place ($125) to Jacob Caitlin, oh Herkimer BOCES, for a mass and projectile experiment.
As shown by a lot of the winners, a major trend among aspiring scientists is to focus on the trendy “green” technology, Smith said.
Donna Fulmer, a 7th-grade science teacher at Herkimer school district, said she brought three students to compete. All three also happened to be part of what Fulmer called a newly-formed “green team.”
The group of 7th graders at Herkimer decided they wanted to get proactive in making sure proper recycling technique was practiced throughout their school, Fulmer said. The nearly 20 students have been collecting over 100 pounds of recyclable material a day at the school since, she added.
The experience led students to the science fair and even resulted in one student, Pizzo-Palumbo, taking home third for a recycling-focused biomass breakdown experiment.
