Instead of relaxing over the summer vacation, around 70 middle and high school students spent the last several weeks preparing and displaying projects to compete in the Math and Science STEM Summer Research Academy Tuesday at St. Croix Educational Complex High School.
All students were invited to participate — some volunteered and others were recommended by teachers and parents. Joann Lewis, science coordinator, told the Source. She and Jaynae Williams came up with the projects for the students to investigate using the scientific process: question, research, hypothesis, experiment, date analysis, conclusion and communication. They assigned students according to their interests.
There were more than a dozen projects and each student was responsible for describing the process and their group’s results. Depending on their interests, the number of participants in each group varied.
Charles Walter, grade 7, and Jordan Nandlal, grade 5, explored the “Engineering Design Process” and, as a result, built a working robot with a motion sensor and, unfortunately, another robot that didn’t work.
“I like building stuff. This was fun for me,” Nandlal said.
The Cut Sew Save group worked with used clothing, first measuring it and then recycling the items into new garments. The goal was to waste as little fabric as possible. They constructed some of the clothing they were wearing — decorated jeans and shirts and sewed designs using scraps.
“We did waste a bit, but it was better than 100%, Fawziya Aderahumme, grade 9, said.
Other groups studied and tested financial literacy, made a balloon-powered car, studied waves and one couple made an anemometer to measure wind.
Individual students created displays to demonstrate their future goals. One created, with clay, a tongue with taste buds indicating the various tastes. A student who wants to be an anesthetist created the molecules of the drugs to sedate patients, and another who wants to be a cosmetologist talked about the uses of coconut oil.
Tuesday was the final day of the competition. Winning projects will receive cash prizes.
St. Croix Source
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