The Peterborough Regional Science Fair returned to Trent University Wednesday, with 375 students showcasing 254 science projects.
“Projects tend to be experiments,” said Chief Judge Brian Patrick. “But every once in awhile you have a student who designs something, some innovation, some engineering.”
That’s exactly what East Northumberland Secondary School students Brendan Pennington and Sam Dibbits did, creating a cellphone case which harnessed solar energy.
“It’s a phone case with a circuit on the back side, so it can take the energy from the sun, put it into the battery, and put it into the phone, so basically you can charge on the go, wherever you are,” Pennington said.
Children’s Montessori School student Sameen Shaikh took a look at how to improve on a bathroom staple – the bath bomb.
“There’s some people that want their fizz to last long, and stay calm,” she explained. “But sometimes they want it to be intense and more fizzy.”
Others focused on projects that were a little more fun.
Aspley Central Public School students Karrigan Bird and Jerryline Patterson researched “elephant’s toothpaste.”
“It’s a foamy chemical reaction that spills out everywhere,” said Patterson.
Queen Mary Public School students Margot Wilson and Madeline Hill turned disciplinary action into a science experiment.
“We made slime because we love making slime, and it got banned from our class,” Wilson said.
Hill was quick to point out that they weren’t looking for just any type of slime.
“What we’re looking for in slime is the three S’s,” she said. “Solidness, stretchy-ness and stickiness.”
Other projects challenged perception.
“I was very curious to see if colour is a big influence on your brain and food,” said Julianna Wilson.
The Grade 6 Brighton Public School student used food colouring to turn vanilla yogurt different colours. Her classmates were encouraged to try each one to see if there was a difference in taste.
Reid Merrin studied the effects of road salt on plant life. The Queen Mary student said his results made him question the need for the substance on local streets.
“It really made us think about what we’re putting in the environment, for reasons that might not be necessary,” Merrin said.
Grade 5 St. Paul’s students Nathan Crossley and Cameron Stoeckle focused on hydraulics. For them, experimenting was the best part of the project.
“We tried a cardboard one, didn’t really work out,” Crossley said.
The winners of the science fair will represent the region at the Canada Wide Science Fair in Ottawa in May.
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