In early February, seven students from Wallace Middle School competed in the Region VIII ESC Science and Invention Fair. The Fair was moved to a virtual format due to the inclement weather. Students set up their displays and were recorded giving their presentations which were then submitted for judging. Five Wallace students were awarded medals for their projects.

In the 5th grade Behavior/Biological category, Mahir Estrada earned a 1st place medal for his project “Bladder Control” which sought to find out what drink caused a person to visit the restroom more frequently. His hypothesis that drinks with a higher sodium content would cause a greater frequency was found to be correct.

In the 5th grade Chemical/Physical category, Piper Hearron placed 5th with her project “Phenomenal Growth” which investigated what pH level is best for plant growth. Her hypothesis that liquids with a pH level closer to 7, like that of water, was the best was correct and she concluded that fancy, expensive plant solutions weren’t necessary.

In the 6th grade Chemical/Physical category, Maria R. Castillo de la Torre placed 1st with her project “Burning Love” which asked what material was best for an apron when cooking with heat. Her hypothesis that a natural material would be best was partially correct. She concluded that a natural material like denim was best as it had the largest area left unburned, however it ignited faster than the synthetic materials she used.

In the 6th grade Behavior/Biological category, Ian Crockett earned a 3rd place medal for his project “Freezing Brains” which explored which drinks would give a person “brain freeze” the fastest and if temperature had any affect. His hypothesis that slushy

drinks would cause the feeling faster was incorrect. He found that plain water caused the feeling more quickly because a person will consume it faster.

Also in the 6th grade Chemical/Physical division, Titus Byrd placed 6th with his project “The Incredible Floating Egg” which questioned whether fresh or salt water caused items to float better. His hypothesis that five tablespoons of salt would cause an egg to float was partially correct but he learned that flotation happens with very little salt in the water.

Additional Wallace participants included fifth-graders Jeremiah Campbell and Maddox Osornio. Campbell’s project, “Living Off the Land”, asked what outdoor natural insulator would keep food warm when a person was camping. He discovered that gravel packed around a container oatmeal kept the food warm the best. Osornio, being left-handed, examined whether his left or right hand was the strongest in his project “Get a Grip”. He discovered that some people’s non-dominant hands are actually stronger at things like opening difficult jars.

Students conducted their research and created their displays on their own time. Their projects could be Behavior/Biological which would include the study of plants, molds, fungus, bacteria, or human and/or animal responses to the environment, or Chemical/Physical which would study the physical and chemical changes in matter. Wallace Science Fair participants were advised by Olga de la Torre Guzman.

Photo:

Front row (L to R) Ian Crockett and Piper Hearron

Back row (L to R) Titus Byrd, Maria R. Castillo de la Torre, and Mahir Estrada