Vibe Spring2025 - Flipbook - Page 16
but with an environmental twist. We came up with a project that was
different from last year, but was still important research to conduct.
We decided to take samples of the water in our homes, schools,
and communities to find out if our water quality was up to EPA
standards. We sterilized seven mason jars using a pressure canner and
distilled water. We took samples of our different water sources and
tested them with 18-in-1 test strips. We hypothesized that because
bottled water has to be approved by the FDA and the FFDCA, the
drinking standards should be higher, and the water will be cleaner
than the school and tap water.
We found that the Jackson Grammar School water fountains were
actually the cleanest, proving our hypothesis wrong. The contamination
levels were relatively similar across all of our samples, they tested below
EPA-recommended limits in all areas, except for nitrite, sulfate, and
fluoride levels. We were pleased to have no real concerns in our water.
Ray Gilmore: 7th grade, JBES
Students and families then gathered to hear from the
STEM Expo’s keynote speaker, Kennett High School alum
Colin Foord, who is the co-founder of the marine biological art duo Coral Morphologic, located in Miami, Florida.
Students heard about Colin’s work in developing the
world’s first multimedia coral aquaculture studio and were
treated to a look at his live-streaming Coral City Camera.
The awards ceremony was the highlight
of the day, honoring the following winners:
KATIE LARACY
“Clean Energy, How Easy can it be?”
When coming up with my project for the 2025 Stem Expo, my mind
went straight to fossil fuels, and why people will constantly choose
them over clean energy for convenience. I thought about how kinetic
energy can be found all over the earth, but my mind instantly went to
the energy found in water. Approximately 71% of the earth is covered
with moving water like oceans and rivers. Using the movement found
in this water to create an electric current with a magnetic field would
provide clean energy that does not strip away any of the Earth’s
natural resources or pollute the atmosphere.
For my project, I built multiple prototypes that use the process of
electromagnetic induction to show energy being created using an analog galvanometer. Sure enough, energy was created, which led me to
think, ‘How can I make this process simpler?’ With my prototype, using
wire for energy transportation, my mind fell to making this process
wireless. My next step in this experiment is to wirelessly transport the
energy from my prototype. I am not yet sure how to execute this next
step; it’s possible that a laser could be used to effortlessly transport
the energy from point A to point B with no wires required. Science is
complicated, but I want to make clean energy as simple as it can be.
It was so cool to be able to see all the different projects at this
year’s STEM Expo, and to be able to share my project with people in
the community. I love how the Expo is able to bring so many people
with a love for science together in one building, whether they are the
students or the judges. It was very interesting hearing about other
people’s projects, and what led them to come up with those topics.
All in all, I think that the STEM Expo was a very fun day, and I can’t wait
to be back next year!
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In the Elementary School category, first place went to
Nelly Lamneck, 4th grade at Mountainside Intermediate
School for her project, “Does a Broken Reed Change
the Pitch?” Second place was awarded to Hazel Dufilho,
5th grade at Jackson Grammar School for her project,
“Sourest Candy,” and Vivian Klein, 5th grade at Jackson
Grammar School earned third place with her project,
“Rise of the Cookies.”
In the Middle School category, Addy Jaus, 7th grade at
Josiah Bartlett Elementary School, took the top prize for
her project, “Trashing Soil Pollution.” In second place were
Skyler Boris and Emmett O’Brian, 7th graders at Josiah
Bartlett Elementary School, with their project, “Comparing
Different Bounce Heights on Different Surfaces,” while Levi
Roberts and Brighton Oliver, 6th graders at Josiah Bartlett
Elementary School, secured third place with their project,
“Powerful Paper.”
In the High School category, Ayten Soylemez, 11th grade
at Fryeburg Academy, won first place for her project,
“Language of Movement.” Second place was claimed by
Tomona Arai, 10th grade at Fryeburg Academy, with her
project, “Effect of Transporter Mutation and Potassium on
Radiocesium Distribution in Arabidopsis Thaliana from the
Fukushima Nuclear Explosion Accident,” and third place
went to Nia Lajoie, 10th grade at Kennett High School, for
her project, “The Effects of Nicotine Products on the Gut
Microbiome.”
Mount Washington Observatory Emerging Scientist
awards went to Max Morrow, 6th grade at Jackson Grammar School, for his project, “Bolts and Wire,” and to Emily
Fields, 9th-grade at Kennett High School, for her project,
“Hot Topic: The Greenhouse Effect.”
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