Huntsville Forester
NORTH BAY – Did you know keyboards have more germs than toilet handles? Or that one day you might be getting directions from a GPS in your shoe? From a water rocket and stem cell research to dancing propane flames and the ever-popular homemade volcano, 150 budding young scientists gathered for the North Bay Regional Science Fair earlier this month at the Elks Club.
Students from West Parry Sound were at the fair.
“We’re very excited about the 50th anniversary...,” said Science Fair Chair Mike Pearsall. “A lot of people have gone on from winning the science fair in the early years, and they’ve come back to be engineers and doctors in the city. This is something we really need to be proud of, is its history and the impact we’ve had. Every year, there’s projects that amaze me…there’s always a volcano project, and this year we’ve got three volcano projects, but they’ve changed every year.”
Environmental focus
This year, there is also a noticeable focus on the environment and technology, with students making most of new technology like iPads and homemade digital videos.
“I remember doing the science fair back when I was 10, and you had to say, ‘Mom, can you drive me to the library,’ look up an encyclopedia, and stuff wasn’t the most current. It was good, but it wasn’t current,” said Pearsall. “Now, these students can look on the internet and see what’s current in research, as of today. This is the first year we have students actually asking to have an internet connection as part of their display, which normally we don’t go through, so things are changing. They’re having the latest and greatest information every year…we’ve got iPads…they’re using that technology to make the most of it.”
Emma Sayers, 13, from William Beatty School in Parry Sound was at the science fair with her project “Germs in our School.”
“Our teacher was talking about germs one day, and where germs are found, and me and my partner decided to compare germs…We thought we would find the most [germs] on toilet handles, but we actually found the most on keyboards.”
Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the science fair continues to encourage young people to pursue their interests in science, engineering, math and technology.