Two Stratton students heading to national science fair

Ken Johnston
Editor

Two of the three young scientists going on to the National Science Fair Competition at Saskatoon, Sask, in May, are students of Sturgeon Creek Alternative Program (SCAP) in Stratton.
Rachel McBride and Heidi Friesen, both in grade 8, placed 2nd and 3rd, behind Jordan Hatch of Dryden in the Sunset Country Regional Science Fair held April 13, 2002 at Crossroads School in Devlin.
McBride sought out to discover whether material with more or less spandex would last better as a swimsuit in chlorinated water. She discovered that suits with a higher content of spandex and a lower content of nylon were weaker. To reach this conclusion she soaked the suits for 48 hours in a highly concentrated water solution. “The bleach was 3,000 parts per million in the water. In a pool it is 3 parts per million.” Then she dried them and cut them into strips that were 1 cm wide and cut a small hole in each of them. They were then hooked onto a Newton scale and pulled until they broke. The highest tolerance was 55 newtons and it was from the suit with the least amount of spandex.
Friesen’s experiment involved bicycle safety helmets. “I wanted to see if the the shape and ventilation design of a helmet would affect the cooling of a head in a breeze.”
Using a streamlined helmet and a round one, Friesen first thought the streamlined one would allow the head to cool the fastest because of where the ventilation holes were located on it. Putting a water balloon filled with water at 37°C she placed the helmeted balloon in a wind-tunnel. To from page one
her surprise the rounded helmet allowed the balloon to cool faster. “The air moves faster over a rounded helmet creating a lower pressure over it’s surface and hot air can then escape faster.”
Friesen did not think her experiment would land her, this her second trip, to the nationals in as many years, but she and McBride are both excited about the trip. Friesen received honourable mention at the national’s last year in Kingston.
Other results from the regionals are:
Jr. Division
Applied
1st James Robertson, Balmertown
2nd Jared McQuaker SCAP, Stratton-Protecting your hearing
3rd Kelsey Quibell, Riverview, Rainy River-Good Vibrations
Physical
1st Adam Boone, Dryden
2nd Katey Montague, Dryden
3rd Kathleen Elgie, Balmertown
Life
1st Nicole Sharpe, Riverview, Rainy River-Wash Your Hands
2nd Timo Brielmann, SCAP, Stratton-To Chop
3rd Kyle Pace, Red Lake-Extracting DNA
Intermediate Division
Applied
1st Jordan Hatch, Dryden
2nd Jay Neilson, Sturgeon Creek, Barwick-Junkyard Generator
3rd Brendon Robinson, Dryden
Physical
1st Rachel McBride, SCAP, Stratton-Singing the Bleach Blues
2nd Heidi Friesen, SCAP, Stratton-Cool Heads
3rd Kyle Perrott, Walker, Fort Frances-Which Wood?
Life
1st Kelly Smart and Michelin Mazurski, Dryden
2nd Karla Extence, Red Lake
3rd Melissa Daigle and Caroline Perron, Red Lake
Phyzer Award
Jordan Hatch, Dryden
A.E.C.L. Award
Josh Semeniuk, Dryden
Scientific American Subscription
Michelin Mazurski and Kelly Smart, Dryden
Jamie Kaun-Alberton
Matt McQuaker-Barwick
Nicole Winstanley-Dryden
Optics Award/Bursary
Meridith Ivall-Atikokan
Computer Award
Jay Neilson-Barwick