Student scientists along with their proud parents and teachers filled the Murray Educational Center on January 29 to hear the winners of the Douglas County Science and Engineering Fair. Awards for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place and Honorable Mention were given out along with special awards and “Best in Show” for middle and high school.
“Do you ever worry about how to minimize cell phone radiation? Or wonder how cockroaches react to caffeine?” asks Casey Bethel, STEM coordinator for the Douglas County School System (DCSS). “DCSS students have the answers. It was inspiring to watch young, budding scientists and engineers from our schools as they impressed the judges with their talents, problem solving abilities and knack for experimentation."
Layla Watson won “Best in Show” for middle school, and Nirvana Durbal won the top honor for high school. Both students received a trophy, laptop from Google, and a cash award from Hightower Family Funeral Homes. Their science teachers received a cash award as well. Layla’s teacher is Rita Ferrara, and Nirvana’s is Robert Bennett.
Layla is an 8th Grader at Mason Creek Middle School. Her project, “Greasy Hair Don’t Care,” demonstrates which popular shampoos are best for hair and includes “shampoo-do’s and shampoo-don’ts,” as she calls them. The inspiration for her project came while watching television. “A
commercial appeared about body wash,” explains Layla. “The experimenter put the leading brand and their brand of body wash on sunflowers. The leading brand's flower decayed faster. Suddenly, wheels began to turn in my head. I thought, ‘Hey I can do that,’ but I decided to test popular shampoos instead of body wash!”
Nirvana is a senior at Douglas County High School. Her winning project is “The Effects of Polystyrene on Marine Algae.”
“I wanted to participate in the science fair so I could experiment on one of the many effects of overconsumption,” explains Nirvana. “Currently, our society produces enormous amounts of waste, from styrofoam for example. Specifically, I tested the effects of styrofoam on marine algae so I could explore how this product is toxic to the environment.”
An impressive cadre of STEM professionals from Google, GreyStone Power Corporation, Douglas Water and Sewer Authority, Georgia Tech, University of West Georgia and other external partners were judges.
They spent the afternoon of January 28 scoring projects and interviewing the students in detail.
Middle and high schools selected three to six projects to send to the county fair for a total of 65, with 35 of these advancing to the West Georgia Regional Science Fair slated for February 7 at the University of West Georgia. “
The school system is proud of these students and their teachers, and we can't wait to see what they go on to accomplish next,” said Bethel.
Pictured above are Douglas County High School student Nirvana with Mr. Bennett and her project. Also pictured are Layla with teacher Ms. Ferrara from Mason Creek Middle School.
