Hannah Gibson, Grade 7 Heather Park student, thinks her idea to put opposing magnets on wind turbines will offer perpetual motion essentially saving the world, while Madison Brasson and Kyra Wiebe, Grade 9 Westside Academy students, partnered to prove dogs will help keep your blood pressure in check while cats can help alleviate anxiety.
These intrepid students were among 150 who came from 23 schools across three school districts to showcase 123 projects during Saturday's 43rd annual Central Interior Science Exhibition in the Bentley Science Centre at UNBC.
Students between Grades 4 to 12 came from Quesnel School District (28), Nechako Lakes School District (91) and the Prince George School District (57). Five projects will be chosen to represent the Central Interior at the Canada-Wide Science Fair that will be held at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton from May 15 to 17 where representatives from 13 regions in B.C. and 107 from across the nation will gather.
Grades 4 to 6 compete in one category, while Grade 7 to 12 compete in another and it's only the latter that are eligible to go to the national competition.
To get to the Central Interior Science Exhibition some students participated in a school fair and a district fair, while others could just register and participate. Each project could be a study, an innovation or an experiment.
"We tend to get more experiments," Anjula Corbin, chair of the exhibition, said.
Students take from the experience so much more than just the science, Corbin said.
"They get experience in public speaking and gain confidence in presenting their own ideas," she added.
There's nothing like a 10-year-old talking to a university professor about their science projects to get out-in-the-real-world experience.
"There's also the creativity piece because the children have to make a backboard to exhibit their ideas," Corbin said. And it's really good for students to be around like-minded students, she added.
Some of the titles of projects included Go Away Stains, What are Geodes?, Cannabis and Pregnancy and Hot & Spicy, which was about the levels of heat in hot sauces. Another took on the question of what kind of ice melt works the fastest in the north. Corbin said most of the students are inspired by their passion so one student did a study on which type of horse blanket would provide the best warmth, while another did a study on the best dog treat.
Corbin said UNBC further supports the children interested in science by inviting everyone to return to the university for a day of science.
Hannah got her idea to magnetize wind turbines by talking with her family. They brainstormed a solution to the problem of how to keep the turbine in motion when there's no wind and because Hannah like magnets, it was a natural fit. Hannah made mini turbines to demonstrate her theory. One had no magnets, another had one and the third had two. Her experiment explored the theory of perpetual motion being sustained with the use of repelling magnets when there was no wind to keep the turbine in motion.
"This could help us save more energy and save the planet, kinda, really," Hannah explained.
Madison and Kyra had followed current news that reported how the survivors of the Humbolt bus accident were coping. One of the players received a therapy dog to offer support and comfort.
"We wanted to find out if that was actually the right animal for him," Madison said. "What if he was given a horse or cat?"
Kyra and Madison wanted to see for themselves if having a dog was best for the survivor's needs.
Madison and Kyra wanted to know if having a dog, cat, or horse for a pet helped lower blood pressure and diminish anxiety. They conducted their study on a group of 14 people to test each theory and included those without pets as well. Participants filled out a questionnaire about their lives and their pets and each was monitored for an extended period. The experiment took months.
The two Grade 9 students were able to conclude that dogs were best at lowering blood pressure while cats were best at alleviating anxiety and all animals were better for you than no animals.
From personal experience the girls had their own opinions to share.
Kyra found her cat Kuta abandoned on the side of the road not quite a year ago. He was just a baby.
"When I come home from school and it's been a hard day Kuta will always come running to me meowing and ask for hugs and cuddles," Kyra said. "So I'll pick him up and we'll cuddle for about five minutes and I just get so calm and relaxed when he's around."
Madison has a three-year-old Maltese Shih-tzu named Gracie.
"A dog is always there for you, you can always trust them to keep your secrets - you know they can't really talk so they won't say anything," Madison laughed. "You can pet them and hang out with them all the time. They're really just awesome pets."
Judging at the Central Interior Science Exhibition took place Saturday and awards are presented Saturday night. There will be an update to the story when results are posted on the fair's website.
