On March 13, nineteen eighth graders from Ms. Kelly's Science Research class at HTH participated in the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair (LISEF) Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovation Challenge at Crest Hollow Country Club.
Each group of students presented their independently developed and executed project to three different judges. As is always the case, Malverne students were praised for their poise and decorum throughout the event.
Three student groups took home prizes from the over 200 projects presented:
Third place in the category of Biomedical and Health Sciences went to Emma Frulio and Raven Goddard for their investigation into the efficacy of different sunscreens, which focused on whether chemical or mineral sunscreens provide the most protection from the sun's harmful UV rays.
Honorable Mention in the category of Earth and Space Sciences went to the team of Ariana Chinchilla, Minnie Jao Feng and Shenieka Grant, who investigated the impact of density on the rate of conduction in metals. This project sprung from their learning in Earth Science the year prior; having delved into the concept of specific heat (the rate at which substances gain or lose heat energy), they wondered if they could prove a correlation between density and specific heat.
Honorable Mention in the category of Chemistry went to Ella Kelch and Olivia Van De Ven, who challenged themselves by learning about different electrochemical cells and developed a project which investigated the impact of electricity on the pH of the cells.
Kudos to all the students who participated. The Science Research class enjoyed a well-deserved pizza break upon return to school and will set to work improving their posters and presentations in preparation for the next two competitions: the SAAWA Middle School Science Competition on March 25 and the Long Island Science Congress on April 7.
