Inquisitive Minds Shine at Cowles Science Fair
A judge takes a close look at a student’s entry in the Cowles Montessori Science Fair.
Science fairs have been going on throughout the district over the course of the first semester as curious students design and execute projects with an eye towards qualifying for the district wide event later this winter.
On Tuesday afternoon it was Cowles Montessori’s turn in the laboratory and a host of judges reported for the tough duty of determining who will move on and who heads back to the drawing board.
One upstairs hallway was lined with the 6th grade entrants like a midway of scientific inquiry. Hurry, hurry, step right up! Can chocolate help you concentrate? Shiny pennies versus dingy ones; what’s the difference besides the year they were minted? Pinocchio’s nose told the truth about him; what does your body language reveal about you?
One well-coiffed young scientist, Sean Morrow, had actual photos of how he bent water just by combing his hair.
Downstairs were the 7th and 8th grade projects and their topics reflected the gravitas that accompanies the big jump into the teens. Forget about research on marshmallows, let’s put gender stereotyping, antibiotic resistance, potential energy and the adolescent brain under the microscope.
Judges were greeted at the main entrance where they picked up their clipboards and rubrics. If the platter of treats lulled them into the false hypothesis that this would be an easy assignment they all likely came to the same conclusion sooner or later: compared to middle school science fairs, judging Olympic gymnastics and figure skating is probably a piece of holiday fudge.
