ALL High School Projects by CATEGORY the LAST NAME

Page created by Seth Gibbs
 
CONTINUE READING
ALL High School Projects by CATEGORY the LAST NAME

Category              Student 1 Name      School Name       Title               Abstract

Behavioral & Social   Ikram , Quratulan   Sycamore High     Got Sleep?          Though everyone needs varying amounts of sleep to be able to operate for the
Sciences                                                                        day, a lack of sleep affects many internal and external bodily functions. To go
                                                                                about the day, having a balanced coordination is an important factor. The
                                                                                objective is to discover: If high school students are sleep deprived for 24
                                                                                hours, then their speech abilities and coordination will be affected. This topic
                                                                                was chosen because many high school students do not obtain sufficient
                                                                                amount of sleep. Studies have shown that, as a result of sleep deprivation, the
                                                                                majority of individuals' coordination and speech are affected. But, most
                                                                                research does not focus these factors on just high school students. High
                                                                                school volunteers were kept awake for 24 hours, after an entire day of no
                                                                                sleep, the participants were given a battery of cognitive tests. All of these tests
                                                                                were given to challenge each sleep deprived student's abilities of coordination
                                                                                and speech. The tests were given at the 18 hour period of sleep deprivation,
                                                                                and again at the 24 hours period. The expected results are to see a decline in
                                                                                the participants' coordination and speech as the hours of sleep deprivation
                                                                                increase. This study is important because the results can be used to educate
                                                                                high school students about how their lack of sleep affects them during the day,
                                                                                and can also be used to inform educators about the current school-time
                                                                                schedules.
Behavioral & Social   Jubak, Josh         McNicholas High   Ambiguous Figures   For the ambiguous figure experiment the main question was if age had an
Sciences                                                                        effect on weather a black image or white image was seen in an even figure-
                                                                                ground. Studies show that people see things in objects in different ways.
                                                                                Some may see a tree and others may see a bat. It all depends on the way that
                                                                                the image was looked at. That is why I believe age my have an effect on this.
                                                                                To start testing for this experiment six black and white ambiguous figures and
                                                                                had them grouped together on six sheets of paper. Then a unbiased answer
                                                                                sheet needed to be made so that a scribe could write what was seen. After this
                                                                                the testing could start. At least seven guys and girls from each age group (12
                                                                                and under, 13-20, and over 30) needed to be evaluated to collect valid data.
                                                                                Once all the data was collect and recorded results could be made.
                                                                                The results showed that 83% of younger kids saw the white image over the
                                                                                black one. Other results show that 66% of adults saw the black image over the
                                                                                white, and teenagers saw a even range (48% black, 52% white) of images. It
                                                                                can be concluded that kids 12 and under see white images faster or easier that
                                                                                adults over 30 do.
                                                                                There are many reasons that this could be true. The main reason is that
                                                                                everyone is different and as they get older they want to know what they are
                                                                                looking at.
Category              Student 1 Name   School Name             Title                              Abstract

Behavioral & Social   Khan, Salman     Turpin High             Distracted Reactions               This experiment was conducted to test the effects of distractions on reaction
Sciences                                                                                          times in teenagers. Each subject was tested with no distractions, with listening
                                                                                                  to music, and with texting situations. Each of those tests was conducted three
                                                                                                  times and the results averaged. The data was then compared by tests and by
                                                                                                  gender. As predicted, the teenagers had the quickest reaction times while not
                                                                                                  distracted, slight longer times while listening to music, and the longest times
                                                                                                  while texting. There was also evidence to support that males have quicker
                                                                                                  reaction times on all tests by around the same percentage.

Behavioral & Social   McCane, Lauren   Anderson High           Catching a Criminal: An Analysis   In July of 1984 Jennifer Thompson was robbed and raped in her home. During
Sciences                                                       of the Accuracy o                  her attack Jennifer made notes in her mind about her attacker, for example, his
                                                                                                  height, race and facial features. So she was positive that she had chosen the
                                                                                                  right man in the photo and physical line ups shown to her. Due to this
                                                                                                  “evidence,” Ronald Cotton was sentenced to life in prison plus fifty four
                                                                                                  years. Knowing he was innocent, Ronald took all the actions needed to get a
                                                                                                  second trial and jumped on his chance when he heard inmate Bobby Poole
                                                                                                  bragging that Ronald was doing some of his time. During his second trial,
                                                                                                  Thompson denied ever seeing Poole in her life and maintained her previous
                                                                                                  statement that Cotton was her attacker. Since this was very convincing to the
                                                                                                  jury, Cotton was found guilty a second time. Despite this setback, he refused
                                                                                                  to give up hope. When he heard of the DNA exoneration of football player
                                                                                                  O.J Simpson in 1995 he demanded a DNA test for his own case. The DNA
                                                                                                  from the case which had been kept in the police files was the key to Cotton’s
                                                                                                  release. After almost eleven years of confinement, Cotton was released. One
                                                                                                  of the many experts that have analyzed this case stated “The main problem
                                                                                                  with eye-witness testimony is that the real perpetrator is not usually in the first
                                                                                                  line up the victim sees.” This project will assess the validity of that statement.
Behavioral & Social   Reed, Tiana      Horizon Science Acad.   How lack of sleep affects behavior? How does lack of sleep affect behavior?
Sciences                               Cincini                                                     Tiana Reed
                                                                                                   Horizon Science Academy of Cincinnati, Ohio

                                                                                                     The purpose of this study is to observe and record how human subjects
                                                                                                  react to lack of sleep. The subject will be asked a number of questions upon
                                                                                                  going to bed and waking up each day. Also the subject will be asked to go to
                                                                                                  bed an hour later then their normal time. After that the subjects will be asked
                                                                                                  to go to bed an hour earlier than their normal time.

                                                                                                    My hypothesis was if someone receives less sleep then their mood will
                                                                                                  change. I began my experiment by handing out survey questions to the human
                                                                                                  subjects. As a result subjects who slept less than six hours were in a normal
                                                                                                  mood. Subjects who slept between six-seven hours were tired, sleepy, or
                                                                                                  hungry. Subjects who eight-nine hours were alert and in a good mood. And
                                                                                                  subjects who slept more than nine hours their mood ranges.
Category              Student 1 Name       School Name     Title                   Abstract

Behavioral & Social   Valenti, Stephanie   Turpin High     I Spy... A Metronome!   In society today, humans put tremendous amount of strain on their minds. This
Sciences                                                                           experiment is aimed towards helping scientists understand what environments
                                                                                   are the most beneficial for concentrating. The hypothesis stated that a person
                                                                                   listening to a faster tempo would take longer to complete a task because they
                                                                                   would be more distracted by the beeping of the metronome. To test this, the
                                                                                   volunteers were separated into: a control group listening to no metronome, a
                                                                                   group listening to 210 beats per minute (bpm), and a group listening to 75
                                                                                   bpm. Individually, the volunteer would be asked to complete a page of I Spy
                                                                                   while listening to the metronome. He or she would be timed to see how long it
                                                                                   took to identify items within the pages of an I Spy book. The data did not
                                                                                   support the hypothesis. The group with the 210 bpm had the fastest recorded
                                                                                   times. The second fastest group was the control group. The group with the
                                                                                   slowest times was the group with 75 bpm; the slowest tempo on the
                                                                                   metronome. The averages of the three groups were 3:22 for 210 bpm , 7:26 for
                                                                                   75 bpm, and 3:50 for the control group. Clearly, the group exposed to 75 bpm
                                                                                   had the most difficulty concentrating. There have been studies that conclude
                                                                                   that metronomes actually stimulate brain activity and increase neural activity,
                                                                                   and this experiment builds on that concept. It goes further to determine not
                                                                                   only if metronomes help, but which tempo increases concentration.
Biochemistry          Agarwal, Soham       Sycamore High   Circadian Rhythms and   Bioluminescence in organisms such as Pyrocystis fusiformis is a very
                                                           Bioluminescence         interesting process. The parameters that control this are not fully known yet.
                                                                                   Full knowledge of these parameters could lead to control over
                                                                                   bioluminescence, which could make application of bioluminescence in other
                                                                                   locations practical and useful, such as bioluminescent trees along roads in
                                                                                   place of street lights to conserve power. One such parameter is believed to be
                                                                                   circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms are the endogenous determination of
                                                                                   “dark” and “light”. They determine when an organism performs light
                                                                                   dependant and non-light dependant tasks. It is known that bioluminescence
                                                                                   occurs when an organism is experiencing “dark”, but the limits of the control
                                                                                   of circadian rhythms are untested. I took 8 samples of Pyrocystis fusiformis
                                                                                   and I changed the hours of light that the samples received in order to
                                                                                   determine the effects of these variables on the bioluminescent cycle of these
                                                                                   organisms. Bioluminescence occurred during the “dark” phase of the
                                                                                   specimens that received light, but also during the night hours for the sample
                                                                                   which received light 24 hours a day. This showed that bioluminescence was
                                                                                   regulated by endogenous circadian rhythms. Future studies would focus on
                                                                                   determining exactly what change occurs in the transition from light to dark to
                                                                                   cause bioluminescence to occur.
Category       Student 1 Name      School Name             Title                        Abstract

Biochemistry   Barnes, Philemon    Horizon Science Acad.   Magnetic Field               Magnetic Field
                                   Cincini                                              Philemon G. Barnes
                                                                                        Horizon Science Academy

                                                                                        The question that this experiment was designed to answer was if a magnetic
                                                                                        field has an effect on living organisms. The hypothesis is that living organisms
                                                                                        are effected by magnetic fields.
                                                                                        The hypothesis was tested using a fruit fly culture (Drosophila) and two
                                                                                        magnets. To test the effect of the magnets on the fruit fly culture, the magnets
                                                                                        were placed in five different locations around the test tube, and the response of
                                                                                        the fruit flies to the magnets recorded. Test one I put the magnets near the
                                                                                        side with the cotton. Test two I put the magnets near the side with their food.
                                                                                        Test three I put the magnets near the side with the cotton and a magnet on the
                                                                                        negative side near their food. Test four I put the magnets near the side with
                                                                                        their food and a magnet on the negative side near the cotton. Test five I put
                                                                                        both magnets on its negative side near their food and the cotton. I did each test
                                                                                        three times.
                                                                                        In the five test, it was observed that the fruit flies were attracted to the
                                                                                        magnets. These results indicate that the organisms are effected by magnetic
                                                                                        fields. An a result, my hypothesis was proven correct.
Biochemistry   Monahan, Sean       Turpin High             Can Yeast Metabolize Sugar   In this experiment, a comparison between sugar and sugar substitutes was
                                                           Substitutes the Same as      made to see if yeast would ferment the same using sugar when using sugar
                                                                                        substitutes. A duel chamber system was used so that when gas was produced
                                                                                        by the yeast, the gas would go from one chamber to another that was filled
                                                                                        with water. Some of the water was displaced into a graduated cylinder
                                                                                        allowing someone to record how much gas was produced. The substitutes that
                                                                                        worked were aspartame and saccharin. The yeast that consumed Stevia and
                                                                                        Sucralose did not produce any gas.

Biochemistry   Morand, Elizabeth   Sycamore High           Tasteful-ee Simple           The tongue map is a widely used tool for certain industries, for example wine
                                                                                        tasting and health education classes. It is still commonly used in books,
                                                                                        however it was discredited in the early 1900’s.This study is an attempt to
                                                                                        validate the disproval of the tongue map. If a specific substance is applied to a
                                                                                        specific “taste region” on the tongue then the tongue will not respond
                                                                                        according to the tongue map. For this experiment five reagents were streaked
                                                                                        across six regions on the tongue. Tests were done on volunteers three different
                                                                                        times to observe the reaction of the tongue. The test results for each volunteer
                                                                                        were averaged. The expected outcomes of this experiment will be that each
                                                                                        “taste region” will have a similar number which would conclude the tongue
                                                                                        map is false. These results may be published and referred to in place of the
                                                                                        discredited tongue map.
Category       Student 1 Name   School Name     Title                               Abstract

Biochemistry   Niehaus, Alex    Turpin High     The Effect of Water Pollution on    The purpose of this experiment was to test the hypothesis, if harmful foreign
                                                Dinoflagellate Bi                   agents are added to the marine environment in which Pyrocystis fusiformis
                                                                                    live, then the amount of light the organisms are capable of producing will
                                                                                    diminish because the chemical compounds within the agents will disrupt
                                                                                    homeostatic processes within the cells. To test this, five consecutive trials
                                                                                    were conducted to measure the amount of light exuded by the dinoflagellates
                                                                                    in three different marine environments. For each trial, 50 mL of Pyrocystis
                                                                                    fusiformis was added to three different cups, each labeled for their intended
                                                                                    purpose. One cup being a control, one in which 1 mL of standard motor oil
                                                                                    was added, and another in which 1 mL of standard detergent was added. After
                                                                                    allowing the dinoflagellates to adjust for 24 hours, each sample was measured
                                                                                    for light output. In each of the three trials conducted, the control cup in which
                                                                                    no additives were present exuded the greatest amount of light, followed by the
                                                                                    cup with standard motor oil, and lastly the cup in which standard detergent
                                                                                    was added gave off the least amount of light. The results supported the
                                                                                    presented hypothesis.
Biochemistry   Sheth, Ravi      Sycamore High   Molecular dynamics simulations of Gramicidin A is an antibiotic peptide found naturally in the bacterial species
                                                Gramicidin A at                   Baccilius brevis. When dimerized, gramicidin acts as a cation selective,
                                                                                  voltage gated transmembrane channel. Because of its small size and well-
                                                                                  defined structure, the channel has been the subject of many computational and
                                                                                  structural studies aiming to elucidate the properties and methods of ion
                                                                                  conduction.
                                                                                  Recent experimental studies have shown ion translocation to occur in
                                                                                  gramicidin at high temperatures. These findings have large implications;
                                                                                  gramicidin has many high temperature applications, most notably as a
                                                                                  membrane in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. However, the molecular
                                                                                  mechanisms and structural behaviors of the channel at these extreme
                                                                                  temperatures have not been previously examined.
                                                                                  Molecular dynamics simulations use known physics to approximate the
                                                                                  interactions of a system of atoms. To determine the effects of extreme
                                                                                  temperatures on the channel, gramicidin systems were examined using
                                                                                  molecular dynamics computer simulations. The two conformations of the
                                                                                  channel, the head-to-head helical dimer and the intertwined double helix, were
                                                                                  simulated at both 300K and 360K. Although higher temperatures were found
                                                                                  to slightly decrease both hydrogen bonding in the channel and the pore radius
                                                                                  of both conformations, overall structure was retained. Additionally, a possible
                                                                                  gating transition was observed in the double helix conformation at extreme
                                                                                  temperatures; no reports of gating behaviors in the double helix conformation
                                                                                  have been previously reported.
Category       Student 1 Name     School Name          Title                           Abstract

Biochemistry   Srinath, Abhinav   William Mason High   Effects of Enzyme Catalase on   Enzymes are catalysts that speed up chemical reactions by many thousand
                                                       Hydrogen Peroxide               folds. Catalase is an antioxidant enzyme that breaks down toxic H2O2 into
                                                                                       H2O and O2. My project is to find the optimal conditions under which the
                                                                                       decomposition of H2O2 by enzyme catalase is maximized. In addition to
                                                                                       being a required bodily function, this decomposition has many industrial and
                                                                                       medical uses.
                                                                                       The factors I experimented included optimal temperature, the effect of H2O2
                                                                                       concentration, the effect of catalase concentration and different sources of
                                                                                       catalase.
                                                                                       Going into the project, I hypothesized that room temperature, higher H2O2
                                                                                       concentration and higher catalase concentration would increase the breakdown
                                                                                       of H2O2. In addition, from my research, I predicted sweet potato to have the
                                                                                       maximum amount of catalase.
                                                                                       My project is divided into 2 parts, an apparatus to measure the amount of
                                                                                       oxygen generated and a reaction vessel where the factors were varied. I used
                                                                                       a water displacement strategy to measure the oxygen generated. I connected
                                                                                       the reaction vessel thru rubber and copper tubes to the oxygen measuring
                                                                                       apparatus.
                                                                                       Following proven experimental guidelines, I conducted the experiment by
                                                                                       varying one of the above factors, while keeping the rest a constant. I always
                                                                                       kept the time for iteration a constant. Most of the readings were in line with
                                                                                       my hypothesis except that celery had the maximum amount of Catalase barely
                                                                                       beating sweet potato. My other hypothesize were correct and room
                                                                                       temperature, higher H2O2 concentration and higher catalase concentration
                                                                                       would increase the breakdown of H2O2.
Category       Student 1 Name       School Name             Title                            Abstract

Biochemistry   Yao, Linda           William Mason High      Menadione-Induced Cytotoxicity   The experiment tested whether adding Catalase and superoxide dismutase
                                                            Reduction in Yeast               (SOD) to yeast suspensions exposed to menadione (Vitamin K3) would keep
                                                                                             cells alive by reducing oxidative stress caused by menadione-induced
                                                                                             cytotoxicity.

                                                                                             Catalase catalyzes the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide into water and
                                                                                             oxygen while SOD converts superoxide anions into hydrogen peroxide and
                                                                                             oxygen. Because SOD produces additional hydrogen peroxide, Catalase was
                                                                                             hypothesized to be more effective than SOD in reducing menadione-induced
                                                                                             cytotoxicity.

                                                                                             Throughout the experiment, to test the extent of menadione-induced
                                                                                             cytotoxicity to yeast cells (i.e. cell viability), MTT assays measured
                                                                                             absorbances using a spectrophotometer at 570 nm. Yeast cells with active
                                                                                             mitochondria reduce MTT (3-(4, 5-Dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2H-
                                                                                             tetrazolium bromide) effectively to colored formazan crystals and have higher
                                                                                             absorbances than yeast cells with damaged mitochondria caused by
                                                                                             menadione. To determine the protective effect of SOD and Catalase, these
                                                                                             enzymes were added to yeast suspensions before adding menadione. MTT
                                                                                             assays were then conducted after menadione was added.

                                                                                             In the experiment, the yeast suspensions exposed to menadione showed
                                                                                             reduced cell viability (lower absorbances). When the menadione concentration
                                                                                             was 0.025 mM, the addition of both SOD and Catalase decreased menadione-
                                                                                             induced cytotoxicity. When the menadione concentrations were 0.1 mM and
                                                                                             0.5 mM, however, only Catalase significantly decreased cytotoxicity.

                                                                                             This experiment supports the hypothesis that both SOD and Catalase reduce
                                                                                             oxidative stress and consequently menadione-induced cytotoxicity, but
                                                                                             Catalase is more effective. This demonstrates the possibility of combating
                                                                                             menadione-induced cytotoxicity and Vitamin K3 poisoning through use of
                                                                                             Catalase and SOD.
Botany         Craycraft, Mikaela   Tri-County North High   Leaf Photography                 not entered
Category    Student 1 Name   School Name              Title                               Abstract

Botany      Parks, Alyshia   Twin Valley South High   Moss' Direction of Growth           After watching a show on Discovery Channel about direction, we decided to
                                                                                          conduct our experiment on the theory that moss always points north. We
                                                                                          decided to test our experiment using local trees and a compass. We would
                                                                                          place our compass at the base of a tree where it shows dominate traces of
                                                                                          moss. We would then record our findings. While doing this we ran into the
                                                                                          problems of moss growing completely around the tree or on two sides of a
                                                                                          tree. After overcoming our obstacles by identifying the side of those problem
                                                                                          trees that were more lush, we concluded that moss does generally grow in the
                                                                                          northern direction here in Ohio, but is not a tool that should be counted on as a
                                                                                          way of direction for it only points north about 50% of the time.

Chemistry   Block, Abby      McNicholas High          The Oven Race                       The problem tested was ‘which oven bakes a cake faster, convection or
                                                                                          radiant?’ The hypothesis stated that the convection oven would bake faster
                                                                                          than the radiant. This hypothesis was rejected because the radiant oven baked
                                                                                          the cake faster than the convection oven. The hypothesis was made based on
                                                                                          the fact that convection heat moves in multiple directions. The heat source
                                                                                          from a radiant oven comes only from one side of the oven.
                                                                                          In the experiment, two cakes were baked per trial, one in the radiant oven and
                                                                                          one in the convection oven. At five-minute intervals, the temperature was
                                                                                          checked in each cake, and data was recorded as the rate of temperature
                                                                                          increase. The radiant oven’s temperature stayed above the temperature of the
                                                                                          convection oven almost always. This may have been because the heat coming
                                                                                          from multiple sides of the oven in the convection may have been released
                                                                                          more when the temperature was taken. In the radiant oven, heat would not
                                                                                          escape as easily because it is traveling in one, vertical direction. In conclusion,
                                                                                          a radiant oven would probably be a better tool to use in the kitchen if the oven
                                                                                          will be opened often.
Chemistry   Boehm, Jacob     McNicholas High          Effects of Urea from Bovine Urine   The problem in this experiment involves determining whether introducing
                                                      on Diesel Fuel E                    bovine urine, as a source of urea, into a diesel engine by means of a cool mist
                                                                                          vaporizer will increase the fuel efficiency of that engine. The hypothesis states
                                                                                          that diesel engines consuming bovine urine along with diesel fuel will show an
                                                                                          increase in fuel efficiency over diesel engines running on the typical diesel
                                                                                          fuel and air mixture. This experiment follows the scientific method, using
                                                                                          diesel engines, diesel fuel and bovine urine to determine if the hypothesis is
                                                                                          supported. The engines, while performing the control tests, will combust a
                                                                                          normal diesel fuel and air mixture. The engines, while performing the
                                                                                          experimental tests will combust diesel fuel and air in the presence of bovine
                                                                                          urine. Both tests will power the same electrical load via a generator. The
                                                                                          independent variable is the presence of urea during combustion in a diesel
                                                                                          engine. The dependent variable is whether the engines performing the
                                                                                          experimental test show an increase in diesel fuel efficiency over those same
                                                                                          engines performing the control tests.
                                                                                          Each engine ran a test for one hour and followed the same testing sequence:
                                                                                          control, three urine tests, water test and two controls. Water tests determine if
                                                                                          the urea causes the change in fuel efficiency. The percentage of fuel efficiency
                                                                                          change is calculated from each engine’s control test fuel usage. At the end of
                                                                                          the experiment, two of the diesel engines show a scientifically significant
                                                                                          increase in fuel efficiency with bovine urine and one does not.
Category    Student 1 Name    School Name          Title                          Abstract

Chemistry   Clausen, Emily    Anderson High        Need to Knead                  The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effects of kneading on
                                                                                  yeasted breads. To test this I followed a basic Italian bread recipe, once
                                                                                  kneading, and once eliminating the step of kneading to compare results.
                                                                                  Going further, I tested three aspects of the no-knead method; additional water,
                                                                                  a lengthened resting time, and additional heat while cooking. I tested each of
                                                                                  these separately without kneading in the same Italian bread recipe, and then I
                                                                                  tested all three elements together. Overall, I have summarized that kneading
                                                                                  is a crucial step in the bread-making process and that in order to eliminate this
                                                                                  step, all elements of the no-knead method must be followed, including a
                                                                                  reduction in yeast.

Chemistry   Frey, Lucy        McNicholas High      Can Frozen Golf Balls go the   How big of a difference does playing with a cold golf ball on the course make
                                                   Distance?                      compared to playing with a golf ball held at room temperature? Golfers that
                                                                                  play in cooler climates would love to know the answer to this problem. The
                                                                                  ball that will have the best performance would be the ball that was kept at
                                                                                  room temperature because the inside core doesn't compress as much when it is
                                                                                  cold. The difference between the room temperature balls will be very minute.
                                                                                  Golf balls have changed over the years. They’we gone from the “Featherie”
                                                                                  then to the Guttie and now to the present ball today. This experiment was a
                                                                                  tricky experiment filled with unexpected results. In this experiment, six total
                                                                                  balls were dropped off the roof. Three were frozen and three were kept at
                                                                                  room temperature. The height that each ball bounced was recorded. The
                                                                                  second part of this experiment was taking the balls to Ivy Hills Country Club
                                                                                  with the pendulum apparatus (to make sure each ball was struck with an even
                                                                                  amount of force.) Each set of balls were putted and then the results were
                                                                                  recorded in centimeters. The balls that were held at room temperature rolled
                                                                                  the furthest and bounced the highest.
Chemistry   Kosuru, Madhuri   William Mason High   Suds of Fun!                   This project was done to determine which base is best for fat based organic
                                                                                  soap. We thought that lard, which consisted of the most percentage of fat,
                                                                                  would produce the best soap because of its high fat content.
                                                                                  To make the soap, we used the cold process method. We mixed a fat base with
                                                                                  sodium hydroxide and ethyl alcohol then added the solution to a salt water
                                                                                  solution. While we were making the soap, they mostly smelled a lot like
                                                                                  acetone. Though the lard, Crisco, butter, and coconut oil based soaps hardened
                                                                                  quickly and thoroughly, the others had a lot of liquid left over and left a
                                                                                  “slimy” solid instead of a dried solid.
                                                                                  We tested each soap on 3 variables: time to create suds, whether or not it left
                                                                                  residue, and time to completely wash pencil lead off of hands. We were
                                                                                  surprised at how fast some of the soaps were to lather and even more surprised
                                                                                  at how slow others were. We also found that only 3 of the 7 handmade soaps
                                                                                  didn’t leave a residue. We then timed how long it would take to wash off lead,
                                                                                  and the times varied by a lot.
                                                                                  Through all 3 tests, we concluded that the best fat base for organic soap was
                                                                                  the coconut oil. It produced the best results of all tests, and it didn’t leave our
                                                                                  hands with a repulsive odor.
Category        Student 1 Name   School Name          Title                                Abstract

Chemistry       Lebowitz, Abby   William Mason High   A Vegetarian Substitiute for Gelatin The purpose of my experiment was to find a vegetarian substitute for collagen
                                                                                           so that vegetarians or people who keep kosher would eat gelatin desserts. The
                                                                                           majority of collagen is produced from pig bones. I hypothesized that dessert
                                                                                           gelatin would be more popular if it was made from plants. I could not find
                                                                                           any published documents discussing or products advertising plant based
                                                                                           collagen for use in gelatin products during my research. I had to think out of
                                                                                           the box and come up with potential substitutes without much direction. Three
                                                                                           protein based substances made from plants were chosen based on what I had
                                                                                           learned about the chemistry of gelatin products. I used a commercially
                                                                                           available gelatin as my control. I followed the recipe found on the gelatin box
                                                                                           for all test substances adding fruit juice and canned pineapple. The first
                                                                                           substance chosen was agar which is commonly used for growing bacteria in
                                                                                           Petri dishes. I had observed that agar had gelatin like properties. The second
                                                                                           was glycine which is a residue of collagen sold in health food stores. The third
                                                                                           substance I chose was peanut oil because of its high protein content. I found
                                                                                           that neither glycine nor peanut oil became gelatin like. The glycine did have a
                                                                                           melted smoothie looking substance at the bottom and peanut oil had a jelly,
                                                                                           foamy substance on top. Perhaps more could be done with process and
                                                                                           proportions. Agar proved to be an acceptable replacement even though it is a
                                                                                           bit stiffer than regular gelatin.
Earth & Space   Paeltz, Katie    McNicholas High      From What Direction is Solar         The study tested the heat of solar energy in accordance to the direction they
Sciences                                              Radiation Hottest?                   come from. The hypothesis stated that sunlight hitting the western
                                                                                           thermometer is hotter than the sunlight hitting the other thermometers. The
                                                                                           solar radiation was measured through its solar energy, which was measured in
                                                                                           temperature. To test this, thermometers were mounted on wooden stakes that
                                                                                           were positioned parallel to northern, southern, eastern, and western walls of a
                                                                                           structure. The structure is directly aligned with the compass rose. Readings
                                                                                           from the thermometers were taken at: 6:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., noon, 3:00 p.m.,
                                                                                           6:00 p.m., 9:00 p.m., and 11:00 p.m. The averages of all 3 p.m. readings were
                                                                                           computed for each thermometer parallel of the structure for comparison. Also,
                                                                                           weather conditions such as precipitation and cloud cover were noted for each
                                                                                           day that readings were taken. The eastern thermometer displayed the lowest
                                                                                           average followed by the northern thermometer. The southern thermometer
                                                                                           exhibited the highest average at 3 p.m., followed by the western wall.
                                                                                           Considering the typical weather patterns, climate, and seasonal averages, the
                                                                                           experiment was flawless. The hypothesis was deemed incorrect because the
                                                                                           southern thermometer presented the highest average at 3 p.m., rather than the
                                                                                           western thermometer as predicted in the hypothesis.
Category      Student 1 Name      School Name             Title                              Abstract

Engineering   Behne, Alexandria   William Mason High      Sunny-Side Up!                     Science Fair Abstract 2009-2010
                                                                                             Sunny-Side Up!

                                                                                             Alexandria N. Behne
                                                                                             William Mason High School, Mason, Ohio, USA

                                                                                             This project was created as a way to determine if the output of a solar panel
                                                                                             could be increased using basic geometric concepts. Initially, the idea was to
                                                                                             prove if adding a “rig” or device set-up to a solar panel would have a larger
                                                                                             amount of output energy than a control solar panel with no “rig”. I
                                                                                             hypothesized a “rig” with a magnifying glass above the solar pane (Set-Up 1)
                                                                                             would increase the amount of output energy from the solar panel, more than a
                                                                                             second “rig” (Set-Up 2) will be a reflective dome opening up, toward the light
                                                                                             with the solar panel held over the center upside down.

                                                                                             The control was an unaltered solar panel tested under a 120V (42W)
                                                                                             fluorescent light bulb. Set-Up 1 was the same solar panel with a magnifying
                                                                                             glass held 4 inches above the center of the solar panel. Set-Up 2 was the solar
                                                                                             panel inverted 4 inches over a 15 diameter 3 inch depth dome. Each set-up
                                                                                             used the concept of having more light rays to hit a point of the solar panel
                                                                                             creating higher output energy. Set-Up 1 created more energy than the control
                                                                                             producing an average of .021V more. I reject my hypothesis as Set- Up 2 was
                                                                                             48% more efficient than the control while Set-Up 1 was 30% more efficient.
Engineering   Carducci, Steven    Horizon Science Acad.   Magical Adventures of Insulation   Magical Adventures of Insulation
                                  Cincini                                                    Steven Carducci
                                                                                             Horizon Science Academy

                                                                                             The goal is to find out which of the three insulators work better in cold
                                                                                             temperatures and warm temperature to see if any or all of them insulate better
                                                                                             in different conditions. The hypothesis is the Standard Insulation will work the
                                                                                             best because that is what’s most commonly used in houses.
                                                                                             To test the hypothesis three separate mini-houses were constructed. Each of
                                                                                             the houses was constructed out of balsa wood with glue from a glue gun to
                                                                                             hold the houses together. Each house was made with a different type of
                                                                                             insulation Clay, Sand, and Standard Insulation. They were than subjected to
                                                                                             the following tests.
                                                                                             Test 1: The three houses were warmed to a temperature of 72F. They were
                                                                                             then taken outside where the temperature was 32F. While the houses were
                                                                                             outside their temperature was checked every minute for 20 minutes, and the
                                                                                             results recorded, this was done three times.
                                                                                             Test 2: The three houses were placed in a deep freezer where their temperature
                                                                                             cooled to 2F. They were then removed from the freezer where they were
                                                                                             exposed to room temperature of 70F. Their temperature was measured every
                                                                                             minute for 20 minutes. And the results recorded, this was repeated three times.
                                                                                             In conclusion, the hypothesis was shown to be incorrect. The results indicate
                                                                                             that Standard Insulation worked the worst out of the three. Sand came in
                                                                                             second, and clay came in first.
Category      Student 1 Name    School Name       Title                            Abstract

Engineering   Guskey, Zachary   St Xavier High    Bamboo: Environmentally Strong   Given the recent emphasis on developing environmentally friendly building
                                                                                   materials, the use of engineered composites of bamboo has become
                                                                                   widespread. The purpose of this research is to understand whether use of a
                                                                                   more environmentally friendly material results in a tradeoff in performance,
                                                                                   specifically, whether bamboo “hardwood composites” are as strong as
                                                                                   traditional hardwoods.
                                                                                   A series of strength experiments were conducted comparing natural color
                                                                                   bamboo to oak, poplar, pine, aspen, and darkened bamboo. All samples were
                                                                                   cut to approximately the same dimensions, 100mm x 4mm x 4mm, and tested
                                                                                   for force required to break using a Texture Analyzer TA-XT2 in rupture mode
                                                                                   at a speed of 10 mm/s. To minimize variability, results are reported as force
                                                                                   per average cross-sectional area. To further stress the materials, testing was
                                                                                   repeated after soaking samples for five days in water and saltwater.
                                                                                   The data indicates the bamboo composites are similar in strength to traditional
                                                                                   woods. Natural bamboo broke at 37,927 g/cm2 on average, while the force to
                                                                                   break darkened bamboo was 42,504 g/cm2. Only poplar tested significantly
                                                                                   stronger than the bamboo composites. Bamboo also performed comparably to
                                                                                   the woods in stress testing, with natural bamboo maintaining strength
                                                                                   performance after exposure to both distilled water and saltwater.
                                                                                   The results of this set of experiments indicate that bamboo, an
                                                                                   environmentally friendly, fast growing grass, can be substituted for traditional
                                                                                   woods in some applications without trading off strength. It can be concluded
                                                                                   that properly engineered bamboo composites are at least as strong as oak,
                                                                                   poplar, and aspen.
Engineering   Moller, Mykaela   McNicholas High   Hot House/Cold House             Controlling heat transfer can increase the comfort in homes. Heat transfer is
                                                                                   the movement or exchange of thermal energy by conduction, convection, or
                                                                                   radiation within an object and its surroundings. Heat always "wants" to move
                                                                                   to the colder area from the warmer area and insulation controls heat transfer.
                                                                                   This project explains which type on insulation will work best to prevent heat
                                                                                   transfer and answers the question: Does fiberglass or cellulose insulation work
                                                                                   better in hot and cold temperatures? The hypothesis that was developed states
                                                                                   that cellulose insulation would reduce heat transfer 50% more than fiberglass
                                                                                   insulation. For the experiment, a large box and a small box were created that
                                                                                   allowed insulation to be put inside the spaces, or "walls", between the boxes.
                                                                                   Two cups of crushed ice and two cups of boiling water were put inside the
                                                                                   boxes at different times with the different insulation. The temperature was
                                                                                   then recorded every half hour until it reached its starting, or room temperature.
                                                                                   From the raw data,the number of hours it took for the ice or hot water to reach
                                                                                   room temperature again was determined. With cellulose insulation,it took 10.5
                                                                                   hours for hot water and 11.5 hours for ice to reach room temperature. With
                                                                                   fiberglass insulation,it took 9 hours for water and 10.5 hours for ice to reach
                                                                                   room temperature. The experiment did not support the hypothesis. Instead of
                                                                                   the cellulose working 50% more efficiently than the fiberglass, it worked
                                                                                   9.5% better in the ice trials,and 16.7% better in the hot water trials.
Category        Student 1 Name     School Name             Title                              Abstract

Engineering     Rogers, Gabriel    Oak Hills High          Aero-Nautics                       The topic i am focusing on mainly is Aero-Nautics. My project will consist of
                                                                                              a wind tunnel that is home made along with wing desings and data on each
                                                                                              wing desing. I will also be explaining Bernoulli's theory and how it works on
                                                                                              both the wing and in the wind tunnel. There will be more information on Aero
                                                                                              -nautics on the science fair day. I am still testing different designs and
                                                                                              finishing the wind tunnel.

Engineering     Rosewood, Joseph   Horizon Science Acad.   Can Colorblind People See Out of   I did my project so I could find out if color blind people can see out of 3D
                                   Cincini                 3D Glasses                         glasses so they can watch the new 3D movie, Avatar. The other reason I did
                                                                                              this project was because I wanted to know what this director did to make a
                                                                                              camera that was high definition and would show every thing in 3D even the
                                                                                              people’s faces. The director worked with an engineer for 5 years to design this
                                                                                              camera. My hypothesis was that these glasses would not work as well because
                                                                                              the tint was not light enough to see out of them but you might still be able to
                                                                                              have the 3D experience. Prior to the invention of this technology, color blind
                                                                                              people could not experience the 3D effects because of the red and blue
                                                                                              oppositional images.
                                                                                              My conclusion was that the new 3D glasses worked for color blind
                                                                                              individuals. The other thing was that this camera used a special lens that
                                                                                              would capture the 3D avatars in their true form. These technologies together
                                                                                              allowed colorblind people to view 3 dimensional films that they could not
                                                                                              previously view.
Environmental   Bohl, Bryan        McNicholas High         How Dimmer Switches, Photo         The world is consuming too much energy and we need to find ways to save.
Sciences                                                   Cells, & Timers Effect             Will using different types of light switches save significant amounts of
                                                                                              electrical usage? Easy to obtain and install dimmer switches, timers, and
                                                                                              photo cells claim to save on electrical usage. This claim can be tested in the
                                                                                              real world by using a standard sixty watt bulb, a meter that measures electrical
                                                                                              usage, and the three different types of switches.

                                                                                              Installing five similar light fixtures with similar 60 watt light bulbs on a
                                                                                              plywood board each with a different switch and measuring their electrical
                                                                                              usage with a meter will tell you how much electricity you are using and
                                                                                              saving. Recording the meter readings in timed intervals and charting the
                                                                                              results will give a comparison between switch types.

                                                                                              It was proven right away that dimmer switches reduce electrical usage and
                                                                                              energy consumption while the lights are on. Photo cells and timers reduce
                                                                                              electrical usage by eliminating the human factor (not forgetting) and not
                                                                                              having lights burning when they are not needed.

                                                                                              Dimmer switches once intended for mood or ambiance save significant
                                                                                              amounts of energy. Dimmer switches set 50% volume, more than enough
                                                                                              needed in most instances for illumination, save 50% of electrical usage and
                                                                                              energy cost.
Category        Student 1 Name       School Name       Title                             Abstract

Environmental   Gabbard , Samantha   McNicholas High   Urban vs. Rural Water Pollution   The problem statement of the experiment was “Is water pollution greater in
Sciences                                                                                 urban areas or in rural areas of Ohio?” It basically asks which area is the water
                                                                                         considered more polluted- urban or rural? The hypothesis came out to be that
                                                                                         urban areas have more pollutants in the water than in rural areas of Ohio. I
                                                                                         tested in four different places: a suburban creek in Cincinnati, the Ohio River
                                                                                         in both Cincinnati and Ripley Ohio, and Eagle Creek in Adams County. The
                                                                                         variables that were tested in the experiment were phosphates and nitrates, a
                                                                                         chemical found in fertilizer and animal waste, dissolved oxygen and
                                                                                         temperature, pH, and turbidity. The LaMotte low cost Water Monitoring Kit,
                                                                                         which includes test tubes, instructions, and chemical tablets, was used in order
                                                                                         to carry out the experiment. It used tablets that changed the water different
                                                                                         colors in order to distinguish the amounts of pollutant in the water and a
                                                                                         thermometer was used to measure the temp, and bucket for the turbidity. This
                                                                                         kit only measures qualitative data. For the most part the water that was tested
                                                                                         was very healthy, so the results for both areas/ bodies were around the same.
                                                                                         An actual big difference between the bodies of water was the turbidity and the
                                                                                         amount of nitrates in the water and that was in the rural area of Ripley, Ohio.
                                                                                         So I did reject my hypothesis because in the end rural area Ripley, Ohio was
                                                                                         the most polluted.
Environmental   Johnstone, Riley     McNicholas High   How Does Turbidity Effect         Fresh water makes up one third of the earth and is home to many aquatic
Sciences                                               Dissolved Oxygen Levels           plants and animals. Turbidity and dissolved oxygen can effect a fresh water
                                                                                         environment. After doing research, it is hypothesized that dissolved oxygen
                                                                                         will increase as turbidity levels decrease. Turbidity and dissolved oxygen are
                                                                                         key to the survival of aquatic plants and animals. When dissolved oxygen
                                                                                         levels are low for a long period of time eutrophication can take place and large
                                                                                         number of aquatic life can perish.

                                                                                         Twenty-nine locations were tested for turbidity and dissolved oxygen levels at
                                                                                         a one-hundred-ninety acre lake. Turbidity was tested using a secchi disk.
                                                                                         Dissolved oxygen levels were tested using a test kit. Tests were taken
                                                                                         between ten and three o'clock when the temperature was between sixty-three
                                                                                         and seventy degrees Fahrenheit. Secchi disk readings ranged from twelve to
                                                                                         one-hundred-nineteen point five centimeters. Dissolved oxygen levels ranged
                                                                                         from four to twelve ppm.

                                                                                         Results showed secchi disk depths below forty centimeters had an average DO
                                                                                         level of six point five. Secchi depths between forty-one and fifty centimeters
                                                                                         had an average DO level of nine. Secchi depths between fifty and fifty-nine
                                                                                         point five centimeters had an average DO level of nine point four. Secchi
                                                                                         depth between sixty and one-hundred and twenty had an average DO level of
                                                                                         six point six. In conclusion as turbidity increased DO levels decreased with a
                                                                                         slight decrease in DO levels where turbidity levels were the lowest.
                                                                                         Therefore, the hypothesis is both true and false.
Category        Student 1 Name    School Name      Title                               Abstract

Environmental   Schmidt, Steven   St Xavier High   Water Treatment Plants: Effect on   This project describes testing designed to determine if sewage-treatment
Sciences                                           the Little Miami                    plants located along the Little Miami River have a negative impact on water
                                                                                       quality. The hypothesis is as follows: Sewage-treatment plants along the
                                                                                       Little Miami River have a damaging impact on water quality. Multiple water
                                                                                       samples on three different collection days were taken both upstream and
                                                                                       downstream from five different water-treatment plants. Water samples, after
                                                                                       collection, were tested for nine different indicators of water quality, including
                                                                                       the presence of nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, and fecal coliform and the levels of
                                                                                       alkalinity, pH, turbidity, water hardness, and oxygen. These tests were done
                                                                                       using a variety of methods and materials, such as Easygel (for fecal coliform)
                                                                                       and dipstick tests (for almost all others). The data collected was analyzed for
                                                                                       trends that might indicate whether sewage-treatment plants are causing a
                                                                                       negative impact on the water quality of the river. The main method of
                                                                                       analysis compared samples upstream against samples downstream from each
                                                                                       plant. Of the nine experiments, two tests, ammonia and fecal coliform
                                                                                       displayed that water treatment plants have a negative influence on the Little
                                                                                       Miami River. The remaining seven tests displayed trends that either showed
                                                                                       no negative impact from sewage-treatment plants, or were inconclusive due to
                                                                                       variation in data or collection methods too coarse to accurately measure
                                                                                       results.
Environmental   Sears, Aaron      Sycamore High    The TRUTH Behind the                The intention of this project was to determine if three biodegradable bags from
Sciences                                           Degradation of Biodegradable        different manufactures, Company A, B, and C, will degrade under “backyard”
                                                                                       like conditions. Degradation of biodegradable bags is a concern for both
                                                                                       consumer value and environmental safety. Consumers spend extra money with
                                                                                       the belief that they are helping the environment. Environmental safety is also a
                                                                                       concern because if these bags do not degrade in “backyard” like conditions
                                                                                       then the “eco safe” purpose of these bags is void. To determine what
                                                                                       consumers think about biodegradable bags, surveys were handed out through
                                                                                       out the experiment and processed. The results uncovered the belief that many
                                                                                       biodegradable bags should degrade in backyard conditions. The bags in
                                                                                       question were buried in soil, exposed to constant room temperature, and
                                                                                       watered every week, stimulating “backyard” like conditions. Two tests, tensile
                                                                                       strength test and light test, were taken at the beginning and at the end of the
                                                                                       experiment, to verify that no change of these characteristics has occurred over
                                                                                       the nine week trial. We expect that the tensile strength test and the light test
                                                                                       results will remain the same at the end of the trial, signaling that degradation
                                                                                       cannot be possible under “backyard” like conditions because the optimal
                                                                                       settings for degradation cannot be simulated by a backyard condition.
Category        Student 1 Name      School Name          Title                              Abstract

Environmental   Talreja, Sohum      William Mason High   Ecotoxicity of Highway Deicing     The use of Highway Deicing Substance on roads is the preferred method to
Sciences                                                 Substance                          promote safe motor vehicle and pedestrian travel during winter months. But
                                                                                            what are the impacts of road-salt application to vegetation and plant growth?
                                                                                            To measure the impact on plant life, a dose/response experiment was
                                                                                            conducted to measure the response (seed germination & root length) of lettuce
                                                                                            seeds to 5 different concentrations of deicing solution (including control)
                                                                                            using the highway deicing substance used in Warren County. Hypothesis was
                                                                                            made that higher concentration of Highway Deicing Substance will inhibit the
                                                                                            seed germination and/or retard the growth of lettuce seedlings.
                                                                                            The experiment was conducted in 4 trials (Petri dishes) of 5 seeds each for 4
                                                                                            different concentrations ranging from 0.05M to 0.2M and also for control
                                                                                            solution. Distilled water was used as a control solution. 2ml of each solution
                                                                                            was added to each Petri dish. The Petri dishes were incubated in dark at a
                                                                                            constant temperature for 5 days. At the end of this time, the number of seeds
                                                                                            that germinated was counted and their root lengths were measured.
                                                                                            Based on experimental findings, seed germination reduced from 100% (for
                                                                                            control solution) to only 15% (for 0.2M deicing solution) and the average root
                                                                                            length reduced from 1.89cm (for control) to 0.07cm (for 0.2M deicing
                                                                                            solution) as the concentration of deicing solution increased. Hence, it was
                                                                                            concluded that the hypothesis, “Higher concentration of Highway Deicing
                                                                                            Substance will inhibit the seed germination and/or retard the growth of lettuce
                                                                                            seedlings” was correct.
Environmental   Zimmerman, Hannah   Turpin High          Which Type of Recycled Paper is    In this project, the strength of handmade recycled paper was tested. Thirty
Sciences                                                 the Strongest?                     pieces of paper were made: ten of cardboard, ten of newspaper, and ten of
                                                                                            cotton. Each piece of paper was hung with a basket attached to its base.
                                                                                            Weights were added in increments of ten grams until the first sign of breakage
                                                                                            or tearing appeared on the paper. The amount of weight present in the basket
                                                                                            at the time of this first damage was recorded as the result. The results showed
                                                                                            that recycled paper made from cardboard was the strongest, holding the most
                                                                                            weight before breakage. This was followed by recycled paper made from
                                                                                            newspaper. Recycled paper made from cotton was the weakest, breaking with
                                                                                            the lowest amount of weight added. The overall result is that recycled paper
                                                                                            made from paper is stronger than recycled paper made from cloth. These
                                                                                            results did not support the original hypothesis because it was expected that the
                                                                                            recycled paper made from cotton would be the strongest.
Mathematics     Tseng, Dennis       William Mason High   Generalized Nonaveraging Integer   Let the strictly increasing sequence S_{E_{m}} of nonnegative integers be
                                                         Sequences                          generated by the following conditions: Set the first term a[0]=0, and for all
                                                                                            nonnegative integer k, let a[k+1] be the minimum nonnegative integer such
                                                                                            that no element of {a[0],...,a[k+1]} is the average of m-1 distinct other
                                                                                            elements. Intuitively, S_{E_{m}} is the sequence generated by the greedy
                                                                                            algorithm to satisfy the specified "nonaveraging" condition. Szekeres gave a
                                                                                            closed-form description of S_{E_{3}} in 1936, and Layman provided a
                                                                                            similar description of S_{E_{4}} in 1999. We first find closed forms for some
                                                                                            similar greedy sequences that avoid averages in terms not all the same. Then,
                                                                                            we extend the closed-form description of S_{E_{m}} from the known cases
                                                                                            when m=3 and m=4 to any integer m>2. With the help of a computer, we also
                                                                                            generalize this to sequences that avoid solutions to specific weighted averages
                                                                                            in distinct terms. Finally, from the closed forms of these sequences, we find
                                                                                            asymptotic bounds to their growth rates, which are related to how efficiently
                                                                                            the greedy algorithm constructs dense sets of integers that satisfy the
                                                                                            "nonaveraging" conditions used to generate the sequences.
Category            Student 1 Name   School Name     Title                            Abstract

Medicine & Health   Bacon, Cassie    Turpin High     Enamel at risk                   The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect certain acidic (low
                                                                                      in pH levels) beverages have on the erosion of tooth enamel. It involves
                                                                                      bovine incisors as the test system on which the effects of six test beverages-
                                                                                      regular Lemon Lime Soda, diet Lemon Lime Soda, regular Apple Juice, diet
                                                                                      Apple juice, distilled water, and decaffeinated black tea-were evaluated. In
                                                                                      order to determine the effect acidic beverages have on tooth enamel erosion,
                                                                                      three parameters were measured. These included change in pH of the beverage
                                                                                      after exposure of incisors, change in the calcium concentration in the test
                                                                                      beverages, and hardness of the tooth surfaces. The experiment consisted of
                                                                                      fifteen cycles in which teeth were exposed to specific beverage for twenty
                                                                                      minutes per cycle. In between exposures, the teeth were soaked in distilled
                                                                                      water for ten minutes. Depending on the cycle, the changes in pH, calcium,
                                                                                      and hardness were measured and recorded. After experimentation was
                                                                                      completed, there was evidence to support the conclusion that repeated
                                                                                      exposure of intact incisors to acidic beverages caused erosion of tooth enamel.
Medicine & Health   Bao, Erik        Sycamore High   Oncogenes and Tumor Suppressor   Lung cancer is the most common cancer in the world in both incidence and
                                                     Genes: Biomarkers f              mortality. The purpose of this project was to identify a set of oncogenes and
                                                                                      tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) as biomarkers for lung cancer, which would in
                                                                                      turn contribute toward future diagnostic and therapeutic applications. This
                                                                                      project implemented comprehensive bioinformatics approaches to identify the
                                                                                      gene signature or finger print for lung adenocarcinoma.
                                                                                         First, I downloaded a mega microarray set of over 200 normal and lung
                                                                                      adenocarcinoma samples (PNAS. 2001; 98:13790). Multiple statistical
                                                                                      classification methods, including T-Test and k-Nearest Neighbor, were used to
                                                                                      identify differently-expressed genes and to predict classifiers between cancer
                                                                                      and normal samples. Second, I searched public disease databases and genome-
                                                                                      wide association studies (GWAS) for the up-to-date collection of lung cancer-
                                                                                      related genes and their associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).
                                                                                      Third, top-ranking genes collected from the previous two steps were combined
                                                                                      and further subjected to mutual-interactions analysis, functional classification,
                                                                                      and individual-gene research.
                                                                                         The study identified a number of known TSGs (CAV1 and WIF1) and
                                                                                      novel genes who behave as selective TSGs (AGER, FCN3, and C10orf116) or
                                                                                      oncogenes (SPP1 and S100P). The genes in this group are functionally related
                                                                                      and have a strong tendency to form physical or chemical interactions among
                                                                                      each other. “DNA replication, recombination, and repair” is the most enriched
                                                                                      functional category for these genes (3.7E-25). Because mutations and altered
                                                                                      expressions can both cause cancer, the integration of the analysis of
                                                                                      microarray and genome-wise SNP-phenotype association provided a
                                                                                      comprehensive gene signature for lung cancer.
Category            Student 1 Name              School Name          Title                             Abstract

Medicine & Health   Bartel, Leah                McNicholas High      Does Straightening Hair Damage    Many people today straighten their hair with a flat iron, which can be
                                                                     It?                               damaging to the hair. To test this statement, an experiment was created that
                                                                                                       compared straightened hair to hair that had never been straightened. The
                                                                                                       hypothesis stated that the straightened hair will be more heavily damaged than
                                                                                                       the hair that was not straightened. The background research broke down the
                                                                                                       elements of a strand of hair; the two main parts, the hair follicle and the hair
                                                                                                       shaft. To conduct the experiment, two types of hair were collected,
                                                                                                       straightened and non-straightened. The strands of hair were then prepared on
                                                                                                       slides and afterward, were looked at under a microscope. The data was
                                                                                                       recorded in two graphs to make it easier to read and calculate the percentages.
                                                                                                       By adding the tallies in each column and then dividing that number by the
                                                                                                       total number of hair samples in that section (forty-five) is how the percentages
                                                                                                       were calculated. The data showed that 46.67% of straightened hair was
                                                                                                       heavily damaged while only 6.67% of non-straightened hair was heavily
                                                                                                       damaged. The hypothesis was proven to be correct by the data and if there was
                                                                                                       to be a continuation of this project, an experiment would be done to see the
                                                                                                       effects of heat protectants on straightened hair.
Medicine & Health   Chernyakhovsky, Alexander   William Mason High   Designing Vaccines for Emerging   Influenza A viruses, including the highly pathogenic H5N1 strains, undergo
                                                                     Influenza Pathogen                punctuated genetic evolutions in Hemagglutinin (HA) that significantly alter
                                                                                                       their antigenic characteristics potentially giving rise to pandemic strains. In
                                                                                                       the past, pandemic strains have emerged due to reassortment events in a host
                                                                                                       coinfected by human and avian strains. In 1997, the first outbreak of H5N1
                                                                                                       human infections demonstrated the capability of humans to serve as mixing
                                                                                                       vessels for such reassortment events. Consequently, temporo-spatial
                                                                                                       forecasting of potential inter-species influenza in humans at the viral strain
                                                                                                       level is vital for development of effective vaccines. Accordingly, this paper
                                                                                                       describes a novel methodology involving the use of temporo-spatial, in silico
                                                                                                       macro-epidemiological analysis comprised of bio-simulations and
                                                                                                       bioinformatics to identify HA isolates from regions of infection with human
                                                                                                       and avian influenza. The SEIR-based model utilizes real-world statistical data
                                                                                                       on human infections with avian viruses, waterfowl migration (the primary
                                                                                                       vector of avian influenza), global poultry population (an intermediate host)
                                                                                                       and global human population. Results from the bio-simulations are subjected
                                                                                                       to bioinformatics-based analysis to isolate candidate viral strains. Candidate
                                                                                                       strains are compared to WHO vaccine strains to validate this methodology.
                                                                                                       The candidate strains are then proposed for use in the heterologous influenza
                                                                                                       vaccine targeted for emerging pathogens.
Medicine & Health   Cradduck, Stephanie         Anderson High        Generic Vs. Name Brand            My project is the cost analysis between generic brand and name brand foods. I
                                                                                                       compared how long the food lasted to how much it cost to see which type was
                                                                                                       better. I created to variables in my experiment the first being generic verses
                                                                                                       name brand and the second being room temperature verses refrigerated. Both
                                                                                                       variables intended to determine whether generic is truly a better deal. My
                                                                                                       results were kind of complicated in the sense that there are many variables. I
                                                                                                       found that from the shelf the generic foods would appear to be cheaper and
                                                                                                       would be if you didn’t expect it to last all the way through its expiration date.
                                                                                                       The name brand foods were a much better deal if you were planning on eating
                                                                                                       any of the foods after seven days. I learned a lot about name brand and generic
                                                                                                       foods during this process and am so glad I did my project on generic verses
                                                                                                       name brand!
Category            Student 1 Name     School Name       Title                                Abstract

Medicine & Health   Dahlem, Caroline   Turpin High       Potential Treatments of Parkinson's The purpose of this experiment is to further establish 1-methyl-4-phenyl-
                                                         in Zebrafish                        1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) treated zebrafish (Danio rerio) as an
                                                                                             animal model for Parkinson’s Disease (PD). PD is a neurodegenerative
                                                                                             disease characterized by the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia
                                                                                             nigra. Treatments now available are not fully effective and have irreconcilable
                                                                                             side effects. MPTP is a neurotoxin that kills dopaminergic neurons, causing
                                                                                             PD symptoms. Zebrafish, when treated with MPTP, provide an accurate,
                                                                                             efficient and inexpensive model for PD that can be used to screen potential
                                                                                             treatments. In this experiment transgenic zebra fish that express green
                                                                                             florescent protein (GFP) in their vascular tissue were used to allow for
                                                                                             vascular tissue damage to be easily detected and measured. When compared to
                                                                                             fish treated only with water, fish treated with MPTP showed damage to the
                                                                                             vascular tissue in areas associated with dopamine neurons. Since these fish
                                                                                             have proven to be an accurate and effective model, potential treatments can be
                                                                                             tested using this method. Melatonin acts as an antioxidant, and is therefore
                                                                                             able to prevent the damage done by MPTP. By using tyrosine hydroxolase
                                                                                             (TH) staining and confocal microscopy dopaminergic cell death will be
                                                                                             determined. Preliminary results indicate that in this model fish treated with
                                                                                             melatonin are less susceptible to the dopaminergic cell death caused by
                                                                                             MPTP.
Medicine & Health   Gingras, Abbey     Anderson High     Is Your Home As Clean As You         The purpose of our experiment was to discover the different types of bacteria
                                                         Thought?                             and the diseases they cause on common objects we touch every day. For our
                                                                                              experiment, we would first sanitize our hands with hot water and soap. Then,
                                                                                              we would touch whatever object we wanted to test for 5 seconds. Next, we
                                                                                              would wipe the hand on the Agar in the Petri dish and allow the bacteria to
                                                                                              grow for 1 week. Then, we performed the Gram Stain test to color the bacteria
                                                                                              to see if it was Gram-Positive or Gram-Negative bacteria. Finally, we looked
                                                                                              at the slides with the stained bacteria under the microscope to identify the
                                                                                              color of the cell wall. Our results were that even though public objects are
                                                                                              touched more often and exposed to more diseases then objects in your house,
                                                                                              both had amounts of Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative diseases on them.

Medicine & Health   Hykle, Stephen     McNicholas High   Digestion                            The problem is how an acid breaks down fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.
                                                                                              The hypothesis is that carbohydrates will break down the quickest and to the
                                                                                              finest of substances because carbohydrates are the main source of energy for
                                                                                              the human body and the enzymes and the starches and sugars will react
                                                                                              quickly. The hypothesis was correct, carbohydrates broke down the quickest
                                                                                              followed by proteins and then fats. Bread was used as the carbohydrate,
                                                                                              peanuts for the proteins, and a piece of steak fat for lipids. The acid used was
                                                                                              a house cleaner called “The Works” which contains a weaker acid, which is
                                                                                              not as strong as stomach acid which is hydrochloric acid. The acid was
                                                                                              effective, but not as effective as a hydrochloric acid. The variables used
                                                                                              would be more effective and the breaking down process would have gone
                                                                                              quicker if hydrochloric acid had been used. The Ph of hydrochloric acid is
                                                                                              lower than the one used thus a stronger acid.
                                                                                              The experiment took three to four hours because that’s the length of time that
                                                                                              food is in the human stomach before passing on to other digestive organs for
                                                                                              more simplifying. In the experiment the food was observed every fifteen
                                                                                              minutes to record data. The amount of acid used for proteins was double than
                                                                                              that of the carbohydrates and fats because proteins take longer to break down.
                                                                                              In conclusion, the acid didn’t seem strong enough to break apart the fat.
You can also read