WECHS Science Fair

Last week, Wilkes Early College High School students participated in the annual Science Fair. Most of the students were juniors, who had been working in Dr. Pipes’ class to perfect their projects. Leading up to the fair, students researched topics in science that they are interested in. Some students worked in pairs or groups of three. They learned about the layout of successful science fair boards.

From the students’ perspective, the Science Fair was an interesting learning experience that many have participated in since elementary school. There was some rushing to finish at the end, but it was worth it when the students saw and compared all of their completed projects. Students competed in six categories, and two projects of each category will move on to the Wilkes County Science Fair on November 18-19. Students were in healthy competition with each other to get one of the top two spots. Results are listed below.

Names in bold qualify to compete in the county competition. Congratulations!

Biological A

1st Place: Kaitlyn & Lauren

Question: Will makeup application with sponge or fingers leave the most bacteria on the face?

2nd Place: Lesly & Sarah

Question: Is that really bacteria living in yogurt?

Biological B

1st Place: Brenna

Question: Does the Stroop Effect still apply if the words are warped?

2nd Place: Courtney & Caighlen

Question: Do students learn foreign languages better using picture association or word association?

3rd Place: Daniel

Question: Are students’ concentration skills influence negatively when driving?

Honorable Mention: Dawson & Diego

Question: Is reward or punishment the better motivator for work?

Chemistry

1st Place: Mikki

Question: Will fire make invisible ink messages appear?

2nd Place: Jazmine & Phoenix

Question: What chemical reaction can make a toy car move the farthest?

3rd Place: Bethany

Question: Is dark- or light-colored soda worse for teeth?

Earth & Environmental

1st Place: Olivia

Question: Does the vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) produce more energy than the horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) or anemometer wind turbine?

2nd Place: Corey & Pedro

Question: How much water do Americans use?

Technology & Engineering

1st Place: Marcus & Angel

Question: Can people identify what brand of earphone they are listening to by the sound quality?

2nd Place: Matthew

Question: What happens to the shot pattern as the size of the shot increases?

Physics

1st Place: Daniella & Kristina

Question: Can a person predict the location of impact using the shape and angle of the spatter of blood?

2nd Place: Heaven

Question: How much impact does the thickness of a magnet have on levitation?

3rd Place: Jessica

Question: Does the color of a candle affect its burning speed?

Honorable Mention: Austin, Jacob, & Adriana

Question: Does the pitching stances of a baseball impact the speed of the ball?