An Onalaska Middle School 7th grade student proudly stands by his display board at the Math and Science Expo. (Photo by John Dudley)

The annual Math and Science Expo was held at the La Crosse Center in La Crosse, Wis. April 16, 2008.  There were science and math projects on display from sixth through eighth grade students from 15 local schools.  An event of this magnitude required volunteers to evaluate the student’s projects.  Bill Thrune of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (La Crosse District) as well as Ryan Katona, Eric Leis and Sarah Bauer of the La Crosse Fish Health Center volunteered to be reviewers for the event.  The projects covered a wide array of topics such as electromagnetism, Chinese water torture, effectiveness of stain removers and soaps, building hover crafts, green fuels, and toxicity tolerance of plants.   The students conducted their projects to learn about the scientific method. The day appeared to be a success as the students enthusiastically explained their projects.