News>Feature - School kids impress AFTAC judges at Science Fair
Photos
Jacob Casko, a 6th Grader at Croton Elementary School in Melbourne, Fla., defends his hypothesis to Dr. William Junek (center) and Jorge Roman-Nieves, both from the Air Force Technical Applications Center at Patrick AFB, Fla. The two geophysicists volunteered to serve as judges for the school's annual Science Fair that was held Jan. 31, 2013. “I was so impressed with each student’s work and the level of detail they put into their research," said Junek. “Just when I thought we had a winner after speaking to one student, the next student arrived and impressed us even more." (U.S. Air Force photo by Susan A. Romano)
Dr. William Junek (right) and his judging partner, Jorge Roman-Nieves, pose questions to Croton Elementary School 6th Grader Mya Andrews during the school's annual Science Fair Jan. 31, 2013. Junek and Roman-Nieves volunteered to serve as judges for the program, and were given the opportunity to meet with students like Mya to question their research. (U.S. Air Force photo by Susan A. Romano)
Catherine Murphy (right), an educator at Croton Elementary School in Melbourne, Fla., goes over judging criteria with (l to r) Raphael Grace, Glen Merry and Capt. Michael Mulligan during school's 2013 Science Fair. The men, who work at the Air Force Technical Applications Center at Patrick AFB, Fla., volunteered their time to serve as judges for the fair, which was held Jan. 31. (U.S. Air Force photo by Susan A. Romano)
Thomas VanDeMark (left) confers with Dr. Robert Kemerait, as the two serve as judges at the Croton Elementary School's annual Science Fair Jan. 31, 2013. Students in grades 3-6 were required to submit a science project that fell into one of three categories—physical, environmental or biological—and volunteers from the Air Force Technical Applications Center at Patrick AFB, Fla., graded and scored each eligible entry. “I enjoy seeing the creativity and level of competence from these junior scientists, and it warms my heart to know that many of these students may go on to pursue a career in a scientific field,” said Kemerait. (U.S. Air Force photo by Susan A. Romano)
The marquee at Croton Elementary School in Melbourne, Fla., proudly welcomes volunteers from the Air Force Technical Applications Center, Patrick AFB, Fla., Jan. 31, 2013. Scientists, engineers and analysts from the nuclear treaty monitoring center served as judges for the school's annual Science Fair. (U.S. Air Force photo by Susan A. Romano)
2/12/2013 - PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Do ants like sugar or artificial sweeteners better? Which popcorn brand leaves the least amount of unpopped kernels? Does salt water melt ice faster than sugar water?
These were just some of the questions members of the Air Force Technical Applications Center analyzed as they served as judges for Croton Elementary School's annual Science Fair Jan. 31.
Students in grades 3-6 were required to submit a science project that fell into one of three categories: physical, environmental or biological. Once they selected a category, the students then put together a tri-fold display board with elements from their research: their hypothesis, materials list, step-by-step procedures, illustrations of the trials, graphs and charts, outcomes, and of course, if they proved or disproved their hypothesis.
Fifteen AFTAC volunteers were given a rubric - a guide listing specific criteria for grading or scoring each entry - and were divided up into small groups to judge the various categories. The volunteers, whose educational backgrounds ranged in scope from biology and geology to electrical engineering and political science, seemed more excited about serving as judges than the students who submitted their works.
"I really love participating in events like this," said Dr. Robert Kemerait, one of AFTAC's senior scientists. "I enjoy seeing the creativity and level of competence from these junior scientists, and it warms my heart to know that many of these students may go on to pursue a career in a scientific field."
The judges were given the opportunity to interview any student from whom they wanted additional information or a stronger explanation on a particular aspect of his or her project. Dr. William Junek and his judging partner, Jorge Roman-Nieves, both geophysicists, took the opportunity to interview all four of their top-rated students.
"I was so impressed with each student's work and the level of detail they put into their research," said Junek. "Just when I thought we had a winner after speaking to one student, the next student arrived and impressed us even more. I had to keep reminding myself that these were elementary school kids because they really came across as much more mature and skilled!"
After looking over more than 300 of the 648 total submissions (some were disqualified for lacking required material), the judges got together, tallied their scores, and presented their findings to Catherine Murphy and Terry Williams, Croton's project coordinators for the 2013 Science Fair.
"Our goal for this annual event is to improve each student's 'science literacy' and get them excited about the different fields of study," said Williams. "More important, we want the students to take what they learned during their research and apply it to everyday life--that is a critical factor in the process."
Murphy said the winners would be announced that evening with parents and students in attendance at the school's Science Fair. From there, each first place winner would then go on to compete at the county's southern division level in his or her specific grade and category.
"Although we've never had a first place winner from Croton in years past, we've had several students win special awards from sponsors at the county-wide Science Fair," said Murphy. "We're excited to compete this year and hopeful that we'll have the 'best of the best' representing our school. We owe a debt of thanks to all the judges from AFTAC who took the time out of their busy work schedules to help the Croton Cardinals!"
And just for the record, ants don't care for artificial sweeteners at all.
