16th Annual Diocesan Science Fair has many firsts this year as students show their skills

Courtesy photo/Andy Airriess

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Al Martinez, science fair chairman for the Utah Knights of Columbus, judges an experiment. 

DRAPER — There were many firsts this year at the Knights of Columbus-sponsored 16th Annual Diocesan Science Fair, which was Feb. 25 and drew 267 entries.

For the first time the Skaggs Catholic Center hosted the science fair and will serve as the host site for future events.

"We out grew the other venues," said Vicky Simpson, Diocesan Science Fair co-coordinator and Saint Francis Xavier School science and math teacher.

Also for the first time, students with top honors from the Diocesan Science Fair will advance to the Salt Lake Valley Science and Engineering Fair this month. Forty students qualified and will compete for scholarships.

"We wanted the diocesan schools to participate and we needed a qualifying venue to do that, so Vicky Simpson and I worked with the other teachers to make this a qualifying fair," said Jim Larsen, Diocesan Science Fair co-coordinator and J.E. Cosgriff Middle School science and math teacher.

Theyoung Puoy, an eighth-grader from the Madeleine Choir School, won the Diocesan Science Fair top honor, the Young Scientist of the Year award, for her project "Does light affect the rate at which food spoils?"

Puoy also won first place in eighth-grade biological science, the overall eighth grade award, and the overall biological science award.

Sarah Frederick, an eighth-grader from J.E. Cosgriff Memorial School, won another of the fair’s high honors, the Overall Best Physiology Project, for "My Plastic Brain." Dr. Daniel Malleske of the American Physiological Society presented the award.

"In science we often develop hypotheses and as we are testing them, we realize that our methods are not right and we need to design another experiment to truly get to the bottom of the question we’ve asked," Malleske said. "I don’t usually expect that to be a complexity at science fairs. But Fredrick totally wowed me when she found problems in her project and changed them to accurately assess her experimental question."

Frederick chose her project after watching a documentary on House of Representative Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), who was shot in the head last year. Frederick said Giffords is doing better now because of neuroplasticity, which was the subject of her experiment.

Frederick also won the Best Use of Oral Presentation award.

Eighth-grader Amy Cremer, from Saint Francis Xavier School, won the overall astronomy award for her project "The Salty Side of the Moon," and received a telescope donated by Knight of Columbus Thomas Sevcik.

Cremer wasn’t sure she was going to enter the science fair this year, but did after she received encouragement from her teacher, she said.

Another first this year were entries from Saint Andrew School in Riverton, which expanded to eighth grade at the beginning of the school year and so sent students to the diocesan science fair.

The school now offers grades preK through 8.

"I’ve loved being here," said Beth Gallagher, St. Andrew science and math teacher. "We rearranged schedules to make it possible for students to have this experience this year. We had seven students sign up and five of them are sixth-graders. That will produce more excitement for next year when they talk about their experience and how well they did."

St. Andrew sixth-grader Robson Munoz is among those who can share his excitement; he won first place in physical science for his project using magnets and a wire coil to create an electric motor. He also took home the overall sixth grade award.

Each year the Knights contribute $200 to the host school and $100 to the host teacher. In another first this year, the teachers and the Knights used the money to purchase science fair T-shirts for the students in honor of Ed Schulfer, science fair co-founder along with his daughter, Kimberly Beger.