By Rachael Shugars, AAP Columnist
On Jan. 11, Pennsauken High School held its first semester science fair. I decided to visit my old alma mater to see what the buzz was about.
Almost 100 students set up displays on some seriously cool topics; from the science behind what a soft drink will do to an egg (spoiler alert: you’ll rethink drinking soda), all the way to understanding and studying leaf pigmentation.
The auditorium was bustling with students explaining their experiments, faculty dutifully observing, and proud parents snapping pictures of their science-savvy teens.
I got to speak with student Kaitlin Soriano, who, along with classmate Terrance Philips, presented a display on heat diffusion. Their experiment showed why a balloon filled with water would take longer to burst than ones filled with other substances. Soriano explained how salt water popped much faster when exposed to fire than regular water. She beamed with pride next to her presentation. Kaitlin and Terrance did a great job.
Student scientist Aleksi Knaus presented a display on blood spatter analysis that was as graphic as it was detailed. It explained how forensic scientists can uncover clues about a crime just from blood patterns at the crime scene. Aleksi, along with all the other participating students, presented a hypothesis statement, research data, materials, their process, and their conclusions in perfect scientific fashion.
If you missed the chance to visit the science fair this semester, don’t fret! There will be a second semester science fair held later this year, just before school ends.
All the student scientists involved deserve a round of applause for taking part in such a fun and educational event!
CHEMISTRY
| Place | Project | Project Title | Students |
| 1st Place | 21 | Stomach Acid Vs. Antacid | Isaiah Norman
Jacquelyn Vazquez |
| 2nd Place | 8 | Unboiling an Egg/ Renaturing Protein | Brandon Khop
Davis Tran |
| 3rd Place | 7 | Heartinator | Erica Le
Angela Nicado |
PHYSICS
| Place | Project | Project Title | Students |
| 1st Place | 13 | The Brilliant Brachistochrone | Ngan Chiem
Dairon Estevez |
| 2nd Place | 24 | How Fast Does Light Travel Through Water vs. Dissolved Salt Water | Ramsha Chowdhary |
| 3rd Place | 11 | MP3 Impressions | Giovani Mateo |
BIOLOGY – Group A
| Place | Project | Project Title | Students |
| 1st Place | 20 | What Will Happen Next Will Shock You | David Do
Jimmy Le |
| 2nd Place | 27 | How Does Hand Sanitizer Affect Bacteria and The Types Left Behind | Katy Kha
Tiana Summer James |
| 3rd Place | 23 | Reaction Times: Athletes Vs. NonAthletes | Emily Gairo
Megan Flaherty |
BIOLOGY – Group B
| Place | Project | Project Title | Students |
| 1st Place | Project 30 | Gummy Bear Osmosis | Jessica Luu |
| 2nd Place | Project 28 | Liquids and Their rate of Evaporation | Vivian Nguyen |
| 3rd Place | Project 41 | Antibacterial Products Vs. Bacteria | Sion Reynoso |
BIOLOGY- Group C
| Place | Project | Project Title | Students |
| 1st Place | 47 | Positive Impact of Anabolic Steroids | Muhammad Mubashir |
| 2nd Place | 52 | Heart Rate Vs. Caffeine | Delilah Lewis
Muneerah Hameen |
| 2nd Place | 58 | Blood Spatter Analysis | Aleksei Knaus |
| 3rd Place | 42 | Dog Senses | Sandy Lam |
PSYCHOLOGY
| Place | Project | Project Title | Students |
| 1st Place | 38 | Metacognition | Steven Nguyen |
| 2nd Place | 53 | Multitasking? Can you do it? | Sarah Mireles |
| 3rd Place | 50 | Music Vs Memorization | Cassandra Gordon
Jessica Rojas |
