Photos

Exhibits at the Bromfield Science Fair ranged from a lemon-powered clock (by Jane Sullebarger) to studies of the H1N1 flu. Interested in alternative energy? You could find displays on solar-powered vehicles, wind turbines, or converting your car to run on vegetable oil. Budding botanists experimented with tendril sensitivity (Matt Jones, Brock Kenyon, and Doug Blanton) or the effects of household cleaners on plant growth (Michael Jacoby).

A number of experiments on display at the Feb. 5 fair arose from students’ interest in psychology. Alice Kennedy and Rachel Leicher focused on a form of therapy known as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), used to treat post-traumatic stress. Ian Christie measured gender differences in cognitive functioning. And Yasmine Kanaan studied the “halo effect,” testing whether good-looking people are also assumed to be more intelligent.

For those with a practical bent, Kathryn Hodskins found the best storage method for keeping fruit fresh. And for the history buff, Jake Kline proved that, yes, Cleopatra could have dissolved a pearl in Marc Anthony’s wine, as described by Pliny the Elder. 

And the winners are …

Grade 6

• First place: Katie Erdos—A comparison of water consumption between hydroponic and soil farming
• Second place: Luca Basile—Humidity levels and mold growth
• Third place: Deirdre Kennedy and Amy Hunter—Beverage basics: how acidic is it?
• Honorable mention: Mark Schwiegershausen—Surface composition of air hockey pucks and travel distance;  Jimmy Nigzus—Support strength of various types of woods for bridge support

Grade 7

• First place: Emily Erdos—Do you hear what I hear?
• Second place: Kathryn Hodskins—Keeping fruit fresh; Heather Downing—Investigating alternative energy sources for Harvard
• Third place: Casey Russel and Yonah Joffe—The effect of temperature on yeast growth
• Honorable mention: Annie Cooper—Can a hedgehog produce enough electricity to light a bulb?

Grade 8

• First place and Middle School blue rosette: Nikki Margaretos—Building a savonious wind turbine generator
• Second place: Katya Schwiegershausen—Finding the most efficient wind turbine; Martina Stadler—The cold house
• Third place: Alexia Lipman—Effect of natural antibacterial on hand bacteria; Ali Hanlon and Amy Hu—Bacteria and fruit juices
• Honorable mention: Preston Wilkey—Solar-assisted boat; Carly Williams and Maddie Rice—How a simple voice synthesizer works; Heidi Nocka and Heather Grant—Comparing hovercrafts

Grade 9

• First place: Alyssa Johnson—The effect of air flow on hovercraft performance
• Second place: Kara Kennedy—Measuring air pressure with suction cups
• Third place: V. Rasania and Janet Sorrells—How different light sources affect the velocity of solar-powered cars

High School

• First place and High School rosette: Nikki Snyder—Beneath the bark: exploring white pine
• Second place: Alice Kennedy and Rachel Leicher—Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing; Andrew Hong—Soil remediation of arsenic-contaminated fields in Juanjiang, China; Ann Chacko and Lily Ritter—How turmeric affects bacterial growth
• Third place: Amber Sullivan—Effects of different types of water

Special Awards

• Bare Hill Pond Committee
  Preston Wilkey (grade 8)—Solar-assisted boat
  Andrea D’Eramo and Emily Metzger (grade 12)—Diatoms: a study of water health
   
• Conservation Commission
  Laura Zupancic and Jocelyn Harte (grade 11)—Harmful algal blooms
  Sabine Neshke (grade 8)—Pollution in Still River
   
• Conservation Trust
  Nikki Snyder (grade 12)—Beneath the bark: exploring white pine
  Andrew Hong (grade 11)—Soil remediation of arsenic-contaminated fields in Juanjiang, China
  Nikki Margaretos (grade 8)—Building a savonious wind turbine generator
   
• Garden Club
  Katie Erdos (grade 6)—A comparison of water consumption between hydroponic and soil farming
  Michael Jacoby (grade 6)—The effects of cleaning products on plant growth
  Luke Blauch and Patrick Sweeney (grade 12)—The Idiocracy effect
   
• League of Women Voters
  Andrew Hong (grade 11)—Soil remediation of arsenic-contaminated fields in Juanjiang, China
   
• Nashua River Watershed Association
  Amber Sullivan (grade 12)—Effects of different types of water
  Sabine Neshke (grade 8)—Pollution in Still River
   
• Harvard Parent-Teacher Organization
  Luca Basile (grade 6)—Humidity levels and mold growth
  Casey Russel and Yonah Joffe (grade 7)—The effect of temperature on yeast growth
  Lena Karotkin and Lizzie Rooney (grade 8)—Mt. Mento
  Alyssa Johnson (grade 9)—The effect of air flow on hovercraft performance
  Jake Kline (grade 10)—Cleopatra’s pearl
  Ben Landry (grade 12)—Decoding H1N1
   
• School Committee
  Sam Zajac (grade 8)—The spectra of elements and its astrophysical applications
  Pat Pesa and Nicholas Robinson (grade 7)—The effects of music on schoolwork
   
• Harvard Schools Trust
  Hannah Kline (grade 6)—The effects of different types of music on balletic balance
  Sam Aney and Ryan Williams (grade 12)—Gestalt theory applied to auditory perception
   
• Lions Club
  Thomas Brown and Ryan Byrne (grade 6)—Age and visual perception
  Emily Erdos (grade 7)—Do you hear what I hear?
  Carly Williams and Maddie Rice (grade 8)—How a simple voice synthesizer works
  Vinsula Hastings and Megan Harrington (grade 12)—How does smell affect memory?
  Alice Kennedy and Rachel Leicher (grade 11)—Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing