by CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
WHITEWATER REGION (Cobden) — Cobden District Public School students, who are also sisters, were the only two Renfrew County Regional Science and Technology Fair participants from Cobden District Public School.
One brought home four awards while the other brought home the knowledge that she did well and is already looking forward to next year’s science fair.
Ali and Sam Wyatt each participated for the second time at the fair.
Teacher Lorraine Hamilton encouraged students to participate. While only two spent time on their own to create their projects, she said, “They both did really well.”
Ali’s project was titled Sunny Solar and for this she tested three different configurations of solar panels to see which one worked the best.
Sunny Solar won Best Grade 6 Project Award of Excellence; first place in the Engineering and Computer Science for Grade 6; Nuclear Research Award of Excellence from the Canadian Nuclear Society and the Ontario Power Generator Award for Excellent Use of Energy.
Last year her project was on how to slow down the greenhouse effect via a renewable energy source, which then turned into Sunny Solar for this year.
“It was really surprising (to win four awards),” Ali said, adding, “I didn’t expect it.”
Sam’s project was Salt or Not – testing different substances to see how fast they would melt ice and slow down the formation of ice.
While brainstorming for a science project, Sam recalled, “I saw all the plants that were harmed by the road salt all along the side of the road. I was trying to find something that would work as well but wouldn’t be as harmful.”
Unfortunately, Sam was not able to find another product that would melt the ice without harming the plants and provide traction for vehicles.
“I didn’t place but I did fairly well at the science fair,” she said.
Sam already has a project idea for next year, but isn’t yet revealing what it is.
Ali said there were 52 projects at the fair.
It was the 38th Annual Renfrew County Regional Science and Technology Fair and was held at the Petawawa Civic Centre on April 7. Students from Grades 6 to 12 could participate in any of the five categories: engineering and computer science; health sciences; physical and mathematical science; life sciences and earth and environmental sciences.
There are three students from Highview School and one from Valour School who move on to participate in the Canada-Wide Science Fair at Carleton University in Ottawa. It will be held May 12 to 19.
The Highview students are Brian Kong, who investigated Water Purification; Clara Biernackie who provided A First Look at Eastern Ontario’s Tardigrade Fauna and Jaime Fletcher who studied The Phenomenon of Inattentional Blindness. Jessica Yemen, from Valour, provided an in-depth look at water treatment.
