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Science Fair

Science Fair (scroll down to see our AWIS winners)

Northeast Regional Science Fair judging. Please volunteer to help judge for AWIS or for some other category or group. The science fair is a great way to encourage young women and men in the sciences and math. Contact Krysta Riel Maas to volunteer to judge for AWIS and for more information.

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Science Fair Information from Cynthia Welsh, Science Fair Director:

The NE MN Regional Science Fair will again be held at UMD Kirby Ballroom, . Our website is up and running so that you can register to judge again this year, please register at www.nemnregscifair.org. Use you same login and password as last year. If you have not registered before go to our website and register to the site and then register to judge.

The judges will need to be there between 7 and 7:30 AM and they should be done by 12:30 PM. We offer a light lunch and breakfast. The judging room will be in CHEM 200 this year.

General information: The Regional Fair offers more than one hundred 7th to 12th grade students (from five counties: Carlton, Cook, Lake, Pine and St. Louis) the opportunity to display their science projects and be judged for advancement to the Minnesota Academy of Science State Science Fair, following in April. Project areas are Behavioral Science, Biochemistry, Botany, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Environmental Science, Earth and Space Science, Mathematics, Medicine, Microbiology, Physics and Zoology. About a third of the regional participants move on to present their projects at the state fair. In addition, two students (9th to 12th grade) from our Regional Science Fair are chosen to enter the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) held in May. Finally, ten student papers are selected (from our region) for State Fair competition. The new NE Regional Science Fair coordinator is Cindy Welsh from Cloquet High School.

If you have any questions please email me at cwelsh at cloquet.k12.mn.us. The website has the schedule and other information for judging.

Thank you so much for helping the science students of the NE MN Region, hopefully we are allowing the opportunity for future scientists to bloom.

Again thank you!!!
Cynthia Welsh, EdD
NE MN Regional Science Fair Director

2010 Wrap-up

AWIS judges 7th and 8th grade girls in all categories. Judging for 2010 were Krysta Riel Mass, Valerie Brady, Anett Trebitz, Laura Solem, Melissa Burke, Cindy Hagley, Martha Minchek

We awarded $25 and a certificate to each of the following girls for their project:

	Are gender stereotypes accurate and does age affect them? by Mary B. (Holy Rosary)
Can water be a fuel? by Sonja L. (Woodland)
	Does grass prevent erosion by Hannah P. (Woodland)

We also awarded certificates alone to the following students:

• Hardwork and dedication: Rony H. Cloquet Middle School. The effects of milkweed type on monarch larvae life spans
• Clarity: Elise H. Woodland Middle School. Multitasking: Beneficial or detrimental?
• Well-designed experiment: Erin P. Holy Rosary Middle School. Does cell phone use affect concentration?
• Scientific thought: Vanessa K. and Katie B. Woodland Middle School. Got Mercury?
• Experimental design: Allie P. Edison School. The effect of ice melt on iron.
• Scientific thought: Sarah A. Which brand of aspirin contains the most amount of fillers?
• Ingenuity: Samantha T. Holy Rosary Middle School. Does the type of insulation affect the amount of airflow through it?
• Depth of understanding: Katelyn L. Cloquet Middle School. The use of corn gluten to control algal growth in lakes – Phase II.
• Scientific investigation: Elle C. Woodland Middle School. What is the most effective way to wash your hands?

Congratulations to all these students and their teachers for their hard work on science fair this year, and thanks to the judges and especially Krysta Riel Maas for organizing everything.

2007 Wrap-up

Science Fair Posters: judged by 4 AWIS members

We awarded $25 to each of the following girls for their projects:

Lead on the range by Sonja B. (7th gr. at Ordean) (no picture available)

	Are E. coli concentrations higher in Tischer Creek heavily vs. less-used areas by Katherine H. (8th gr. at Holy Rosary)
The effects of caffeine and sugar on student response time and performance by Annie P. (8th gr. at Holy Rosary)

We awarded certificates for enthusiasm and dedication to the following girls for their posters:
Does location in the city affect the amount of chlorine in the tap water by Christina L. (7th gr at Holy Rosary)
What affect does nectar and the environment have on monarch butterfly eating habits and growth? by Alyssa L. (7th gr at Cloquet Middle School)
Equine learning and memory based on gender and social dominance by Alexis L. (8th gr at Cloquet Middle School)
Geographic distribution of recovered raptors at Hawk Ridge by Sydoney B. (8th gr. at Ordean)
Clay vs. potting soil by Bridget B. and Ann S. (8th gr at Ordean)

Science Fair Papers: Judged by Julie O'Leary, Shannon Ostrazeski, Lu Barker, Betsy Schultz, and Anett Trebitz

Three high school and 7 middle school papers were recommended for advancement to the State competition. Here are our favorites:
Effect of g-force on soybean seed growth
Rain garden effects on urban run-off
Effect of slag piles and sediment on streams
Horses heart rates during exercise with and without electrolytes
Lichen response to acid rain vs. distance from factory
Bateria in human vs. dog saliva
Soap run-off effects on Daphnia
Effects of spyware load on computer processing speed
Caffeine and sugar effect on students
Laughter effects on heart rate

2006 Wrap-up

2004 Wrap-Up

Aurelia received an award from AWIS for her project titled "What bird did these feathers come from?". Aurelia's project all started when she found a dead bird and wanted to know what species the bird was. Pursuit of her question did not merely end with a picture from a field guide book or even with communication with several local bird experts. Rather, unresolved questions lead her to a research laboratory at UCLA. Although DNA analysis performed for Aurelia by the UCLA lab was not able to positively identify the species of bird she found, she was able to determine several species the bird was not. (Many of us have been there!!) Aurelia's enthusiasm for the project was evident and her hard work and curiosity led her down many interesting paths from bird migration to DNA homology. We hope her curiosity leads her down many more. - Laura Solem

Aurelia's abstract:

What Bird Did These Feathers Come From
Aurelia, 8th Grade

I found a dead little yellow bird on the sidewalk and I wanted to know what kind it was. I was able to keep some of the feathers and I scanned them to show what they looked like. I searched bird guides, narrowed
the choices down, and then hypothesized that it was an adult female Wilson's Warbler. But I wanted a more definite way to identify it.

I found a study being done by the Center for Tropical Research at UCLA that uses DNA testing to identify Wilson's Warblers and track their migration. I contacted the people in charge to see if I could test the DNA from my feathers and they said they could help. The results showed that it was not a Wilson's Warbler, but a subspecies of Dendroica that hadn't been entered into the gene bank yet.

Doing this project, I learned a lot more about birds and bird tracking, DNA and DNA testing, and the importance of bird conservation efforts.