Glad scientists

County science fair winners go on to state, where the competition is hotter than a Bunsen burner. Several local students do well.

By DONNA WINCHESTER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 23, 2003

Adam Rosenthal pulled off a science fair project this year as current as today's headlines.

The Shorecrest Preparatory eighth-grader had read that after years of using chlorine as a water disinfectant, Pinellas County utilities was switching to chloramine, a mixture of chlorine and ammonia.

Officials said they needed to keep up with new, stricter federal drinking water quality standards, and that other than a slightly different taste and odor, chloramated water was no different from the tap water their customers were already drinking.

Adam wondered about that.

He decided to make it the topic of his project for the Pinellas Regional Science and Engineering Fair. He talked to his science teacher, Jennifer Cummins, about the possibility of conducting an experiment to test the effect of chloramine on the root systems of aquatic plants.

Cummins helped Adam get started on a project that earned him first place in the junior botany category at the Pinellas regional fair in February. Two weeks ago, his project -- titled "What are the Effects of Chloramine on the Growth of Aquatic Plants?" -- won second place in the botany category at the 48th Florida State Science and Engineering Fair in Jacksonville.

Adam learned that chloramine does indeed negatively affect the root systems of aquatic plants.

Adam was among 900 students in grades 6-12 from 67 counties who qualified for the state fair by winning first-place awards at their regional science fairs.

"The judges said they thought the quality of our projects was very high this year," said Robert Orlopp, kindergarten through 12th-grade science supervisor for the district. "We had a variety of different projects that we've not seen before."

David Driscoll, an eighth-grader at St. Patrick Catholic School in Largo, investigated the effects of oil-dispersing agents on marine oil spills. He became interested in the subject last summer while exploring underground caverns of the Ogalla Aquifer in Texas. Concerned that a natural water source can easily become polluted, he decided to research specific solutions for oil spills.

He earned a third-place award in the junior environmental science division at the state science fair. He had tied for first place in the same category at the regional science fair for his project, titled "Bond Buster! Attacking Marine Oil Spills: An Investigation of the Effectiveness of Marine Oil Spill Dispersants with Low Environmental Impact."

Part of the thrill of traveling to the state science fair for David was being treated like a real scientist.

"Some of the judges were working in that field," he said. "They agreed with my conclusion and talked about some of their experiences."

Unlike Adam and David, who were attending their first state science fair, Southside Fundamental eighth-grader Kristin Grotecloss was a returning contestant. After winning first place in the junior behavioral and social sciences category for her project, titled "Boys Are from Mars, Girls Are From Venus: The Effects of Gender and Puberty on Emotional Memory," she won first place in the state in the same category.

She proved her hypothesis that emotionally intense experiences are more memorable than neutral experiences, and that memory for emotional stimuli differs between the sexes. But the results surprised her.

"I expected there would be a larger difference between the emotional memory of males and females," she said. "There was only a slight difference."

And so Kristin plans to continue the experiment on her own.

It's that kind of enthusiasm that keeps Jules Joslow, an engineer at Electromark Inc. in Sarasota, hooked on science fairs. A member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a nonprofit professional group that volunteers to judge science fairs in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, Joslow has been judging the regional fair for five or six years.

"This year there were a couple of projects that showed a lot of ingenuity," he said, adding that it's not hard to sort out the students who are trying to finish a project from those who have real interest.

"We're trying to get them interested in science as a career path," he said. "I think the science fair will light a spark under those who are so inclined."

Award winners

Other Pinellas County students who won awards at the 48th Florida State Science and Engineering Fair in Jacksonville include:

Christopher J. Climo, St. Paul's School in St. Petersburg, third place junior chemistry for "Chemotaxis and Snails."

Tighe R. Beach, Canterbury School of Florida in St. Petersburg, fourth place junior chemistry for "Acid-Antacid Titration: Which Antacid Is the Best?"

Kendall C. Gibson, St. Cecelia Interparochial School in Clearwater, fourth place junior environmental sciences for "Visiting the Vents."

Stephen R. Signore, St. Cecelia Interparochial School in Clearwater, junior mathematics recognition award for "Income of the Monopolies of Monopoly."

Brittany E. Stewart, St. Cecelia Interparochial School in Clearwater, fourth place junior physics for "The Dynamic Duo."

Alexandra F. Hamilton, St. Paul's School in Clearwater, third place junior zoology for "Long Live the Flies! The Effect of DHEA on Fruit Flies' Longevity."

Tamara M. Kemp, Center for Advanced Technologies at Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, honorable mention senior chemistry for "What Factors Affect the Mean Strength of Green Plastic?"

Rachel L. Wright, Center for Advanced Technologies at Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, senior environmental sciences recognition award for "The Effectiveness of Chitin as Compared to Activated Charcoal on the Filtration of Water Contaminated With Congo Red."

Bill Bramer and Michael A. Martin, Center for Advanced Technologies at Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, fourth place senior team project for "The Effect of Phrase Length on the Decryption Time of Encrypted Phrases."

Lauren K. Kelley, Center for Advanced Technologies at Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, senior zoology recognition award for "The Effect of Neem Oil on the Efficiency of Lime Oil as an Organic Pesticide."

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