Could a double cup keep an iced drink colder? Is natural or manufactured fertilizer better for plants? Which toothpaste really removes stains best? Grade 7 students asked these and other real-world questions and shared their findings during their annual Science Fair on Friday, May 29. 

The Grade 7 Science Fair showcased months of scientific inquiry and discovery as students presented projects that reflected a deep understanding of how evidence-based research can be used to better understand real-world scenarios.

Students began their projects in October and worked throughout the academic year, progressing through each part of the scientific process: developing a testable question, researching background information, forming a hypothesis, designing methods, collecting and analyzing data, writing results and conclusions, and preparing their final presentation. ‘

Science teacher Lakeshia Jackson praised the students’ dedication and growth.

“Many students revised their questions, strengthened their methods, and learned how to make their data more measurable and reliable,” she said. “They showed persistence when experiments did not go exactly as planned and used those challenges to improve their conclusions.” 

The final presentations demonstrated scientific knowledge and students’ ability to connect their learning to the world around them.

Liza Blakeslee '31 researched heat gain in iced Starbucks drinks using the typical disposable cups. She noted that her project was inspired by a personal need since she frequently purchases drinks from the popular chain.

“My hypothesis that the double cup would keep drinks the coldest was correct,” she said. “If I were to continue working on this, I’d try out different reusable water bottle brands to see which works the best.”c 

While researching the effects of fertilizers on plant growth, Lucas Chernet ’31 was surprised that only one plant in his test grew successfully. This led him to consider other factors that may have affected his experiment.

“I learned that the windows in the Middle School have a UV protector on them, which could reduce growth,” he noted. “I also might have put too much fertilizer on one of the plants, which shows how just a small mistake can change your results.”

Sydney Miller ’31 and Floyd Sharp ’31 chose to research whitening toothpaste using coffee-stained goose eggs to mimic human teeth. Their project proved Colgate to be the most effective brand in removing stains. The result offered surprising insight into the effect of branding and marketing.

“I thought that Pearl Drops would be the best because the bottle looks like it would do really well, but it was one of the least effective,” said Sydney. 

Edward Gigliotti ’31, Webb Semrai ’31, and Jeremy Shepherd ’31 sought to better understand the effect of sugary drinks on the heart. To test this, they measured the heart rate of microscopic daphnia organisms submerged in a solution containing a percentage of each drink.

“Based on the results, we recommend consuming drinks with sugar, carbonation, and caffeine in moderation to avoid having a higher heart rate,” concluded Webb. “We also noticed after the experiment that the Monster Energy drink killed all the daphnia, so I definitely don’t want to drink that anymore.”