Eighth grader Hunter Payne was awarded first place in the Norfolk Collegiate Eighth Grade Science Fair on Jan. 6. Payne was commended by a panel of guest judges for his experiment entitled “The Effect of a Baseball Bat’s Center of Mass (COM) on the Travel Distance of a Batted Ball.” Being selected to play on a very competitive community showcase team and starting NCS Varsity baseball in the spring, this project was very relevant for Payne. “Once I researched the term center of mass, I knew a baseball bat would make a great object to experiment with,” he said.
Claire Fornsel, middle school science teacher, stated “the science fair convinces students to own science.” The project, which begins the first day of school, requires students to design their own experiment and form a logical conclusion based upon the data they collect. “This year we had such a diverse set of topics. A lot of thought went into these projects; there was clear methodology, good planning and creative design,” she said. “It is great to see what students are learning by participating in projects like this that go beyond the classroom. It creates the opportunity to explore and experiment with the world around them.”
Judges had difficulty selecting winners due to a plethora of worthy projects. “I was looking for projects with innovation. Also, where the hypothesis was a new idea with the possibility of an expandable thought,” said Dr. Josh Wallach, science fair judge. Dr. Wallach, Old Dominion University chemistry professor, NCS Alumnus and current parent, also stated, “The science fair is an important process that teaches scientific investigation. I witnessed a great variety of projects [and] great collaborative efforts by the students.”
The carefully selected judge’s panel included Dr. H. Alan Rowe from Norfolk State University, Dr. Josh Wallach, Christie Funk from The Aeroelasticity Branch of NASA and Dr. John Donat from Old Dominion University. Projects were judged based on a rubric which included the experimental process, application and visual display.
Emmanuel Smith and Evan Maguire won second place for their project which investigated “The effect of pH on Pennies.” Mary Elizabeth Corliss and Becca Schwartzman, third place winners, measured, “How Fat Content Affects the Melting Time of Buttery Spreads.” Honorable mention winners included Katrina Wansink, Narain Rijhwani and Nick Petrillo, Caitie Hopkins and Meredith Perrine.
According to Head of the Middle School Roz Klein, “The eighth grade science fair project provides the opportunity for independent thinking and challenges students to higher levels of achievement. The project requires them to integrate a variety of skills and knowledge to create an original product.”