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AHS Supports Regional Science & Engineering Fairs (continued)
SARSEF
—by Mike Block, William Ellett, and Bill Petroutson [Metro Water District, ADEQ, and Pima County DEQ]
On March 21, the Tucson Chapter of AHS participated in the Southern Regional Science and Engineering Fair (SARSEF) held at the Tucson Convention Center. The Tucson Chapter presented a total of $600 in awards to hydrology-related science fair projects. In 2006, one $125 award, nine $50 awards, and one $25 award were presented. The following is a brief summary of the winning projects.
Grades K–2. Students in grades kindergarten through second grade were judged more heavily on their ability to form a hypothesis, conduct an experiment, and make a conclusion based on the experimental results rather than exclusively on the hydrological content of the experiment. Ellie Bryn, a kindergartner, wanted to test which soil could hold more water. Her hypothesis was that potting soil could hold the most water. However, her measurements concluded sand could hold more. Her project was called “Water Wise.” Mrs. Suciu’s first-grade class at Richardson Elementary School tested a hypothesis that a sponge will soak up the water the quickest among eight absorbents in “Absorbency: what soaks up water the fastest?” The class learned that the sponge soaked up the most water, but not at the quickest rate. Lila Evans, a second-grader, used her bathtub to test the buoyancy of four different sized steel bowls. She weighed and added rocks until each bowl sank. Her project was titled “How can really heavy boats float?”
Grades 3-5. Andrea Gauther, a third-grader, asked, “Is low flow the way to go?” Andrea installed low-flow showerheads in her home and had two shower runs before and after by a male adult, female adult, female child, and male child. She learned that a 46 percent water savings was possible. She measured the savings by using a painter’s stick to gauge how much water was collected in the tub. Garrett Anderson, a fourth-grader, asked the question “What kind of soil holds up against the force of water erosion?” The student hypothesized that gravel would be more resistant to water erosion. A flume was constructed at a fixed slope and four different soil types were added for each run. The soil types were mixed soil, gravel, sand, and desert soil. A pre-measured volume of water was released into the flume. The student found that desert soil was the most erosion resistant. The student believed clay and organic matter holding the soil together were the reasons for the highest resistance to erosion. Codi Bott, a fifth-grader, hypothesized that the earth would act like a water filter so that additional filtration of groundwater would not be needed. Her project was titled “Earth: a natural filter?” She filled 5-gallon water bottles with a layer of gravel, a layer of sand, and a layer of backyard soil. She then punched several holes in the bottom of each water bottle and poured water through the “filter,” simulating groundwater flow. Initially, the discharge was muddy because the water was picking up some of the soil, but after a while the effluent was clear. The student concluded that the earth is a good water filter, but adding chlorine might still be a good thing to do.
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