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Written by Dr. Robert Fuller, Director, Center for Earth and Environmental Science, SUNY Plattsburgh

May 2010 Issue

Last month saw the third annual Champlain Valley Regional Science Fair (CVRSF), sponsored by SUNY Plattsburgh and Clinton Community College with financial support provided by The Development Corporation of Clinton County (TDC). Middle and high school students from Clinton, Essex and Franklin Counties were invited to show the results of their scientific research or technology demonstration projects mentored by teachers or local community members. Winning teams received college scholarships provided by TDC. CVRSF continues to grow, with a 50% increase in student participation this year, as our local schools have begun to offer their own science fairs or offer research opportunities as part of their curriculum.

Michele Snyder from Clinton Community College and I co-chair the CVRSF, with help from numerous other SUNY Plattsburgh and CCC faculty and qualified scientists from our community who help with organizing and judging the competition. It’s gratifying to see the level of support from the community and our teachers in developing these young minds.

In this day of ‘No Child Left Behind’, we justifiably pay more attention to rigorous testing at multiple levels to insure that all of our students are meeting minimum standards. While this is very important, in some ways it makes students spend an inordinate amount of time learning vast amounts of scientific information and performing structured labs in order to pass tests. What gets lost in all of this is that science is not just the knowledge base that has been built up over many decades by scientific investigations. Science is also a process of advancing knowledge by observing events, asking a question, advancing a hypothesis and constructing a valid experiment to test that hypothesis. Science is an approach to constructing new knowledge, a process of discovery, and this is what makes science fun. It’s what satisfies those of us who are curious about the way our Earth works. As a young student, this is what got me interested in science, and this is what science fair competitions do for our young students.

Three scenes struck me from the recent fair. One was a comment from Nancy Parri, a chemistry instructor and judge to Crown Point Central School 6th grader Erick DuShane as he spilled some water while demonstrating his water turbine - “Its not science if you’re not making a mess.” I’m pretty sure Erick will never be turned off to science because it’s boring. Another was a picture I took of science fair judge Dr. Perry Kurtz, on his knees, talking to Beekmantown Middle School student Evan Gadway about the intricacies of his experiment to evaluate heat losses from different insulating agents. I wonder if Evan felt that if this adult was so interested in what he did, then it must be important. Finally, I was told of one parent in tears as her child carried off first place in one of the competitions and was rewarded with a modest college scholarship provided by The Development Corporation. These are all success stories that add up to more students going on into fields in science and technology that are so important for our society in the future.

So, my hat is off to all of the students, faculty, educational institutions, and community members who made the third annual Champlain Valley Regional Science Fair a success. With the continuing support of The Development Corporation, we hope to see it continue to grow and inspire more young minds. We also hope to see you at next year’s fair, on April 23, 2011 at Clinton Community College.

Gib Brown, local television meteorologist and retired middle school Earth Science teacher, presented the awards to the students.

In the high school research category, first place winners from Beekmantown High School were Darren Sponable and Megan Rivers with their project titled “A Study of Allelopathy.” Their teacher mentor was Kathie Fuller, who teaches advanced placement Biology. Second place was captured by Abigail Lajti and Douglas Osborne from Peru High School with their project “CO2 Output of Varsity Athletes,” which was mentored by Kristen Harnden. There was a third place tie between three students from Plattsburgh High; Christina Souliere, Kendrick Buchala and Kevin Neiderer supported by Wendy Demane and two students from Peru High; Lydia Price and Sarah Connelly.

In the new Technology category, 1st place was taken by the Clinton County Robotics Club, supported by mentors Ann Lorenzini and Rebecca Goff. Their project, “Deep Red Game Playing Robot” was designed by independent students Bowen Christopher, Mitchel Goff and Austin Remchuk.

Middle School research winners included Calvin Arno and Samuel LaPointe in first place with a presentation entitled “Heat and Insulation”. This project from Crown Point Central School was sponsored by Mike Ligotino. They were followed by Maria Leclair and Abigail LaBarge, all from Beekmantown sponsored by Anne Marie Baker. Third place went to Evan Gadway from Crown Point Middle School, also sponsored by Mike Ligotino. Erick DuShane and Maria Malone from Crown Point Middle School took 1st place in the middle school demonstration category with a project called “Water Turbine” supported by their teacher, Lori Slattery.