Tantasqua Science Fair AbstractsSpring 2015

Project #1Joshua Bolte, Kevin RielThe purpose of this experiment was to understand why some people see the picture of the “mystery dress” as two different color schemes. Volunteers aged 14-18 were asked to complete an online color IQ test. Then, they were shown the picture of the dress, asked what colors they saw, and asked if they had ever seen the opposite color. The average for the data was calculated, and the conclusion was that individuals, who saw white and gold, generally did worse on the test with the average score being 43. People who saw black and blue had an average score of 39. This shows how people with a better ability to see contrast in do not see the dress as a certain color pattern. The two averages were extremely close, showing that there is not a score that makes people see a certain color pattern on the dress. The hypothesis was correct but there was only a small difference in the average.

Project #2Super Bowl Ads: Worth the Cost?Aaron Inthirath

The purpose of my experiment was to answer the question “Are Super Bowl Ads worth the cost?” This research might impact society because it will show that the amount of money put into these ads should be taken into consideration in the mere future and less money should be put into these ads. The question I investigated is if Super Bowl Ads are actually worth the money put into it. My approach was I had twenty-eight volunteers that watched a series of six super bowl ads, three were Super Bowl ads and the other three were non-Super Bowl ads. Then each volunteer answered a questionnaire about each ad which would analyze and conclude my results. The questionnaire had six questions each ad. The majority of volunteers in my experiment answered in the questionnaire that in the Super Bowl ads they only saw the logo/product once or twice and that they didn’t get what some of the Super Bowl ads were selling. Then in the non- Super Bowl Ads the data states that the logo/ product were shown multiple times. According to my data, I can conclude that Super Bowl Ads are not worth the cost because my data shows that Super Bowl Ads hardly make it obvious for the viewer to know what they were selling and what brand/logo was being presented and that the money spent on these types of ads are not worth the cost.

Project #3The Impact of Politics on StressKate Beland and Jessica Chrabasz

When watching T.V., listening to the radio, or completing everyday tasks, it’s not uncommon for one to encounter political topics through the media. Often times these subjects are debated issues that can cause tension. This project examines the impact of these influential political views on a person’s blood pressure and pulse as indicators of stress. To carry out this experiment, ten volunteers watched two videos on the topic of pro-life vs. pro-choice, a controversial issue that many are strongly opinionated about. Their blood pressure and pulse were taken before and after each short video was shown. Based on observations of the results, political beliefs, political parties, and the subjects’ age did not significantly impact the subjects’ blood pressure or pulse after watching either video no matter which argument it held. Due to this lack of trends in the resulting data, the project proved inconclusive, leaving the question of whether or not politics significantly impact stress open ended.

Project #4Tyler Galuska, Anna Tenerowicz, Gavin Granitto

Differences in Gender based on Social Stimuli

This experiment was conducted in order to see if different gendered high school students would read react differently when presented certain social stimuli. This project investigates the differences in perceptions of different genders when introduced to certain social stimuli including scenarios, sounds and photos. 30 men and 30 women all high school aged were given a set of 20 social stimuli and asked how they felt on a scale of 0-10, 0 being angry and 10 being happy. There was no significant difference between the overall average score between men and women and in the sound section, but there were specific questions in the scenario and picture sections that showed a statistically significant difference. The results support that overall men and women don't respond differently to social stimuli but they do respond differently to specific stimuli.

Project #5

6Sam Markey

This experiment was a test to see whether or not people work faster when they are promised a reward. The hypothesis was that participants would complete a task in less time when they were told that they would be getting a reward. Fifty people were given two identical tests; one taken normally and the other taken after being promised a reward for finishing it. Excluding a few outliers, most people did work faster on the second test. This result proved the validity of the hypothesis.

Project 7

How Does Coffee Affect Test Taking Skills?Henry Valcour IV and Abbey Merow

Many high school students drink coffee every day before school. This experiment investigates how drinking coffee affects test taking skills in high school students. We had 9 volunteers take a ten question addition test. They had 2 minutes to complete the test. After the test, the volunteers drank a cup of coffee. After a half hour, the volunteers took a similar test with different numbers. On average, we saw an 18% increase in test scores among the coffee drinkers. This shows that coffee consumption did in fact increase brain processing capabilities, which means that drinking coffee improves your ability to take a test.

8Patrick Sorensen

Every day students study for tests and quizzes, but could studying be done more efficiently? The hypothesis tested was that listening to music, chewing gum, and eating healthy food would all improve memory. Test subjects completed a memory assessment five times, while listening to upbeat music, listening to classical music, chewing fruity gum, and eating two slices of apple and a cup of water. The experimental group proved that my hypothesis was completely correct, every memory tool did better than the control group on average. But when the test subjects ate two slices of apple and drank a cup of water, their scores improved the most. The test scores while eating healthy foods were approximately 20% better than the control group. Adults did better than freshman students and males did slightly better than females. The hypothesis showed that healthy food improved memorizing, and concentrating the best. Eating two slices of apples and drinking a cup of water while playing the memory game, were on average over 6 scores better than the base test, being the most effective memory tool.

9Alyssa Stolecki

Symmetric faces are proven to be more attractive according to two different theories. This experiment examined the response of people to symmetrical and asymmetrical faces. To test this, 10 males and 10 females of three age groups were given 15 seconds to choose which face they found more attractive. Data showed that every age group of males and females found the symmetric faces more attractive. Males in general found female symmetrical faces more attractive. However, females in general were not gender specific in which faces they found more attractive. The hypothesis, which was that people of all age groups will find symmetric faces more attractive than asymmetric faces, was proven correct.

10Arndt M.M. People often wonder about memory, the capability the mind has to remember. Some people need background noise to be able to clearly remember. This experiment tested the hypothesis, If calming, quiet music is played then human memory will be maximized. Fourteen girls, age 14-15, were tested while listening to heavy metal music and then again while listening to calming music. Results indicated memory was best with the calming music. Data supported the hypothesis. This is useful information particularly for students who listen to music while studying.

11Aliya Zubi and Sarah McCarthy

Having the ability to recall information is a crucial factor in completing many tasks. Passing a test, playing trivia games, and finding the way home requires memory. However, it is a common belief that memory worsens with age. The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether or not this is true. The hypothesis states that if people from ages 13-25 are tested on memory recall, then their results will be better than those of people over 25 or under 13. In this experiment, people were tested by studying a code for ten seconds and then were asked to repeat the code based on what they remembered. Three age groups were tested, 6-12, 13-25, and 25-57. Their replies were recorded and were scored. The average was then calculated for each age group. Ages 6-12 had the lowest average score, and ages 25-57 had the

highest average score. In conclusion, these results show that memory does not weaken with age, as it actually improves.

#12Victoria Bowler Over the years males and females have argued who is better at certain takes than others and by doing the test it will give scientific proof who is better with memory, accuracy, and emotion recognition. This project investigates which gender has the better memory, emotion recognition and accuracy. On 20 test subjects I tested their accuracy by throwing 5 darts at a dart board and recording the section and number each dart landed on. I tested their emotion recognition by showing them 10 different eyes for 2 seconds each and having them circle if the emotion was happy, sad, scared, or angry. Finally, I tested their memory by laying out 16 pairs of cards face down on a table and timed each subject 2 times to see how fast they could find all the pairs. The results I received for the emotion recognition was that the average score for adult males was about 7 out of 10 and for adult females it was 8 out of 10. But the results for the teenagers were different, the females scored an average of about 7.2 and the boys were just a little higher with a 7.4 out of 10. For accuracy, adult males scored with a 10.8 but adult females scored with a 13.8. Accuracy for teenagers showed us that the females received the score of about 15.6 whereas the boys received a 16.2. The memory test showed that adult males take on average of two tries about 62 seconds and adult females take about 59 seconds. For teenage boys they took about 66 seconds whereas teenage girls took only 49 seconds to complete the memory test. My results have made me conclude which gender and age group is better at certain tasks than others. For emotion recognition I concluded that adult females were the best at this test because they received an 8 out of 10, which is better on average compared to the other three groups who were all sevens. The gender and age group that was the best with their accuracy was the male teenage group who received an average of 16.2. The memory test made me conclude that the teenage female group was on average the best at the game. On average, they received 49 seconds. Teenage males won the accuracy tests but females won the rest of the competition.

PROJECT 13

Will Farland + Jared Hammond

Talking on the cell phone has been known to impact reaction times and therefore driving and your ability to focus. This is connected to the new law trying to ban cellular use in the car for young drivers. This project investigates the impact of talking on the cell phone to your reaction time. We used www.humanbenchmark.com or the click test and a simple ruler test to conduct the reaction time without talking on the phone and the reaction time while talking on the phone and answering a series of general questions. The website test measures the subject’s ability to respond to different color changes and how fast a subject can respond to it. The ruler test uses a 36 inch ruler and is dropped at different intervals of time randomly and

the subject has to grab the ruler as soon as it is dropped. The ruler test concludes that for all 5 of each person’s tests averaged, when not talking on the phone they scored 14.6 inches. While talking on the phone the average of all tests was 22.3 inches. For subjects not talking on the phone on the click test the average was a 313.5 milliseconds and while talking on the phone the average was 472.7 milliseconds. These results conclude that using a phone usually impacts the subject’s reaction time greatly. The average was a 64 percent increase for the ruler test and a 30 percent increase for the click test. Phone while taking the tests. The results were positive which leads to the conclusion that using the phone for calling is a big distraction for a person’s reaction speed and could induce crashes.

Science Fair Number: 14Kristy Cournoyer

The process that our brains partake in when we encode information into memories affects how we remember things, and asking certain questions can force one to see the memory in a different way or distort the memory. Learning about how this works can help us understand which study methods are most affective for different people and for different situations. This project investigates what affect a quiz on a specific video has on the recollection of information acquired from the video, as well as how different people’s brains encode information. 19 people watched a 1:55 minute video, and then 11 out of those 19 people completed an 8 question quiz immediately following the video. The next day, 8 people completed the very same quiz. The quiz also had a question asking what the quiz-taker’s study method is, and whether they enjoyed the video or not. I found that the people who took the quiz the second day had a lower average. The average score on the first day is 54.5% accuracy, and the average score on the second day is 40.6% accuracy. I also found that the people who took the quiz on the first day and received a 72.7% or better all use a form of short-term memorization, or cramming, as their study tactic, and that on the second day, 62.5% of the people who received a 37.5% use short-term memorization as their study tactic. Finally, I also calculated that on the first day 90.9% gave the correct answer to the multiple choice questions, and 33.7% gave the correct answer to the fill in the blank questions; and in addition, on the second day 87.5% gave the correct answers to the multiple choice, and 12.5% gave the correct answers to the fill in the blanks. What I derive from this information is that taking a quiz on a video immediately after viewing that video procures better results than taking in at a later point in time. This data also shows that cramming is affective as a study tool only if the quiz happens immediately afterwards, because if you take the quiz later in time, since your brain didn’t have time to store the information as a long-term memory, you will not remember. And finally, these

results show that multiple choice questions, which activates recognition, or only needing to identify items previously learned, are easier to answer than fill in the blank questions, which involve recall, or retrieving the information from your brain. Ultimately, these results show that encoding information into your short-term memory is only affective for remembering it for a short period of time, and that different sorts of questions trigger different components in our brain that makes certain questions easier to answer than others.

Project #15The Emotional Intensity of Color vs. Black and WhiteAlicia Famulari

Photographs are used in marketing and advertising to provoke emotions from the viewers. This project investigates the emotional intensity of photographs based on their color or lack of color. Twenty volunteers looked at ten of the same pictures in both black and white and in color. They rated each picture on a scale of one to ten; with one being very sad, five being neutral and ten being very happy. On average the sad pictures got a lower scoring in black and white than in color, and the happy pictures got a higher scoring in color than in black and white. These results support the fact that a picture provoking an emotion of happiness is more intense when in color, and a picture that is provoking an emotion of sadness is more intense when in black and white.

Project #16Does Peppermint Stimulate the Brain? Bradyn Darger & Connor McCaffrey

There is modern day idea that peppermint can stimulate the brain, causing it to help to improve test scores, keep your brain sharp throughout tests, and give those who use it an advantage. This project investigates how peppermint stimulates the brain. During a class period we separated our class into two groups of students. One group got peppermints and the other didn’t, yet both groups received the same two tests. After correcting the tests we concluded that the group who had the peppermints (Group A) scored higher and finished faster than the group who didn’t have any peppermint (Group B). Group A received a 93% average between their two tests and Group B received an 82% average. After the results of our experiment we concluded that peppermint does stimulate the brain causing higher test scores.

17

Cooper Novelline

Many students enjoy listening to music while studying or doing school work. This project studies how different speeds of music effect how well subjects can retain information. Each volunteer was instructed to play a memory game six times, five while listening to music, each time listening to a song at a different speed and once with no music. At each speed (80, 100, 120, 140 and 160 beats per minute) participants showed a significant decrease in completion time of the memory game however the decrease was more significant in females. All speeds of music positively effected the participants completion speed (completion time went down) with males having the greatest decrease in completion time with music at 140 BPM and females having the greatest decrease with music at 80 BPM. These results show that listening to music while studying can be effective, however which type of music you should listen to depends on the person.

Project Number: 18Project Title: Patterns in Film Score and Intended Emotion in MoviesName: Jarod Sagendorph

Film scores have been an important part of cinema, often highlighting the underlying emotion of the scene or of the characters. The project is meant to find correlations between different aspects of music in relation to the film scores and the emotional tone of the scene it is featured in. After finding popular musical scores and the scene that it is featured in, the scores were individually analyzed for tempo, main instrument group, and the emotion of its originating scene. This analysis found that in scenes that conveyed fear had lower tones but usually a higher tempo, sad scenes were usually accompanied by slow tempos and a mid- to high-pitch instrument group; scenes of joy and more light-hearted scenes usually had music that had a fast tempo and higher pitch. Although these results show certain patterns in the music presented, it also showed that, like anything else, there are definite exceptions to these patterns.

Science Fair Abstract #19

Fey Thurber & Mackenzie Morrell

The data from the experiment that was conducted can be used to regulate the emotions of erratic or unstable teens, and make any treatment easier to be administered. This project investigates tempos to different songs and how they impact human emotions. The test subjects

were instructed to listen to five song clips and, without talking in between the clips, circle whichever emotion best fit what they were feeling. They were allowed to make comments on the survey if they felt necessary. The data gathered in the first round was inconclusive for one of the clips and was retested. The male and female test results are different. The songs with lower beats per minute (BPM’s) were linked with fear and sadness, while those with abruptly high BPM’s were associated with happiness for both sexes. Songs whose tempos gradually increased were associated with surprise or happiness. The first and the forth song had a BPM of around 68 BPM which caused the emotion of sadness in males and both fear and sadness in females. The second song’s tempo changed often, resulting in the feeling of surprise for females and annoyance or anger for males. Both song 3 and 5 had BPM’s of approximately 140, causing happiness, but in the males, the song with a more abruptly high tempo caused surprise. The results show that people’s emotions change depending on the tempo of the music they listen to.

Project 20Do Musicians have Better Hearing?Elise Hankis and Gillian Peterson

Musical training can be associated with having better hearing skills than the normal person. This project investigates whether or not musicians obtain better hearing skills. A recording was taken of a conversation in a loud hallway while walking to class. Ten musicians and ten non-musicians listened to the recording and wrote down what they could hear in the conversation. One musician wrote he could not hear anything on the recording, two musicians wrote some of the conversation and the other seven wrote all of the conversation. Two non-musicians wrote only part of the conversation but none wrote they could not hear anything. These results are inconclusive and do not show whether or not musicians have better hearing skills.

21Brooks Chernisky

It is a commonly known in the equestrian world that horses are color blind. This experiment tested whether or not if a horse eats out of the same color bucket every day, then they will automatically go to that color bucket, even when presented with different colored buckets. Most people know that house pets such as dogs and cats can see mostly in green and blue, and even that bees can see ultraviolet colors that human eyes cannot. Can horses be influenced by food to go to the same color bucket even in the presence of other colored buckets?

By bringing a horse to the same color bucket with food in it every day for two weeks; this experiment was able to test if the horse will go to that bucket without having a person lead it to it. In the end the horse did not go to the bucket in which the food had been located in previously, disproving the hypothesis.

Project 22Effects of Antibiotics on Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Bacteria Sophie Werner

As medical treatments advance, the bacteria that they affect adapt further, in many cases becoming resistant to the very treatment meant to eradicate them. Different types of bacteria, particularly the divisions of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, will react differently to antibiotics, and so the tests done were to determine which was more likely to become antibiotic resistant. By growing bacteria cultures of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, Bacillus cereus and Rhodospirillum rubrum, respectively and by exposing them to low levels of different antibiotics, it would be thought that the bacteria would respond by either being eliminated, or adapting to the new environment. During the course of experimentation, both the Gram-negative and the Gram-positive cultures were eliminated by the low levels of antibiotic. While the trials that have been run are inconclusive in terms of being able to compare the two subtypes of bacteria, further experimentation may provide answers. In subsequent trials a more dilute antibiotic solutions should be used, so as to have evidence of more subtle differences between the two bacterial responses.

Project #23Amelia LaMountain & Claudia Fleshman The effect of different amounts of acid on invertebrate populations

We conducted this experiment because we wanted to know how the populations of aquatic animals were affected by acidic and basic wastes produced by nearby factories and industries. This project investigated the effect of different pHs on brine shrimp populations. For a period of 8 days, the pH of two shrimp populations, (acidic and basic), along with a control group, were changed to see what the threshold of pH for brine shrimp is. Each time the pH was altered, we used a pH monitor to measure the change in the brine shrimp’s habitat. Under small fluctuations in the acidity levels, the shrimp could not adapt and survive. The shrimp could also not withhold the basic changes, but at a higher threshold. These results show that aquatic animals are extremely affected by alterations in their environment due to minuscule amounts of acidic or basic solutions.

Project 24Supertasters Boys vs. Girls

Leann Ritchie This research has the scientific importance of classifying a girl or a boy as a non-taster, an average taster, or a super taster. This project investigates if food coloring helps show taste buds to see if boys or girls have more. Twenty volunteers had food coloring on their tongue then counted them to measure who had more taste buds. The different age range didn’t make a big deal when accounting for taste buds. The different genders didn’t change much, more or less but show boys could have more taste buds then girls do. These results support that boys have better taste buds then girls but didn’t change with the age range of the experiment.

25

Stephen Plamer and Caitlin Bonja

When growing fish it is important to keep the mass of the fish in mind as it pertains to how much food they need and the amount of space required for a healthy lifestyle. Once a technique for knowing how to control the mass any owners can properly care for their fish by following the simple steps it takes to give fish what they need. “If goldfish are kept in water less than 20 degrees Celsius then they will become dormant and their growth rate will be slowed.” Defining and testing from this with daily procedures will allow for a better way to house fish. The goldfish were fed, had their masses recorded and repeated daily to gather data for the end result. By following these, the research proved effective because the fish kept in cooler water steady low masses compared to the fish in the warmer water which had fluctuating and higher masses recorded but the warm water fish’s mass increase by the final product of the project. The hypothesis was proven true and can be applied anywhere as long as the temperature of the fish’s water can be controlled putting the owner in a place of proper pet care.

Project #26Ryan Arsenault and Maggie SimondsThe Effect of Overpopulation on Guppies

    Overpopulation can lead to aggressive and unhealthy fish. This project investigates the aggressiveness and growth of fish in different populations. For a period of three weeks, fish were observed in three identical tanks containing two, ten and twenty fish respectively. The tanks were observed for 15 minutes each day, recording both breathing rate and aggressiveness. Throughout the experiment a significant number of the fish died in the tanks with larger populations, making it difficult to obtain conclusive results. In the beginning days of the experiment it seemed breathing rate and aggressive movements were directly linked to population size. The results support that overpopulation and competition for

resources cause death in populations of fish, as many more died in the tanks with large populations compared to those with small.

#27

Liz DiRuzza and Emily Ellithorpe

Fish are said to have poor memories and due to this people treat them differently than they would treat a dog or another pet. If it is proven that fish have a higher brain capacity, people would be more willing to help a dying fish than just flushing it. This project tests if fish are able to remember getting food from a certain color and help them get through a maze quicker. For a time period of three weeks fish were only fed through a specific color ring to get them to remember getting food from that color. After testing the fish in the maze with colored rings and comparing the data to the original control test it proved that the color had little to no effect on the fish times. Without color fish completed the maze with an average of 737 seconds and 9 making it through and with the color it was 1984 seconds with only five fish making it through. These results show that using a specific color around the opening doesn’t necessarily effect the time it takes a fish to complete the maze. This could be due to the change in color or from the change in the size of the opening.

Project #28

The Effect of Dogs on Stress Meaghan Kelley and Alissa Gustavson

Stress on the human body is caused by many things. Whether it be school, employment, sports and extracurricular activities, or relationships. This project helps to investigate the effect of how dogs help to reduce a human’s blood pressure. For a period of three weeks, twenty volunteers took a short test. The blood pressure of each individual was taken after the test, and after playing with or without a dog. Participants showed a lower blood pressure after they played with the dog. For those who did not play with the dog, the blood pressure did not lower as much. These results supported the fact that dogs help to lower a human’s stress levels.

Project #29Jason Izzio and Alex Pratt

The Effects of Pesticides on the Growth Rate of Bean Plants

Every year about 25% of the crops grown worldwide are destroyed by pests. In 2017, the global market for pesticides is estimated to be 65.7 billion dollars. As the world population increases, the demand for quickly grown food becomes a necessity. This project was designed to test the growth rate of bean plants sprayed with 5 different pesticides. For a period of a month, 30 bean plants were grown with weekly treatments of Ortho, Bayer Advanced, Sevin, Eco-Smart, Natures Care or a combination of all of them. 5 bean plants were the control. Based upon the data recently collected, there appears to be no correlation between the growth rate of plants treated with pesticides and those not treated.

30Hannah Niemiec and Tayla Shepard

The purpose of this project was to test four types of plants to determine if they would grow better upside down or right side up. The plants were tomatoes, Siberian kale, rosemary, and string beans. There was two of each type of plant, one of each was grown upside down and the other right side up. Plants that have vines usually grow better upside down than right side up because of the effect of gravity. Biomass showed that the tomatoes and kale grew the best upside down while the rosemary and beans grew best right side up. Plants with vines do grow best upside down. The hypothesis was proven correct. Results proved that growing plants upside down is a more effective utilization of space and could reduce pest infestation as well as competition with weeds.

Project #31PollutionNicole Murray, Juliette Marquis

Today pollution is a problem for our entire world and if change is not made then it will affect our future generations. We conducted this experiment to see how much pollution can affect the lives of plants. This project investigates amount of pollution that is required to greatly affect a plant. We had six daisies that were placed into separate cups filled with water along with varying amounts of dye, which represents the pollution in a plant’s environment. The more food coloring that was in the water the more the color the plant had absorbed. This shows that with the growing amount of pollutions in an environment, the greater the habitat is altered. This concludes that the amount of pollution relates to the amount the plant is affected by it.

Abstract for Science Fair #32

Jordyn Plummer

Growing plants in just water could prove useful when there is a lack of rich soil. It would also be much easier and more efficient. The project investigates the different effects and growth periods that water has, and soil has on plants, and how efficient each test type grows. The process is that I placed 4 plants in soil and watered them every day. I also placed 4 plants on a net over about 2 inches of water and dampened the seed every day. The results of this project are that plants grown in just water grow faster and healthier than plants grown in just soil. Over 50% the plants showed to be bigger and healthier when just in water with no soil. The results mean that using water could be faster and more efficient than using soil to grow crops.

33Isabella Mercado and Brianna McCollum

When plants are given water with dissolved aspirin, they will grow taller than if given tap water alone. Aspirin added to water is reported to help cut flowers last longer. Salicylic acid, which is found in aspirin, is an important role in plants’ defense systems. The experiment was started by planting ten dwarf sunflower seeds. Half of the seeds were given aspirin water and the other half tap water. After a duration of five weeks the plants were removed from the soil and then measured, from the roots to the top leaf, each plant separately. The results of the experiment were far off from the expected outcome proving that the hypothesis was false; the difference in height was substantial. The average difference in height between the aspirin and the tap watered plants was 15 centimeters. The aspirin treated plants had a maximum height of only five centimeters while the tap water plants were twenty centimeters.

34Emily Macey Julia Matton

In this experiment, green bean plants are tested to see what type of water is most effective in increasing the plant’s biomass. Green bean plants were watered with different types of water. The hypothesis tested was If green beans are watered with rainwater then the biomass will be maximized. Two germinated green bean plants were grown in each of the ten pots. Miracle grow was put into each pot to speed the growth process. There were two pots given a specific type of water. After about two weeks the plants were taken out, dried in an oven, and measured for their biomass. The data did not support the hypothesis. The plant given the bottled water had the largest biomass.

35Philip Standrowicz

Flowers have always been admired greatly in any occasion. People want them lasting as long as possible. What substance representing a level on the pH scale creates the longest time frame until a flower’s petals begin to fall off? The experiment tested 13 different substances on daffodils. Substances tested were across the pH scale. Each substance was placed into vases with one daffodil each. The experiment ended early due to lack of time and none of the flower petals had fallen off. Results were inconclusive. The majority of the substances with pH levels above 7 caused flowers to wilt faster than substances with pH levels of 7 or lower.

Project #36

37Lily Kent and Lauren Lafond

Abstract: House mice, Mus musculus are well known for their keen sense of smell and being reliable test subjects. When looking for food, do mice rely on their sense of smell? In order to prove this, a hypothesis was formed that if a stronger smelling food was placed in the maze, then mice would complete the maze

faster. Mice were placed in a maze with foods of various different odors. The mice were timed on their ability to find different foods that were placed into locations in the maze. In order to prevent mice from memorizing the maze after each successive run, foods were placed in different locations throughout the maze, and the maze was cleaned after each run. The results showed that peanut butter, the strongest smelling food, had the fastest times, proving the hypothesis correct. In conclusion, it is proven that mice do use their sense of smell to find food and that a stronger smelling food will attract mice quicker.

38Alexandra Fish

U.S. homes spend over $29.5 billion dollars on the introduction and care of lawns, gardens and house plants. Much of this spending goes towards the care and feeding of diseased and distressed plants. When distressed plants lose leaves, they also lose the ability to produce glucose. If the leaves of a Pothos plant are removed and the plant is watered with a glucose solution will the leafless houseplant will survive and grow? Ten, Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) plants, were used. Some plants were provided glucose and others were not. The experiment was conducted for 15 days. The mass of each plant was recorded at the beginning and at the end of the study period. The results showed that the plants receiving the glucose gained more mass versus those that did not. These same plants also displayed signs of decay versus the untreated plants. The untreated plants showed positive signs of life such as attempts to regrow leaves and maintained rigid green stalks. The hypothesis was proven correct and the glucose supplemented plants did gain more mass in spite of showing signs of decay.

39Jenny Wu

It has been noted by fish owners that pet fish are more active upon seeing them and before being fed, but swim away when approached by a stranger. This experiment examined the ability of goldfish to demonstrate learned behavior. The hypothesis was that if goldfish became more efficient at getting to food, then they are demonstrating learned behavior. Four goldfish, were placed in a tank with dividers. The dividers had access holes with food on one side and each fish is in a separate section by themselves. Fish were conditioned to respond to the presence of food. In subsequent tests fish were presented with challenges to obtain food. Fish quickly learned to overcome obstacles that were presented, although their passage time did hit a plateau. The more difficult the challenge the more erratic the results. Data supported the hypothesis. A longer period of training would be beneficial with the more challenging obstacles.

Project #40Magnets vs. TemperatureCarter Girard

Precision in the strength and stability of magnetic force is important for preventing errors in the outcome of machines and other uses. This project evaluates the effect of the temperature of the strength on magnetic strength. In a series of five tests per magnet, four magnets were placed in their own separate temperature, ranging from negative four degrees to two hundred twelve degrees, and after thirty minutes of sitting in each environment, they were taken out, dropped into an even spread number of paper clips , and the weight of the clips was measured. The strength of magnetism is affected by both ranges of temperatures, getting weaker as the temperature rises. However, the ratio of strength to temperature is doubled as the temperature lowers from room temperature than it did to a higher temperature. The results, though small, could theoretically make in impact on the outcome of magnetic tests in certain environments, and such a small change could result in complete failure for the test.

Project #41 Foods That Make You Throw Up Riley Lucas and Andrew Tichy

Many rumors are out about foods that can react in your stomach and induce vomiting. Our research investigates two myths, the interaction of Sprite and bananas in a stomach like environment; and the interactions of Mentos and coke in a stomach like environment. Mentos and Coke react violently together, but in the presence of HCl (primary ingredient of gastric acid), the gas and foam production was reduced, and the reaction was much more subtle. Sprite and bananas showed similar and nearly identical reactions with or without the presence of HCl. The results were a thick foam that did not dissipate quickly. These results support the urban legend that drinking sprite and eating bananas together may cause one to throw up, however no one should be scared to eat Mentos and drink cola shortly thereafter!

42Sylvia Costa

When you go to the grocery store, you see packaged, boxed and canned food.  These foods are processed. Food provides fuel and energy for the body, so what happens when the food is changed from its natural state into something else? The purpose of this test was to see if processed foods have less energy than non-processed foods. A calorimeter, was constructed to calculate the calorie content of various foods. After completing the colorimetric calculations. It was found the processed food had more energy than the non-processed food. When calculating the energy, most of the processed foods had smaller temperature changes than the non-processed foods, this contributed to them having more energy than the non-processed food. The hypothesis was proven incorrect.

43

Brody Looney and Justin Guillette

Many people want to perform at a higher level when it comes to athleticism. Athletes are always testing new ways to make them perform at a higher level. One of these ways could be the consumption of candy prior to athletic performance. The purpose of this experiment was to determine if candy made people perform at a higher level in athletic contests. To test if candy affected performance in athletic contests, ten athletes within the age group of 14-17 performed four different tests. These tests were 36.6 meter dash, reaction time, free throw shooting, and ability to catch a football. The athletes first completed the tests without the consumption of candy. Then the athletes consumed skittles and perform the test, the athletes perform the test with the consumption of two other candies, the two other candies are sour patch and pixy stix. Then data from the tests was recorded and compared, the tests compared were the tests with consumption of candy and the test without candy. The candy improved the athletes speed in the 40 yard dash and reaction time. But it did not improve the athlete’s free throw shooting and their ability to catch a football. The candy temporarily improved the athlete’s physical and mental fitness but it did not improve the athlete’s skill in a certain sport.

44

Garrett Cassavant

The soft drink business generates an average $492 million net per year. It is reported that drinking soda beverages can cause serious harm to human teeth. The hypothesis in this experiment is, if teeth are put into different types of soft drinks, then the tooth that is put in Mountain Dew will have the most damage. Ten coyote, (Canis latrans), incisor teeth were placed in a container with a specific drink. Eight sodas, plain seltzer and distilled water were used. The teeth sat in the drinks for two weeks and were observed every other day. The hypothesis was proved correct; Mountain Dew had the most amount of damage. This is because the sugar content in Mountain Dew is so high, that it ate away at the tooth the most out of all of the other drinks. However, all of the teeth had damage done to them after sitting in the drinks, except the one in distilled water. This proving that all soft drinks are bad for your teeth, but some are worse than others. Soft drink sales have begun to decrease over the past few years, and I believe people are beginning to realize just how bad soft drinks are for their teeth.

45Arsh Patel Nate Vesely

Bacteria lives on almost all surfaces that humans interact with on a daily basis. Responsible for diseases and sickness which plague humanity, controlling bacteria is a serious problem. Acids such as citric acids and bases such as hand sanitizer are used to killed bacteria. This experiment tested acids and bases in their effectiveness in killing bacteria. Petri dishes were inoculated with bacteria and set aside to grow for 6 days. After the 6 days the bacteria colonies were treated with various acids and bases to determine their affect on the bacteria. Acids and bases both killed bacteria but the bases proved to be much more effective. Soap was the best base averaging approximately a 70% kill rate while lemon juice the most effective acid averaged approximately a 31.25%. Our hypothesis that bases will nullify bacteria growth was correct. Bases more effective at killing the bacteria than acids.

46Adam Eineberg

Have you ever noticed that if you keep a banana out in the open for a certain period of time, it visibly changes as it ripens? This experiment examined whether or not a banana’s sugar content increases as it ripens. To test this hypothesis, three bunches of bananas were used and one banana was taken from each bunch, and mashed. Each mashed portion was strained and the juice was squeezed onto a refractometer plate. Each banana was tested three times, and the average of the three results was recorded. This process was repeated with a new banana on each day over the course of five days. The results of the experiment proved that on average, if a banana progressively ripens over time, then its sugar content will correspondingly increase.

47Jillian Jarzabski and Rachel Rynearson

The purpose of this experiment was to determine if different types of mold grow on different types of bread, when exposed to a dark, moist environment. Bread was placed in cardboard boxes in a warm, dark environment in plastic sandwich bags. Half of the bread was sprayed with water, while the other half was not. Over a period of one month, mold growth was measured by written observations and photographs to indicate changes. The hypothesis was proven to be correct, different types of mold, do in fact grow on different types of bread. Different molds were shown on different types of bread.

Project #48Emily Morin, Cassie Arpin

The purpose of this experiment was to see what drink is the best for replenishing electrolytes. Commercials and advertising claim that their sports drinks (PowerAde’s and Gatorade’s) are the best for replenishing electrolytes. This project investigates the amount of electrolytes found in orange juice, powerade, distilled water, and tap water. Each substance listed above conductance rate was determined in terms of siemens, using a metro meter. Orange juice had the highest conductance rate, then powerade, then tap water, and lastly distilled water. These results don’t support the assumption that sports drinks replenish electrolytes in your body most effective way because it has a lower conductance rate versus the orange juice.

49Camden Rowe and Andrew Emanuel

Nearly every snowboarder has attempted to remove a sticker from their snowboard; however, there always seems to be a layer of sticky residue left behind. There are numerous methods of sticker removal, involving easily accessible, household chemicals, however, the best way is unknown. This project set out to find the best form of sticker removal, by seeing what method resulted in the quickest time of removal and least amount of residue leftover. The hypothesis tested in this experiment, nail-polish remover at room temperature is the most efficient method of adhesive removal, was proven correct. The results showed that nail polish remover removed up to 100% of each sticker in as little as 26 seconds after having the fluid applied to them for 20 seconds. In conclusion, this information can be applied to any material with a fiberglass surface.

50Veronica Melican

Physarum polycephalum is a type of slime mold that can easily be cultured in petri dishes. When the slime mold is being cultured, it is typically fed rolled oats. However, does P. polycephalum prefer to feed on some foods over others? This experiment examines which types of foods slime molds prefer. It was hypothesized that the slime mold would grow towards food sources that had high protein content. Eight petri dishes containing P. polycephalum were cultured. Eight food sources with different levels of carbohydrate, fat, and protein content were placed inside the petri dishes with the slime mold. After three days, the five slime mold samples that grew were all feeding on the foods with high protein content. Based on these results, it was concluded that P. polycephalum prefers foods that have a large amount of protein, and the hypothesis was proven correct.

#51

Victoria Livingston

The growth rate of yeast is linked to the makings of alcohol during fermentation and bread as it simply grows. A yeast cell is also compared to a human cell; the only difference is that the human cell has tens of billions of models the yeast cell has one. This project investigates the effect of temperature and amount of sugar has on the final growth rate of the yeast. For a period of twenty, thirty minutes and one day the growth rate of the yeast was measured by a ruler to the nearest mm, which was double checked for accuracy. The results of the tests were conclusive. Without any sugar the yeast did not grow substantially no matter the temperature of the water. The worst growth of the yeast experiment was sample #4; it contained ¼ teaspoon of sugar and a low water temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit (with ½ teaspoon of yeast). The best growth of all of the different samples was sample #15; it contained 1 teaspoon of sugar and a high water temperature of 125 degrees Fahrenheit (with ½ teaspoon of yeast). This sample beat the worst sample (#4: 18mm) by 10mm to an astounding 28 mm within the first half hour of testing. These samples are on opposite sides of the tested spectrum. These results conclude that yeast growth rate increases as the temperature and sugar content do so as well. Due to the fact that bread is a staple food in human diets this information is beneficial to the food industry.

52Kaylee Olander

Bleach, hand sanitizer, and soap are used in just about every home to kill bacteria on common surfaces. This experiment examined which household disinfectants are most effective in killing bacteria. The hypothesis tested was if a surface contaminated with bacteria is treated with bleach then the bacteria will be successfully removed. Bacteria were cultured from various school sources and after a predetermined growth period, were treated with various disinfectants. Household bleach killed almost100 per cent of the bacteria, proving the hypothesis correct. Soap was the second most efficient; killing approximately 80 per cent of bacteria. Hand sanitizer was least effective; killing an estimated 75 per cent of bacteria. Yet bleach is hazardous to use on hands or other parts of the body because of its chemical contents. Bleach contains sodium hypochlorite which can cause oropharyngeal, esophageal or ocular irritation and gastric burns. But, bleach leaves no toxic residue, making it the safest and most effective disinfectant to kill bacteria on household surfaces .For general use soap and hand sanitizer are the obvious choice.

53Rachel Godek and Catherine Simonds

Eliminating ice in winter has always been a problem for people living in New England. There are many different methods to melt ice including salts and sands. The hypothesis for this experiment was if there is ice, then Vaporizor Ice melt will melt the mass of the ice faster. The purpose of this experiment was to determine which ice melt worked to decrease the mass of ice the most. Each ice melt has different temperature ranges where it works the best. In this experiment ice chunks were made from snow, melted into water and placed in two different types of ice melt for one hour. The mass of the ice was recorded before and after the ice melt was used. The hypothesis was not proven correct. Vaporizor Ice melt worked the best when the temperature was below freezing. The data showed that Ace Brand Ice Salt works the best when the temperature is freezing or above freezing. In conclusion Vaporizor Ice Melt should be used to melt ice when it is below freezing and Ace Brand Ice Salt should be used when it is above freezing.

54

Philip Ye & Eric Silviera

A review of the literature indicates that a change in the pH of a solution exposed to electricity does occur due to the transfer of ions. This experiment tested the hypothesis if current is applied, then the pH of the salt solution will decrease. Positive and negative wires were placed into different containers containing the same solution. To complete the circuit, another piece of wire was dipped into both solutions and voltage was varied. The solution with the anode maintained nearly neutral pH; the solution with the cathode became much more basic. The solution with the negative wire turned into alkaline solution. The solution, with the positive wire had a constant pH reading of 6.5. The experiment proved the hypothesis incorrect. PH of the solution increased dramatically, rather than decrease as predicted. When a salt solution is exposed to electricity, it will become more basic rather than acidic.

55Alicia Nascembeni

Hair strands are strong because of the keratin protein and sulfur atoms which make up hair. However, applying heat to hair can break down these atoms to reshape hair. This experiment tested the hypothesis: If hair is washed with keratin shampoo, then it will return to its natural state quicker than with just water. Hair was either curled or straightened depending on initial hair type and then either washed with plain water or keratin shampoo. After 30 minutes the hair was examined to determine if it returned to its natural state. Results showed that the keratin shampoo group had 87.5% of the participants’ hair turn completely back to its natural state, while the water group only had 30% of the participants’ hair turn completely back to its natural state. Results show that by adding keratin proteins to your broken down hair, the bonds can more easily restore themselves than with only the help of water molecules. The experiment not only proved my hypothesis on how much more easily hair can revert back to its natural state when washed with keratin shampoo rather than water, but also how hair is shaped and how it works.

56Tremblay C.M.

An essential part of everyday diet is fruits and vegetables which sometimes take a long time to grow. What if there was a way to speed up the growth rate of a plant? A faster growth rate of common fruits and vegetables could make for several harvests per year the faster the growth rate, the more food available but how can the growth rate of plants be increased? Could microwave radiation alter cells such that a plant seed would germinate faster? The cells should be affected in a positive way, causing the growth rate to increase. But for my seeds, that was not the case. Both microwaved and un-microwaved seeds had grown at approximately the same rate. They germinated within the same day and had similar growing patterns and rates. They ended up germinating and growing all at the same pace. So unfortunately, the seeds did not grow at a noticeably increased rate and my hypothesis was incorrect. But there could still be a way to increase the germination and growth rate of plants to create more food. There is still hope that someday these goals will be accomplished.

57Joe Matte, Tom Mazeika

People have been wasting their money on inefficient gum that does not produce large bubbles, nor does it last a desirable amount of time. This experiment will help people choose the most effective gum for saving them money. This experiment tests different brands of gum and their longevity. This experiment also tests which brand of gum will yield the largest bubble. We tested 5 different brands of gum, and 2 different flavors of gum within those brands, but the flavors will not be included in the project. To test how long the flavor of gum lasts, we chewed a piece of gum and used a timer to gauge how long the flavor lasted. With the same piece of gum, we also blew 10 bubbles with each piece of gum, and measured how large the area of the bubble was in centimeters, and how large the diameter of the bubble was, for a more accurate test. When the tests were all said and done, we discovered that Hubba Bubba blew the largest bubble, and that 5 Gum had the longest time of flavor being present. Hubba Bubba had an area of 13.345 centimeters and an 8.5 centimeter diameter at the longest measurement, and 5 Gum lasted 49 minutes and 27 seconds at the longest measurement. This experiment, in conclusion, shows that a single piece of 5 Gum will last the longest, which may be desirable for people trying to save money on gum, and Hubba Bubba produced the largest bubble.

Project #58

Taylor Charron

The reason I began this project was after hearing about the efficiency hydrogen power would create, I was wondering what the best at- home technique would best separate hydrogen in oxygen, which would allow for the most efficient amount of hydrogen to be produced. I quickly researched different techniques that I could do with objects that could be found around the house and I began my experiment. I made slight changes throughout this experiment, such as adding salt to the water or using pencils instead of just using the wires, I found that the technique that produced the most hydrogen was when I added salt to the water and when I attached the wires to the pencil. I let the water separate for an hour and found that by changing these variables the rate at which the bubbles were created increased. By finding the best way to separate hydrogen and oxygen, the most efficient form of creating hydrogen could be found which could lead to creating a better energy source.

Project #59

#60Cody Robert

Many wonder what types of household products remove stains from clothes the best. In this experiment, household products were tested to see what best removed the stain from a white t-shirt. The experiment procedure was fairly simple.6 squares were cut from a white t-shirt and then stained with horseradish. Then little 6 Tupperware cubes were filled with 3 oz. of water and the stained t-shirt squares were put into the Tupperware, then mixed with each of the household products (toothpaste, white vinegar, laundry detergent, water, hand wash, and sanitizer) into one of the Tupperware’s (with the water and stained shirt). They were left alone, then each square was pulled out of each cube and tested for the area and darkness of the stain after 1 hour, 4 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours. The best product was clearly the laundry detergent removing almost all of the stain. In second place was the hand wash which lightened the stain dramatically, in third place was the sanitizer and toothpaste which got rid of most of the stain, and in last place was water and vinegar which didn’t remove much at all. The results show that the laundry detergent is the best cost effective product to remove your stains from your clothes with ease.

Project #61Which Candle Wax Burns The Longest?Petra Zwiebel and Sadie Celuzza

Candle makers want to find a candle wax that is easily available and inexpensive that will burn the longest, to get the most quality candle for their money. Candle buyers also may want to know this information to know which candles to buy. This project investigates which of the three most common candle waxes – soy wax, beeswax, or paraffin wax – burns the longest. Over a 1-day period, there were 16 candles for each wax type, with two tablespoons of wax in each, and we burned each candle and monitored the time until each candle self-extinguished. Beeswax candles burned the longest. Beeswax candles burned an average of 71 minutes longer than paraffin wax candles, and 117.6 minutes longer than soy wax candles. These results conclude that beeswax candles burn longer than the other two wax types. Candle makers and buyers can rely on beeswax candles to give them the most burn time for their money.

Project #62How Temperature affects Luminescent Objects?Ashlynn Field & Jessica Hall

Does the Temperature really affect how long an object glows? This project will see how temperature affects the glow in luminescent objects; does it prolong the glow or shorten it? Using 2 jars, one for glow sticks and one for phosphorescent paint, we recorded the amount of light given off by the luminescent objects in room temperature and then in warm water, each was exposed to the temperatures equally. The glow stayed for longer in the warmer containers. These results support that the warmer the luminescent object, the longer it holds a bright glow.

Project #63Finding Absolute ZeroJoshua White, Matthew Ilustre

Knowing the relationship between a gas’ volume and its temperature is important when considering the amount of air needed in an airplane, submarine, or a satellite, where knowing the exact amount of gas within the vessel is crucial to its and its passengers’ safety. This project investigates and compares the differences between the temperatures and volumes of a set amount of gas. Over multiple trials, we placed a flask of gas in boiling water, let it stand, and eventually inverted it and moved it to an ice bath to see how much water entered the flask, which would signify the change in volume due to pressure differences. The correlation would be discovered by the existence of a linear relationship between the temperatures and volumes. The linear correlation proved to be that volume is equal to one and sixteen ten-thousandths times the temperature, plus thirty-eight and six-hundred-twenty-six thousandths. This equation would mean absolute zero is equal to negative thirty-five and fifty-six hundredths degrees Celsius, which is different than the accepted temperature of absolute zero of negative two-hundred-seventy-three and fifteen hundredths degrees Celsius, producing a percent error of eighty-five and eighty-eight hundredths percent. The correlation between temperature and volume in a gas was however proven.

Project #64Acetate and Ethanol: A Mixture that Keeps You SoberAlyssa Raymond and Juliana Anderson

Becoming sober after being addicted to alcohol for many years is often hard for those individuals. “Quitting cold turkey” often results in a relapse and for the whole process to start all over again. The project investigates the effects of salicylic acid on ethanol and the effects of alcohol in human beings. Seven volunteers smelled five different solutions of ethanol, sulfuric acid, and salicylic acid, each solution having a different concentration of salicylic acid. The ester formed when salicylic acid and ethanol are mixed together gives off a minty scent. Each of the volunteers rated each solution on a scale of 1-10 of how strong the minty smell was. The rating of the strength of the smell increased as the concentration of salicylic acid increased. Therefore, our highest concentration of salicylic acid reacted closest to completion, turning the acid and

ethanol into ester and water. This would cause the alcohol to no longer have any effect on the subject.

65Pestaina .N.A. and Dalton .J.J.

American people have become familiar with the drug caffeine; some might say that caffeine is the most common drug. Whether it is coffee, energy drinks or as simple as a caffeine pill, caffeine has become more and more popular over the years. After scientists tested caffeine examining how it affects each aspect of the brain; it was concluded that there was a noticeable increase when it came to memory and caffeine. In this experiment the question was; when consuming caffeine prior to a memory test will caffeine have a positive affect? The results of the experiment showed that there was a positive effect from caffeine on memory. Out of the people we tested from ages 14-16, eight people improved on their second test after consuming the 200mg caffeine pill, there was one person that had the same score on both test and two people that had a second test score that was lower after consuming the caffeine pill. The results proved our hypothesis correct and ultimately backed up what scientists had already concluded about caffeine.

Project #66 Best Insulants Spencer Bourassa

Insulants are responsible for keeping us warm in the winter and cool in the summer. This project investigates what common house hold materials make good insulants. During the course of a day, 5 ice cubes were melted in a 68 degree room surrounded by different house hold materials and timed to see which hit 68 degrees the fastest. All ice cubes took over 2 hours to completely melt and reach 68 degrees, but the majority had a 10 minute or more difference from the control ice cube that was melted without an insulant. The results show the importance for a proper insulant in broad climates like New England’s.

#67

Noah Berthiaume, Eamon McHugh

Humans consume about 45 million pounds of caffeine a year, and the abuse of caffeine in growing human beings has been said to stunt growth. This experiment tracked the growth of plants while being watered with caffeinated substances and produced data on whether or not caffeine affected the growth of plants opposed to just regular water. For a 13 day period Cascadia pea plants were grown in a controlled environment. Four rows of 12 of peas were planted and then each row watered with coffee, black tea, Diet Coke, or water. The amounts of

germinated plants were recorded each day. The difference in growth between the plants watered with caffeine versus the non-caffeinated water was inconclusive. Although the plants that received Diet coke daily were on average 2 cm higher than the plants that received water, the plants watered with tea were 2 cm shorter than the plants with water. There was also no foreseeable difference between the plants irrigated with coffee and water. These results do not support whether caffeine stunts the growth in plants or increases the rate of growth.

Project #68

Tyler Galuska, Anna Tenerowicz, Gavin Granitto

The effects of different milks on the creation of Casein plastic

We live in a changing world with many different milk substitutes. This project is a deeper look into a specific substitute, Almond Milk, and it's ability to form a substance similar to Casein plastic when acid is introduced. By heating 2%, whole, and almond milks to about 160 degrees and adding 4 teaspoons of vinegar we were able to create a precipitate from these milks and compare the masses of solid gathered. There was no significant difference in the mass yielded of whole milk and 2% milk. There was however an 89% decrease in yield when almond milk was substituted in place of whole milk. This experiment shows that almond milk does not contain the same phosphoproteins as mammalian milk and therefore is not able to form a solid when acid is added.

Project #69

Abbie Champeau & Nick SmithProject Name: Skyglow

The purpose of the experiment was to compare the amounts of skyglow in differing locations (urban, suburban, and rural). Skyglow or scattered light in the atmosphere is the biggest contributor to light pollution in urban areas, which disturbs eco-systems, and interferes with the chrono-biological rhythms of animals and humans alike. This project investigates what surrounding areas are most affected by skyglow. We investigated this problem in three different locations by taking photos of the sky and creating a histogram of each picture, providing us with relative values of skyglow in each area. We found that our urban location (Worcester, MA) had the greatest amount of light pollution, followed by the suburban area we tested (Auburn, MA), and finally the rural test case (Holland, MA). These results support the claim that skyglow is most prominent in city areas while affecting rural locations the least; Therefore, the negative effects of skyglow are most threatening to organisms in and around urban areas.

Project 70

Elise Hanks-WitaszekThe Effect of Temperature on the Amount of Lead released by products.

    Even though lead is banned from certain items, companies still might embed the led and try to hide it from the public, enabling the manufacturers to produce products at a lower cost. This project investigates the effect of temperature on the amount of lead released by products. For eight different tests I checked each product for lead. Each test was taken using three different temperatures, boiling, freezing, and room temperature. If they did contain led, they would appear with a pink, purple, or red color which I scaled on a level of one to ten (ten being the darkest). For six of the items that I tested, they each had a greater amount of lead present at a higher temperature. While two of the items being tested had a decrease in lead present, and one of the products showed that the lead content stayed the same for room temperature and boiling. These results support the fact that lead has a higher content when tested at a higher temperature, which raises the question of how are they allowing manufacturers to continue putting lead in their products and selling them on the market today?

Project 71Heather ChoTesting the Strength of Different Bioplastics

    The increase of pollution by polyethylene plastic bags has lead to the search for a biodegradable solution with characteristics that would be close to that of a polyethylene bag, strong and thin, but also biodegradable. This project investigates the strength of different bioplastics. Four types of bioplastic, made from corn, wheat, arrowroot or potato starch were used. Ten samples of each type of plastic were tested using a tensile test, with the use of a spring scale and a caliper. The bioplastic that was the was the strongest was the potato plastic. It held up to an average force of 8.0 N, while the other plastics held an average of 7.5 N (corn), 5.0 N (wheat) and 3.0 N (arrowroot). These results conclude that the bioplastic that withstood the most force was potato plastic, therefore would be the most useful to produce biodegradable plastic products.  

#72William Jones and Victoria Miles

The hypothesis investigated was if sports balls are subjected to varying ambient temperatures their pressure, mass, and temperature will change from their initial measurements. The mass, pressure, and temperature of each ball in their respective locations was calculated in increments of thirty minutes for two and one half hours. For every ball, the mass stayed relatively similar throughout the entire experiment. However, the ball pressure we found decreased when put in a colder temperature. When balls were subjected to warmer environments, their temperature increased and when subjected to colder environments, it decreased. Also, each ball was used to either kick, serve, throw, or shoot depending on what type of ball. It was concluded that the football and volleyball from the hottest environment were thrown and served the farthest average distance respectively. Also, the soccer ball from the coldest environment was kicked the farthest average distance. The basketball with the highest percentage of shots made was also from the coldest environment. This is interesting because the two extreme temperatures, hottest and

coldest, were the two from which the balls had the best results. After the experiment, it was shown that the hypothesis was incorrect, since, while the pressure and temperature changed, the mass stayed relatively the same.

73Victoria Messina, Victoria Kirkland

A cloud chamber lets scientists study microparticles and radiation. Understanding microparticles and radiation has led to the creation of x-rays and chemicals to kill bacteria. When using a cloud chamber it is possible to study certain particles such as, alpha molecules, protons and electrons. This experiment will test if a magnet is placed close to a cloud chamber, then the magnetic field will affect the decay particle’s size, and shape. The first step of this experiment is to build a cloud chamber then place it on a pile of dry ice. The experiment is concluded when the lights are turned off and a magnet is placed by the chamber. The result of the magnetic pull affected the speed and height of the particles. As the magnet was placed by the chamber the particles inside rose toward the top of the chamber and slowed down. The shape of the particles did not change but the speed and height did, proving the hypothesis wrong. Radiation and micro-particles are important for scientists to understand because they can be used in the medical field and for industrial uses.

74Colin Eliason

Throughout the history of baseball there have been many debates, especially the discussion about what type of baseball bat is more effective at hitting a baseball a greater distance. The purpose of this experiment is to determine if a wood or aluminum bat is more effective at hitting a baseball farther. The hypothesis of the experiment is if baseballs hit by the aluminum bat travel farther, then the aluminum bat is more effective than the wooden bat. Fifteen balls were hit off each bat on three areas, below, on and above the “sweet spot”, and on each hit the distance the ball traveled was measured. The experiment showed that the aluminum bat was more effective bat, proving the hypothesis correct. Although the data shows the wood is the better bat at hitting balls off the sweet spot, it is clear the aluminum was more effective with hitting balls below and above the sweet spot. Showing that the aluminum is a more balanced bat and proving that it is the more effective bat.

#75

Michael Herman

Everything today has to do something with safety. Everything has some form of safety. This project investigates how much of a specific padding is needed to prevent a knife from stabbing someone. For the procedure it was a lot of repetition. I made a pendulum and at the bottom of the swinger, I taped a 2 ½ inch knife. Then I put the melon at the point of contact. I then wanted to see how far the knife would go into the melon without any foam in front of it. Then I gradually put ½ an inch of foam in front of the melon, and I did this until the knife did not hit the melon. My results were very much what I thought they were going to be. With no padding in front of the melon, the knife went into the melon the full 2 ½ inches. Once I started to put the foam in front of the melon, the knife started to not go in as far. When I put ½ an inch of foam in front of the melon, the knife went in 2 inches. Then I added another ½ inch of foam in front of the melon, and it only went in 1 ½ inches. Once I put the third piece in front of the melon, the knife went in only ½ an inch. When I put the fourth piece of foam in front of the melon, the knife didn’t stab the melon at all. These results support that enough foam will keep a knife from stabbing a human (melon)

#76Joe Distefano, Chris Ballou

Electrical fires have been a significant part of deaths in the United States. In the year 2013, there were 50,000 houses burnt, 3,000 deaths, and 24,300 injuries caused by fires that have been started by electrical faults. This project investigates how fuses prevent house fires due to electrical faults. When the experiment was set up, it was made sure that the light bulb was in some kind of danger. This could include a short circuit. When the fuse notices this, it starts to melt, and breaks the circuit protecting the bulb. Even though the fuse cannot be used again, it did its job by preventing a potential house fire, saving a lot lives and money. The results support the fact that fuses prevent house fires, and therefor deaths and/or injuries.

Project number 77Does the brand of the ice cream affect how much time it takes to melt?Abbey St. Pierre and Andrew Umanzor

Many brands here in the U.S compete for customers in various ways. We conducted this experiment to help people determine which brand of ice cream stays solid the longest. This project investigates if the brand of ice cream affects how long it takes to melt. Over the course of a few hours ice cream from four different brands (Stop & Shop, Friendly’s, Hood, and Turkey Hill) were tested. They were left out in room temperature to melt and were observed. Our experiment resulted in the two generic brands (Stop & Shop, and Turkey Hill) melting the

quickest and the two well-known brands (Hood, and Friendly’s) took a longer time to melt. But our results on which brand melted the fastest and slowest were inconclusive. The temperatures at which the ice cream melted varied between 69 and 64 degrees Fahrenheit. After concluding our experiment we determined that name brands like Hood lasted longer than generic brands like Stop & Shop.

Project E1

E2Erin Butts, Robyn Phillipo

Cozy Socks

In the cold weather, people often suffer discomfort from their cold feet. This invention aims to solve the issues of feet being cold. Our first attempt was to thread heating wire in a spiral formation through a wool sock. Our second prototype will be a series of parallel circuits of heating wire throughout a wool sock. Each prototype was connected to one 9 volt battery as the power source. Our first prototype was inconclusive, as the power source only provided heat for the first three inches of the wire. Therefore, we reassessed the problem and will be creating a second prototype. In this second prototype, as stated above, we will be soldering parallel circuits together within the sock to acquire a resistance in the heating wire that is adequate for the 9 volt battery to power. At this time, we have no conclusions to draw from our invention.

E3

Dawson Durgin

I made this invention with the purpose of easing the burden of shoveling that winter brings each and every year. The side plating for the shovel was put aside, as it made it difficult to scoop snow. The slopped top of the shovel was make shorter and out of rubber instead to improve weight. In testing it, a 38 cm by 457 cm walkway was used to test the shovel's performance compared to a traditional shovel. The time to shovel with the Canis was 20 seconds, while the traditional shovel took 26 seconds. The Canis only had to scoop twice to do the job, whereas the traditional shovel required 10 scoops. In conclusion, the shovel greatly improved shoveling low levels of snow and the extra handle helped to scoop snow, especially with higher amounts of snow.

E4Olivia Houde

Don't you just love listening to music? In the 1980s, people listened to music on the Sony® Walkman®,now, people listen to their favorite tunes on their Apple® iPhonesTM. But back in the 1800s and early 1900s, people would gather around their phonograph to listen to their favorite tunes. This project investigates whether simple materials can be put together to play back sound from a vinyl record album, and to determine which materials produce the best sound. A simple pickup and stylus will be made to play back music from a vinyl record album, investigating different membrane materials and pickup shapes. Four people (including myself) were asked to listen to the same song four times on the same record and rank the clarity and loudness from 1-5 that each membrane produced. The four different membranes consist of a tin can and a cardboard cylinder with either aluminum foil or a latex glove placed on it with a needle taped to it. The data showed that a tin can with aluminum foil played back the loudest and clearest. The tin can with latex played half as loud in most cases and wasn’t very clear. The cardboard cylinder with aluminum foil was the fairly loud and averagely clear. The cardboard cylinder with latex was slightly louder than the cylinder with latex and averagely clear. The results support the point that metallic objects playback a clear, loud sound opposed to that of cardboard and latex.

Project E5Sean Curtis, Logan MelicanHome Automation with Rapsberry Pi

    Home automation is a convenient method of monitoring appliances from your mobile device, but it can be very expensive to install. This project is intended to design an inexpensive and equally efficient counterpart to a home automation system. A Raspberry Pi computer was connected to an eight channel

relay circuit, which was wired to various appliances, through general-purpose input-output (GPIO) pins. A program written in the Python language was coded into the Raspberry Pi to allow the user to switch the appliances on and off from the computer. Trial runs were conducted after each stage of the project to ensure everything was working. In the process numerous bugs occurred in the program and needed to be fixed. The final system was able to monitor a fan, a lamp, and an LED strip; and the program allowed the user to switch these appliances on and off from a computer. Overall this project cost about $150, which is a much cheaper alternative.

Project E6

Aurore LooneyWindshield Wonder

Massachusetts winters are extremely cold and snowy; sometimes you’ll wake up in the morning with a snow covered car. This project solves the problem of spending long periods of time in the morning clearing off your car windshield. In this project, a blow dryer device with a cigarette lighter plug, plastic, and a squeegee were built into a heated windshield scraper. Then, ten timed trials of clearing a 2’ by 1’ piece of glass off with windshield wipers, a windshield scraper, and the heated windshield scraper were performed. The heated windshield scraper performed the best, then the regular windshield scraper, and finally the windshield wipers. The heated windshield scraper took an average of 52.6 seconds to clear of the 2’ by 1’ piece of glass covered in snow and ice, the regular windshield scraper took an average of 1 minute and 48.3 seconds, and lastly the windshield wipers took an average of 3 minutes and 23.6 seconds to clear off the glass. These results prove that the new heated windshield scraper is more effective than any other type of windshield clearing device.