Fair incubates future scientists

Offering challenges to youthful ingenuity as well as prizes and scholarships, the fifth Yuma County Science Fair brings together students and the community to promote scientific techniques and contribute to the future needs of business and agriculture, say fair directors.

The fair drew 400 students to the Arizona Western College Gymnasium Friday and will conclude today (Saturday). Elementary, middle and high school students from San Luis to Wellton shared the importance of science with county residents, said Debbie Webber, a Fair Committee organizer.

"Taking on a science project is a long-term commitment," Webber said. "It's a chance to share with parents and the community the hard work they put in and their accomplishments."

Indicative of the growing importance of science is that it was recently included in AIMS achievement tests for fourth and eighth grades and for high school students. Next year it will required of all grade levels, Webber said.

Dr. Ian Watkinson, AWC agriculture professor and likely judge for final competitions today, noted most projects came from elementary schools with 195 entries, followed by 82 from middle schools and 28 from high schools.

"This is fantastic," Watkinson said. "You can see there's tremendous excitement among the kids. Obviously we hope they continue to progress though the university system and eventually supply the Yuma community with its scientific needs."

Students at the fair compete in seven categories: chemistry, earth science, zoology, botany, engineering, physics and medical/microbiology. Competition is divided among the three levels of education: elementary, middle and high school.

More than 300 projects have been entered in the competition. Preliminary judging was completed Friday, and the top three entrants for every age group in each category advance to the grand prize judging today.

Fair organizers said they are especially grateful for donations that go directly to students in the form of prize money and scholastic opportunities. The AWC Foundation and the University of Arizona provided scholarships for high school students, Webber noted.

Along with the scholarships, other funding supporters include Yuma Area Ag Council, Yuma County Education Service Agency and the NASA Mars landing project. Yuma Proving Ground engineers have also generously donated their time as judges of the competition, Watkinson noted.

"Kids go away from here pretty well supported for what they're doing," Watkinson said. "If they win one of the prizes, it helps significantly with their future science careers."

One of those with aspirations for a career in science is Kasey Fry, 17, a Yuma High School senior. Kasey has been participating in the fair since the seventh grade.

Her current project demonstrates the medicinal benefits of raw garlic, which can be used as an antiseptic, antibiotic, and it lowers cholesterol and helps the body's circulation, she said.

Kasey, who is competing in the microbiology category, previously entered projects in zoology and botany. Even though she caters to her interests because she has diversified her research, she has learned a lot of things she would never have been exposed to before, she noted.

"I've gotten firsthand experience of what goes on in the biology lab," Kasey said. "I've learned more about bacteria and that helps me for chemistry classes because I want to be a veterinarian."

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William Roller can be reached at
wroller@yumasun.com or 539-6858.