Students Present Soil Research to Naperville Officials

On Wed., Feb. 14 and Fri., Feb. 16, a small group of District 203 middle school students presented the results of their original research to officials at the City of Naperville’s Water Utility and to the Naperville Park District, respectively. Mayor Steve Chirico, City Councilwoman Patty Gustin and Park District Executive Director Ray McGury joined an audience of staff and parents who attended the Feb. 16 presentation.

The four sixth grade students, representing both Kennedy and Madison Junior High Schools, met in elementary school and shared a desire to conduct a scientific study of a real-world issue. After considering many different topics, they chose to study the problem of excessive phosphorus in ponds and streams, which leads to algal blooms that can harm marine life. Their experiment was to compare the effects of natural versus artificial fertilizers on the amount of phosphorus runoff.

With the assistance of Dr. Srimani Chakravarthi, one of their parents, the students began their research in May 2017. They consulted with several experts about how to test water, soil and grass, including Jim Holzapfel, Naperville Water and Wastewater Utility Director; Dr. Bill Bromer, a biology professor at the University of St. Francis; and Carl Gorra, Park Operations Manager (Central) at the Naperville Park District.

The students assembled trays of soil and grass and compared the effects of natural versus artificial fertilizers under carefully controlled conditions. The grass and soil quality were comparable across artificial and natural fertilizers. The phosphorus run-off levels were surprisingly low in the artificial fertilizer trays, and also, low in the tray that used cow manure as the natural fertilizer. One explanation may be that the artificial fertilizer may have been slow-release and needs to be studied over a longer period of time. The overall results suggested that cow manure may be a suitable alternative to artificial fertilizers.

The students plan to submit their research to a national competition and want to follow up with further study.

PHOTO CAPTION:

Students pose with City and Park District officials following their presentation on Friday, Feb. 16 at the Knoch Park Central Maintenance Facility. From left to right: Carl Gorra—Park Operations Manager (Central); student researchers Meera, Siya, and Diya; Councilwoman Patty Gustin, Mayor Steve Chirico, and Park District Executive Director Ray McGury. The fourth student researcher, Anjali, was not able to attend the presentation.