Creative and Fun Experiments on Display at Deerfield Middle School Science Fair

Scientific experiments of many different kinds were on display at Mountainside’s Deerfield Middle School, where the school held its science fair over the weekend.

The event, which took place on Saturday, saw students from grades 3-8 vying to capture one of the top prizes for their grade level. Students were allowed to work by themselves, in pairs, or in teams of three. In all, a total of 67 Deerfield students participated by putting together approximately 50 projects in the areas of physics, chemistry, biology, and consumer science.

Emphasis was placed on studnets showing their own independence in doing these projects, according to Marilyn Berney, the chairperson of the Science Fair Committee.

“They were each asked to work either by themselves or in pairs with parent supervision when needed, but not to have the parents do the projects,” said Berney. “We are pleasantly pleased to see that students have really done these projects on their own.”

The science fair was judged by a team that was chosen from all different walks of life, but with one common thread: all judges had to have a background in a science-related field.

“We found some from pharmaceutical companies, and some judges that are from a teaching background. We have judges who have chemistry backgrounds, different scientific disciplines, and people who are unaffiliated with this school,” said Liz Coley, a member of the Science Fair Committee. “We (also) ended up with two science scholars that live in Mountainside and whose children went to Deerfield School and graduated several years ago. They came back to be judges in the fair, and they hold scientific conventions.”

The end result, of course, was an event that was fun for everyone, especially the participating students and their parents.

“I think it’s great. I actually work for the police department and teach here at the school, and I think the students really showed a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of hard work and dedication to this whole event,” said Mike Perrotta, whose son Mikey, a sixth grader, joined his friends on creating a project for the science fair. “I’m very impressed by all the different exhibits.”

The students really seemed to engage themselves in their projects and the learning that they helped to promote.

“Our project is how to get gum out of your hair,” said third grader Sabrina Ruban, who worked on a project titled “Icky Sticky Gooey Gum” with classmate Olivia DiNorscio. “We used different products, and the three that worked the most were baby oil, peanut butter, and mayonnaise.”

Winners (By Grade):

Third Grade:

1^st Place: “Run to the Beat” by J.J. Post, Alex Felitto, and Alex Raimi

2^nd Place: “Electrical Circuit” by Allison Schwartz

3^rd Place (Tie): “Amazing Static Electricty” by Reilly Ford and Arielle Nogueira and “Make a Homemade Battery Tester” by Adrian Monaghan

Fourth Grade:

1^st Place (Tie): “Basketball Bounce” by Drew Rittman and Will Tracy and “Slap Shot Science” by Liam Murphy

2^nd Place: “Preventing Browning of An Apple” by Vincent Berlinski

3^rd Place: “Rusty Magnets” by Nathaniel Roman

Fifth Grade:

1^st Place: “Growing Mold” by Teddy Hannan

2^nd Place: “Will Grass Grow Without Soil?” by Aislinn O’Keefe

3^rd Place: “More POP for Your Pennies” by Gabrielle Barbera and Isabelle Collins

Sixth Grade:

1^st Place: “Making Crystals” by Jake Kontra

2^nd Place: “Chinese Yo-Yo Effects” by Jason Wong, David Lun, and Ethan Fong

3^rd Place: “Steady Hand Game” by Trevor Rittman

Seventh/Eighth Grades:

1^st Place: “The Effects of Everyday Beverages on Teeth” by Jeremy Berlinski

2^nd Place: “Bending Light Waves” by Matthew Bacho and Avery Lau

3^rd Place (Tie): “The Fields of Force” by Bruno Avritzer and “Will More Energy be Produced by the Wind or by the Hand-Crank?” by Saverio Zipeto