LMK Hosts Third Annual Science and Technology Fair

Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students presented their scientific experiments and technological designs at the Third Annual Science and Technology Fair at Louis M. Klein Middle School. The projects were completed independently by LMK students over the course of two months. Each student’s subject matter represented an interest or a passion and the students thrived given the opportunity to challenge themselves by investigating a topic of interest. Presentation materials were made possible to all students through a grant received from the Harrison Educational Foundation.

In the first two years of the newly implemented LMK Science and Technology Fair, roughly 25-30 students participated. This year, LMK was proud to have 77 students present their work. Students are incorporating the information and techniques they are learning in their science classes from their teachers at the middle school and applying them to their individual projects. The elementary schools have been instrumental in fostering a depth of knowledge in science and technology research and implementation, culminating in fifth grade science fairs that are currently happen all over town. Even interest in current events sparked interest in two of LMK’s scientists who presented what soils would work well in space, as one of America’s astronauts returned to earth after spending nearly a year in space.

“This fair is representative of our District’s mission and included students in all three grades, special education students, and many of our ENL students – including Beginners,” said Joan O’Keeffe, Director of Science and Technology. “We are proud of the increase in the rigor and sophistication of the projects – who knew you could ‘walk on water’?”

Presenters by grade are as follows:

8th Grade Presenters

Daiana Djangaracheva and Hahnbie Kim– Alternate Soils to Be Used in Space

Teacher: Mr. DePalma 1st Place

Adil Rahman and Kamal Rahman – Disappearing Liquids

Teacher: Ms. Lorino 2nd Place

Janelle Vasquez and Caitlyn Hollander – Plant Growth Using Ashes as a Fertilizer

Teacher: Mr. DePalma 3rd Place

Jenna Viola and Emily Diaz - How high can an egg bounce?

Teacher: Mr. DePalma 2nd Place

Kei Hirose – A Comparison of Skin Cancer to Plant Growth

Teacher: Mr. DePalma 2nd Place

Darien Sharpe – The Effect of Water on Mold Growth

Teacher: Mr. Baritis 2nd Place

Ryatoro Homma – Penny Batteries

Teacher: Mr. Baritis 2nd Place

7th Grade Presenters

Clara Kennedy - Caffeine and Eggshell Discoloration

Teacher: Ms. Brain 3rd Place

James McLean – How many lemon batteries does it take to light an LED light bulb?

Teacher: Ms. Brain 2nd Place

Molly Ryan - How do different liquids affect how fast ice melts?

Teacher: Ms. Ennis 1st Place

Sonali Nicola - The Somatosensory System

Teacher: Mr. Recktenwalt 3rd Place

Anthony Kang - The Effect of Internet Browser Tabs on a Computer's Temperature

Teacher: Ms. Ennis 2nd Place

Sofia Weissman - How long can a plant last without photosynthesis?

Teacher: Ms. Ennis 3rd Place

Brandon Lum - Does aspirin affect how a plant grows?

Teacher: Ms. Ennis 2nd Place

Areebah Mehmood - Does water rise when it is heated? (Thermal Expansion)

Teacher: Ms. Ennis 2nd Place

Alicia Unterreiner - How does the amount of yeast affect bread height?

Teacher: Ms. Ennis 1st Place

Kaisei Arai - Regular IPhone Chargers vs. Homemade Solar Chargers
Teacher: Ms. Brain 1st Place

Rayan Touijer - Does radiation affect the growth of radishes?
Teacher: Ms. Brain 1st Place

Kyoko Endo - Mold Growth on Different Types of Bread
Teacher: Ms. Brain 1st Place

Zachary Lopane - Does music affect plant growth?

Teacher: Ms. Brain Honorable Mention

Ryota Matsuura – The Effect of Temperature on the Density of Gum

Teacher: Ms. Brain 1st Place

R.J. Tammaro - Impact!

Teacher: Ms. Ennis 2nd Place

Iyanna Nieves- The Effect of Different Citric Fruit Juices on Water

Teacher: Ms. Brain Honorable Mention

Caroline Murabito - How can tomatoes float?

Teacher: Mr. Recktenwalt 1st Place

6th Grade Presenters

Fatima Nolasco Rojas - Can different amounts of vinegar affect the size of a balloon?

Teacher: Ms. Eveland 3rd Place

Mayu Takahashi and Hinami Sakamoto - Dogs and Smells

Teacher: Ms. Diecidue and Ms. Eveland 3rd Place

Arun Sood - AA Potato Battery

Teacher: Ms. Diecidue 2nd Place

Gianna Vukel - Water Purification

Teacher: Ms. Eveland 1st Place

James Barker and Corbin Coles - Breaking Glass

Teacher: Ms. Diecidue Honorable Mention

Mai Blaustein - Sharpie Tie-Dye

Teacher: Ms. Eveland Honorable Mention

Iori Terada - Egg Drop

Teacher: Ms. Eveland 3rd Place

Michael Connors and Finlay Williamson – Rockets

Teachers: Mr. Kinisky and Ms. Diecidue 2nd Place

Danielle Duffy and Patricia Diaz - Fruity vs. Mint

Teacher: Mr. Kinisky 3rd Place

Joanna Howson - The Effect of Light on Plants

Teacher: Mr. Kinisky 2nd Place

Sofia Elias - The Coolest Marshmallow

Teacher: Mr. Kinisky 3rd Place

Matthew Febbraio - A Shocking Experiment

Teacher: Mr. Kinisky 3rd Place

Marina Misic - Floating Paper Clips

Teacher: Mr. Kinisky 2nd Place

Aidan Lefkowitz - Noodle Experiment

Teacher: Mr. Kinisky Honorable Mention

Caroline Tanico - Conductors of Electricity

Teacher: Mr. Kinisky 3rd Place

Abby Roth - Got "Good Taste"?

Teacher: Mr. Kinisky 1st Place

Alex Marino - What evaporates the fastest: mango juice, water, or sparkling chocolate soda?

Teacher: Ms. Diecidue Honorable Mention

Naotoshi Watanabe - The Ping Pong Ball Bounce Height

Teacher: Ms. Diecidue 3rd Place

CJ Ianniello and Graham Napeck – Do all liquids evaporate at the same rate?

Teacher: Ms. Eveland 2nd Place

Brien Pallone - Vinegar & Baking Soda Volcano

Teacher: Ms. Diecidue Honorable Mention

Payten Sharpe - Does food coloring affect how much water a plant "drinks"?

Teacher: Ms. Eveland Honorable Mention

Emily Carrillo - Speed of Food Coloring

Teacher: Ms. Diecidue Honorable Mention

Astrid Maldonado and Emeli Ostorga - Which detergent works best to get the stains out?

Teacher: Ms. Eveland and Mr. Kinisky Honorable Mention

Yoshiyuki Nakanishi - Shadow and Flashlights

Teacher: Ms. Eveland 2nd Place

Ali Ahmad - Affecting the Heart

Teacher: Ms. Diecidue 3rd Place

Annie Chen - Lemon Volcano

Teacher: Ms. Diecidue Honorable Mention

Keelan Vaswani - Pop,Pop,Pop Goes the Kernel!

Teacher: Ms. Eveland 2nd Place

Vincent Griffo - The Changing Size of Gummy Bears!

Teacher: Mr. Kinisky Honorable Mention

Technology Presenters

Julian Glover - The Center of Gravity
Teacher: Mr. Petrillo Honorable Mention

Cameron McLean - Salt Water Battery!!

Grade 7 Teacher: Mr. Bergen 1st Place

Madison Kung – Walking on Water

Grade 7 Teacher: Mr. Bergen 2nd Place

Evan Rothstein and Ben Scammell – Maze Solver

Grade 7 Teacher: Mr. Bergen 1st Place

Vincenzo Pagnotta - The Bug-Bot

Grade 7 Teacher: Mr. Bergen 2nd Place

James Scammell - Which 3-D image is better?

Grade 6 Teacher: Mr. Bergen 2nd Place

Luke Wong - Building an EMP

Grade 6 Teacher: Mr. Bergen 1st Place

FASE Class Presenters

Grade 6, 7 & 8

Jacob Terrana, Matthew Cirillo, Max Cirillo, Joey Gambino, Krista Vella , Samuel Jones, Jessica Santorsola

Brush, Brush, Brush Teacher: Ms. Pinto Honorable Mention

The science and technology projects were judged by the following:

LMK Science Teachers

Angela Diecidue

Christina Eveland

Kathleen Ennis

Daniel Recktenwalt

Frederic DePalma

Laura Brain

Chelsea Lorino

HHS Science Teachers

Kelli Yates

Nina Mauche

Randy Gunnell- Science Research Teacher

Joan O’Keeffe, Director of Science and Technology

Harrison High School Science Research Student

Esha Jan, Emma Abramson, Olivia Neiman, Ari Heilbrunn, Sara Bove, Darya Khodakhah, Lauren Cole