Clarkstown North High School inducted its latest members of the Science Honor Society Wednesday night, and following the ceremony was North’s Science Night. During the event, students displayed science projects in the school gym while raising money for the school’s science magazine, CHAOS.
The event featured plenty of hands-on projects. Perhaps the most popular booth Wednesday night was that of Alexa Albam and Kevin Ryu, both 11th grade students at North.
Their booth had a tiny pool and kiddy pool filled with cornstarch and water. The substance drew attention from many of the younger kids in attendance, who were very excited to dip their hands into it. When you put pressure on the substance, it acts as a solid, so people can roll it into balls or slap it without their hands falling in. However, when you don’t put pressure on it, it acts as a liquid. Albam said it’s called a non-newtonian fluid.
Other interactive booths included an erupting volcano and building structures with newspaper and tape to see how much weight they could hold.
Many other students created large posters detailing research-heavy projects. Ninth-grader Ben Eisenberg looked into the affect of plant fertilizer in plant water, specifically on algae growth. Aiden Daly, also in ninth grade, looked into how different pH levels affect the life of physa fontinalis, or bladder snail, which he called a “common aquarium pest” which can sneak into fish tanks and make it unlivable for the fish.
