<\/p>\n
The projects at last week\u2019s Mancos Middle School Science Fair were diverse and awe-inspiring.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am always impressed with what students are able to do,\u201d said Mancos sixth-grade science teacher Brady Archer.<\/p>\n
Projects on display last Friday spanned from the practical to the uncanny. For example, one student set out to measure methane emissions from cows on a food lot versus an open range, while another student opted to calculate the aerodynamics of Batman\u2019s cape.<\/p>\n
Other projects examined the payload capabilities of a homemade drone, a new brake pad technology, electromagnetic propulsion, amount of bacteria found inside Wal-Mart and even an edible water bottle.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m looking for something that students can\u2019t just find on the Internet,\u201d explained volunteer science fair judge and Colorado Parks and Wildlife official Cathy Brons.<\/p>\n
One of five judges, Brons said she was most impressed with a young geologist who incorporated his science fair project into a family vacation over Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe compared the rocks in his own backyard to what he found in California,\u201d Brons said. \u201cIt\u2019s neat to see a student get excited about science.\u201d<\/p>\n
To help narrow a student\u2019s scientific intrigue, middle school teacher Kelly Gregory explained that she utilized a flow chart to help students identify topics of interest. For example, students interested in building were pointed toward mechanical engineering issues, and students interested in living organisms were encouraged to explore biology, and so on.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe start from there,\u201d Gregory said, adding that students were allowed to conduct research via the Internet. \u201cThat background lets them formulate a hypothesis, which is key to any scientific endeavor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory added that the science fair was invaluable to teaching students how to identify problems and reach solutions, skills that they\u2019d need throughout their lifetimes.<\/p>\n
Over the past decade, multiple Mancos middle school students have advanced to the state science fair. Gregory theorized that success, which could be replicated again this year, she said, was due to minimal opportunities in the rural community.<\/p>\n
\u201cMancos is a town of 1,000 people,\u201d Gregory said. \u201cWe don\u2019t have malls and movie theaters.\u201d<\/p>\n
With few places to spend free time, Gregory said, Mancos students are more inventive, and that innovative spirit helped students to succeed with engineering projects, for example.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe students are pretty creative,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Pointing to former Mancos student Easton LaChappelle, who advanced all the way to the White House Science Fair a few years ago and now is an entrepreneur in the field of robotics, Gregory said today\u2019s students look up to him as a role model for what they can accomplish.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have one student that\u2019s in awe of Easton and very much inspired by him,\u201d Gregory said.<\/p>\n
An attempt to reach LaChappelle for comment this week was unsuccessful.<\/p>\n
\u201cEaston travels the world and is extremely busy these days,\u201d Gregory said.<\/p>\n