by Kathi Stearns

Youthful scientists demonstrated the conductivity of spider silk, one’s chances of winning the lottery, the physics of a golf ball’s flight, the results of using chlorine bleach on natural and synthetic fabrics and the effect of gasses on the path of a projectile as they participated in the Atlanta Area Association of Independent Schools’ Regional Science Fair.

The competition was held at St. Pius X High School Feb. 26, under the auspices of the archdiocesan school system. Thirty-one students will advance to state competition at the University of Georgia in April.

The fair consisted of a junior division for seventh- and eighth-grade students and a senior division for high school students. The 229 exhibits on display had previously received a first- or second-place award at their school’s independent competition to advance to this regional competition.

This is the fourth year the science fair has been structured this way. “The quality of the projects has increased as well as the organization and professionalism of the fair,” said Maureen Kane, superintendent of schools.

Karen Spardello from Our Lady of the Assumption, Asha Sethi from St. Thomas More, and Charlotte Vogel from St. Pius X, acted as coordinators for the regional competition.

Archbishop John F. Donoghue presented the winners with trophies and medals.

Ron Werling’s science fair project entitled “Sure Bet” concluded an individual would have to spend over $9 million to guarantee the purchase of a winning lottery ticket. Werling, from St. John the Evangelist, received a first-place trophy for his computer program.

Randolph Prophater, a sophomore at St. Pius, analyzed different bird seeds to determine which seed birds would eat but squirrels would not. After 40 weeks of data collection he determined squirrels will not eat a mixture of niger and sunflower with cayenne pepper but birds will. Prophater received a first-place trophy for his exhibit.

Meredith Ball, a seventh-grader at St. Joseph, Athens, hypothesized that different music could affect one’s pulse rate. Meredith played music from Guns and Roses and Yanni to eight children and adults. She concluded that participants’ pulses rose when they listened to the music from Guns and Roses. When people listened to Yanni, their pulse rates went down.

The following students received first-place awards for their efforts in the junior division: Jessica Lewis, Holy Innocents Episcopal School, behavioral sciences; John Piede, Our Lady of the Assumption, botany; Jenny Toledo, St. Joseph, Athens, chemistry; Ron Werling, St. John the Evangelist, computer science; J.T. Shoemaker, St. Thomas More, earth and space; Jon Woodruff, The Walker School, earth and space; Jarrod Williams, our Lady of the Assumption, earth and space; Karla Dunning, Sts. Peter and Paul, engineering; Brigid Mattimoe, Christ the King, environmental sciences; Daniel Grissom, St. John Neumann, environmental sciences; Brad Feldman, The Epstein School, mathematics; Courtney Albert, St. Joseph, Athens, mathematics; Alison Cavider, St. Joseph, Athens, medicine and health; David Hicks, St. John Neumann, medicine and health; Andres Sossa, St. Thomas More, microbiology; Brandon Lenifest, The Walker School, physics; Lalah Farshy, Christ the King, zoology; Sarah Reedy, Christ the King, zoology and Megan Szczecko, St. John Neumann, zoology.

The following students received first-place awards for their projects in the senior division: Linda Herrera, St. Pius, behavioral sciences; Kate Pratt, St. Pius, behavioral sciences; Kareem Bendeck, St. Pius, botany; J.D. Jordan, Holy Innocents Episcopal School, chemistry; Philip Varona, St. Pius, computer science; Stephen Mickle, Pace Academy, earth and space sciences; Kaiwen Kam, Pace Academy, engineering; Keenan Klinger, St. Pius, environmental sciences; Robert Collins, St. Pius, environmental sciences; Franklin Mooney, Pace Academy, mathematics; Adam Bumgarner, St. Pius, microbiology; Thomas Ghegan, Pace Academy, physics and Randolph Prophater, St. Pius, zoology.