Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
IRONWOOD EIGHTH graders traveled to Michigan Tech's campus to compete in the Western Upper Peninsula Science Fair on Monday. Participants include, first row from left, Kinley Lyons, Justine Aspinwall, Sydnee Lorenson, Aries Weber, Taylor LaPlant, Isis Geesey, Nick Niemi, Kayleigh O'Brien and Lauren Powless; second row - Brenden Bock, Zachary Hanu, Ladd Honkala, Daniel Adrian, Mackenzie Agee, science teacher Cheryl Jacisin, Kazlyn Weber, Hayley Jarocki, Lynda Leopold and Jacquelyn Wiemeri. Participants Sophia Halverson and Grace Grewe aren't pictured.
HOUGHTON - Students from Ironwood, Watersmeet and Ewen-Trout Creek traveled to the Michigan Tech campus Monday to compete in the Western Upper Peninsula Science Fair.
The students competed based on a rubric centered on three main categories - the written report, overall project and the display board and student interview - event organizer Loret Roberts told the Daily Globe before the fair.
Projects received a gold, silver, bronze or honorable mention rating depending on the percentage of points received. Bronzes were awarded to projects that got between 80 and 86 percent, silver went to 86.5 to 93 percent and any projects above 93.5 percent were awarded gold.
Open to fourth through eighth graders, more than 267 students - from Houghton, Baraga, Ontonagon and Gogebic counties - participated in the fair.
Ironwood science teacher Cheryl Jacisin had 22 eighth-graders compete in the fair in a mixture of eight group and four individual projects.
The Ironwood students received two gold, two silver and two bronze ratings for their projects - two individuals received a gold and a silver each, with the rest of the winners coming from group projects.
The projects covered a range of topics, ranging from examining the propulsion of a homemade hovercraft, to the impact of chewing gum on test grades.
Jacisin was extremely proud of the group, not only for the creativity and quality of their experiments, but also for the recognition that they received from the judges for their thoroughness.
"This group did exceedingly well," said Jacisin, noting that the students were largely unfamiliar with science fairs.
Entries that received a gold or silver designation will be displayed at the Carnegie Museum in Houghton from April 9-18.
In addition to the competition, MTU held a Science and Engineering Festival for participants which offered a number of fun, hands-on activities designed to show off the work that the school's various degree programs are working on.
