Upper School Hosts Science Expo ’09

Want to know how to turn citrus fruit into an energy source, discover how DNA can be extracted from a strawberry plant or determine what effect different colors of radiation have on plant growth? Just ask one of the 71 Ranney Upper School students who entered research projects in this year’s first annual Science Expo held Wednesday, April 15 in RSPA Panther Hall. Hundreds of students, faculty, family and friends attended the evening event, hosted by the Ranney Upper School Science Research Club. Winding their way through the exhibits, visitors listened as the students described their research and findings, from the effects of “hypoxemia” or sleep-induced learning on the brain, to the development of silent alarms and smoke detectors, to the chemistry of making polymer-based fake “snow.”

Standing in the shadow of a towering 20-foot kite flown by a mannequin “Ben Franklin”, ninth grader Sarah Bartosh eagerly explained how she came up with the idea for her project. “I was sitting in heavy traffic and got really angry and wanted to see if traffic had the same effect on other people,” Sarah said. “I surveyed student drivers and teachers and compared how they responded to certain stressors with how they react to traffic jams.” She tabulated her results in an imaginative display of toy cars and roads.

Eleventh grader Ross Bernstein had one of the most popular exhibits of the evening. Modeled after a similar exhibit by the California Science Center, Ross’ research project explored the relationship between magic and science. “I looked at how fast the hand has to move in order to deceive the eye, and compared that to the speed of light,” Ross explained, demonstrating his slight of hand to a group of curious Lower Schoolers.

Upper School chemistry teacher Gerry Gantz, who organized the Expo, loves to draw connections between the creative and the scientific. Just like in his classroom, he decorated the exhibit space with mannequins of famous scientists and constructed a display of bubbling dry ice to greet visitors as they entered the hall. He enlisted the help of Art Department Director Kate Greenberg and her art students to create the banner and giant kite that flew above the tables below.

Mr. Gantz says there is a method to his madness. By encouraging students to have fun with science, they are more inclined to take risks and ask questions. The Expo gives students an opportunity to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it to a research topic that really interests them, allowing them to make their own interesting discoveries.

“I am really proud of the students this evening,” Mr. Gantz said. “They did a superb job. The quality and scope of their projects demonstrates the imagination, creativity and intellect of Ranney students.”

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