By By ANDY HAMILTON / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Does the color of a candle affect its burning time? Does one brand of microwave popcorn leave more un-popped kernels than any other brand? Will an egg stuffed in a box filled with popcorn survive a 20 foot fall?
These questions and more were answered at the Brandywine Elementary School science fair.
Over 100 projects were entered and on display in the school's gym Tuesday night. Categories included chemistry, zoology, physics, behavioral and social science, medicine, ecology and botany.
A walk through the lines of tables revealed which detergent was best at removing stains, which brand of battery would last the longest in a flashlight and how a potato can be used to provide power to a small clock.
Sixth grade teacher Donna Newman said five judges were used, some of whom were former teachers.
Newman said students were encouraged to follow an investigative process by posing a research question and stating a hypothesis and a conclusion.
So, does earning a place at the science fair automatically equal an ‘A' in class?
The exhibit drawing the most attention of the night was the egg drop. The challenge to students was to create structures that would protect an egg from about a two-story drop.
One-by-one, sixth-grade teacher Suzanne Stepke dropped tissue boxes - some equipped with parachutes - and balls of foam and sponge from the top level of scaffolding constructed in the gym.
Some landed with a loud smack while others floated to the ground that was taped off and covered in plastic.
Points were awarded for landing within a colored bullseye and whether or not the egg survived the fall.
The champion egg dropper was Molly Ann Adame. The sixth grader's prize was over a dozen eggs that survived the fall and five chocolate eggs.
The following earned first place ribbons for their science projects.
Physics: Mike Schoenleber, Alex Reichadanater, Taylor Stowe, Carlie Newman, Kelsey Rankel, Sara Gushwa, Michael Chihaba and Ellie Price. Chemistry: Kayleigh Ramos, James Neldon, Jessica Cooper, Devon Frank, Morgan Antus, Loren Simmons, Madison Pellow and Gabrielle Cauwenberghs. Biology/Other: Christian Thompson, Jessica Blank, Jordan Moore, Tori Hunt, Jordan Harper, Patience Newman, Rachel Gipson, Nick McNamara, Alicia Tackett and Kayli Hatch. Third and Fourth Grade: Tanner Bourdon, Adam Reichadanater, Andrew Duckett, Sierra Brattain, Alli Srmek, Katie Rose, Jacob Szilagyi and Krystal Bunch.