NU hosts annual science fair; 190 students attend

By Scott Craven
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

On Saturday, April 5, Norwich University hosted the 24th Vermont State Principals' Association science fair, which drew students from 12 high schools statewide, with over a 190 students, according to NU Science Professor and fair Co-director Martha McBride.

"We've run into a lot of the problems this year because of the weather," McBride said, adding that some of the schools which normally come couldn't make it because of the snow.

McBride, along with her co-director and NU Science Professor Mary Hoppe, has seen the fair grow increasingly popular over the last 24 years.

"When I started, I had 23 total students the first year I did it," McBride said, explaining that those numbers have increased to a steady 200 students each year.

"We're up to about 200 people a year now, but it was a little less this year because of the weather," McBride said. "We'd like it to keep growing, though. The fair is a statewide event, and we're only running 11 or 12 schools, so we'd like to see a lot more schools involved."

According to McBride, the goal of the science fair is basically to help people understand the importance of science and the scientific method and to show an appreciation of science and its importance.

"I'm a science professor now because somebody was there to help me do a science fair back when I was a junior in high school," McBride said. "I thought it was very important and a positive feedback to science."

Along with the learning aspect gained at the science fair, students who placed in the top spots also took home cash prizes. McBride said that the idea of the science fair is to show the kids that you don't have to play a sport or be involved in another activity just to get rewards.

"You can do things in science that you can get rewards for," McBride said. "You don't have to play basketball or whatever it may be."

According to McBride, sponsors at the science fair awarded nearly $2,000 in monetary prizes. Two of the largest contributors were The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources-Department of Environmental Conservation (VANR), and The Vermont Principals Association (VPA).

Another large donation also came from the students of Norwich's Beta Chapter of Tau Beta Pi, The National Engineering Honor Society, which donated money to the top two finishers.

According to Aaron Antell, the president of Tau Beta Pi, the students raised around $250 for the science fair.

Antell said that first place was awarded to David Sternberg, an 11th grader from Rutland High School who did a project on the effects of wing design on lift production. He was awarded $150 from the Tau Beta Pi Society, and $50 from The Vermont Chapter of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society.

Second place was awarded to Joshua Gregg, a 10th grader from Mount Saint Joseph Academy, who did a project on the effect of wheels on the range of trebuchet. According to Antell, he was also awarded $100 by Tau Beta Pi Society.

The awards, however, were perhaps the smallest contribution that Norwich students made at the science fair.

According to McBride, both corps and civilian students played the role of judges and took care of many other aspects of the fair that made it a success.

"We had some very outstanding help from Norwich," McBride said. "They did all the legwork that needed to be done to make the fair work."

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