NORTHBROOK — With a required seventh and eighth grade science curriculum of biology, chemistry and physics, when Northbrook Junior High students do independent study, human behavior is the favored choice.
Along with their regular science class, seventh and eighth graders can pick an elective course where they choose their own topic of exploration culminating in participation in science fairs. Some may reach the state championship level.
Sophia Sparacio and Colin Redmond discuss her science fair project.
Those projects were on display during the school-wide science fair January 21 in the Northbrook Junior High Gym as students presented their findings to independent judges with hopes of advancing to the regional finals and eventually the state meet.
Of the 44 students who took part, 27 advanced to the regional competition, according to Communications Coordinator Terry Ryan, with 23 choosing behavioral science. The regional is March 4 at Niles West High School in Skokie, according to Mark Frye, a seventh grade science teacher.
“This is a chance for them to do independent science research,” said Frye. “They have to work with people to find subjects for their experiments either among their classmates or in the community.
Students Pursue Scientific Method
Frye said once the students develop a hypothesis, they read what is written about the subject, conduct the experiment, write a report and create a presentation, which they must present to adult judges. The young scientists use the library at Northwestern University in Evanston as well as with their own. He said some of the time they disprove their theory.
Abby Knebelkamp, an eighth grader who advanced to the regional, is one of the people who proved a negative. She wanted to find out if music affects long term memory and learned it did not.
A year ago, when she qualified for the state fair, Knebelkamp tested the effect of classical music on memory and learned it helped. This time she said she wanted to take a look at long-term memory and determined it did not make a difference.
There will be one difference for Knebelkamp this year. She said she did not participate in the 2016 state fair because her club soccer team had a mandatory game. If she does well enough in regional competition this year to earn a return trip, she said nothing will interfere.
“I’ll tell the coach I don’t care how many games he makes me miss because I miss (a mandatory) one,” said Knebelkamp. “I’m going to state.”
Kyle Burke, a seventh grader who is on his way to regionals, was another student testing memory. He said he wanted to know if telephone use diminishes what people remember. Like Knebelkamp, he said he proved a negative.
Students Test Memory
Burke tested 50 students from the sixth, seventh or eighth grades after two hours of phone use and then when they did not use the phone. He said all phones were cellular and use was not limited. It did not matter if his subjects were talking, watching a movie, listening to music or playing a game.
“It’s one device everyone uses,” said Burke. “I didn’t want to test subjects using any other type of device.”
Behavioral science was the choice for another regional qualifier, eighth grader Sophia Sparacio. She said she tested the relationship between reading frequency and people’s empathy levels. She too disproved her thesis.
Some students like regional qualifier Colin Redmond, another eighth grader, are inspired by current events. After New England Patriot quarterback Tom Brady was accused of altering the inflation pressure of footballs last year, Redmond wanted to know how air pressure affects the distance a soccer ball can be kicked.
A soccer player himself, Redmond assembled a group of 15 people adept at kicking, inflated one ball to the regulation pressure, one three pounds more and another three pounds less and they all kicked each one multiple times.
“The less inflated balls go further but not if it’s really deflated,” said Redmond.
Northbrook School District 28 Superintendent Larry Hewitt, who attended the science fair, said he was most impressed by the students’ zeal to continue questioning their ideas in a quest for learning. He said he likes to attend as many district events as possible.
Other regional qualifiers are Sohan Bellam, Jennifer Bodel, Elanor Bosacoma, Matthew Carr, Derrik Chen, Grace DePietro, William Erens, Luke Fahrney, Jack Fitzharris, Hayden Gansberg, Maxwell Glaubinger, Courtney Grenier, Angie Kusnetzow, Paige Lawrence, Joe McDevitt, Lauren Segal, Lily Uyenishi, Baeyoung Yoo, Gawon Yoo, Dylan Yoss, Changwoo Yu and Jason Zhao.
Presenting her science fair project is Abby Knebelkamp, a Northbrook Junior High eighth grade student.
Northbrook Junior High seventh grader Kyle Burke explains his science fair project.