Tuscarora High School Hosts Science and Engineering Fair

Honors students at  spent the day showing off their hard work in the field of science on Wednesday at the 2nd Annual Science and Engineering Fair. 

There were 122 students competing. The winners of each category will head to the regional fair later this spring. Each student selected their own topic and were then asked to conduct a series of experiments.

“We want them to see the big picture and to think about what is the future of the work they did”, said Amanda Smith, chair of the science department at Tuscarora. 

The competing students were in grades 9, 10 and 12, and are either in Honors Biology or Independent Science Research classes. 

Winners from last year performed the duties of student judges this year, and they were going around the room talking with each participant about their projects. 

“Talking with the judges really helps you understand your topic.  This is a good experience”, said 10th grade participant Neeraj Dalui. 

Courtney Walker, a 10th grade participant, did her project on “The Effects of Proximity of a Banana and an Apple on the Ethylener Pathway”. 

Walker’s experiment involved nothing more than a banana and an apple. She found that if you brought the two fruits close together, they will ripen faster due to the natural ethylene that they give off.  Walker said she enjoyed doing the project and thought “it was a great experience”.