Students display projects at STEM fair

Nearly 250 fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders competed for science fair prizes.

‘‘These are not just students. I truly believe these are future scientists,” said county schools science supervisor Zipporah Miller, who spent most of the day directing children and parents.

STEM fair judge Rudy Kasprzyk said he was impressed with how advanced the projects were with experiments in physics, electromagnetics and electricity.

Greenbelt Elementary School fourth-grader David Gardner’s project, which placed third, tested the strength of magnets and described the role magnets play in everyday life.

He not only learned that opposites attract, but that magnets also are used in MP3 players to amplify the volume.

‘‘I always liked playing with magnets,” said Gardner.

Second-place winner Ryan Campbell, a Greenbelt Elementary School sixth-grader, in his project determined what kinds of wood are strongest. He found oak to be the strongest of 19 types of woods he tested. Campbell, who said he likes doing science experiments, said this was especially ‘‘cool” because he got to use his father’s tools.

‘‘You always worry about how involved the parents are, but [the students] really have an understanding of what they did,” said Kasprzyk after interviewing several students.

Retired Navy officer Kenneth S. Reightler Jr., who has worked at NASA for more than 15 years, gave a speech about his experience as an astronaut in order to persuade students to pursue an astronautics career.

Reightler also challenged students to take the United States into the next stage of space exploration — Mars and beyond. More importantly, Reightler told the students ‘‘to combine work with fun,” no matter what career they have.

Organizations such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, also were there to distribute information about different science careers.

‘‘This [event] is not just about getting judged, but to educate children at a younger age in order to create a career path for them,” STEM staff member Damaries Blondonville said.

Various organizations such as the University of Maryland Women in Engineering Program also had tables in Roosevelt hallways to distribute information about preparing for college.

Educational Systems Federal Union, in addition to giving a seminar for parents on college affordability, gave the winner of the STEM competition four tickets to the Baltimore Aquarium.

Many parents thought the competition was a good learning experience for the children for more than scientific reasons.

‘‘It doesn’t matter where she places,” said Kenilworth Elementary School teacher Rob Watson about his daughter Kristin, who finished second and won the James Prigmore award, a $100 savings bond. ‘‘It’s an opportunity to see other projects and interact with kids from other schools, which will help her become a well-rounded person.”

grand prizewinners

Katherine Yangilmau, Rogers Heights Elementary fourth-grader

Kelly Lesle, Carole Highlands Elementary fifth-grader

Joyce Yang, University Park Elementary sixth-grader