Fair Puts Science in Spotlight

Can a human society live on Mars? Does a spider make a web differently when it is put into orbit? How do foster children feel about social workers and foster parents?

These and other questions were analyzed in student science projects Wednesday and Thursday as part of the 49th annual Los Angeles County Science Fair, which brought some of the best science-oriented minds from grades six through 12 to the Sports Arena. More than 100 students from public and parochial schools received medals and were selected to go to the state Science Fair in May.

Ron Tognazzini, president of the Los Angeles science fair board, said he has seen a growing interest in science among young students during the latter part of the 1990s. “For years, technology was not well accepted,” Tognazzini said as he proudly showed the rows of the 844 displays. “We have had a 60% growth in the number of projects during the last six years.”

Many past fair participants went on to careers in science, Tognazzini said. But it all starts with a spark of creativity and the willingness of the parents to support students in their projects, he said.

Britney Hestand, an 11-year-old sixth-grader from Encino’s Our Lady of Grace school, said she got the idea for her project about detecting cosmic rays by watching a television show. “I like science,” she said.