Learning Plus Fun Is the Formula at CLU’s Math and Science Expo

The eggs should have been safe, but most ended up scrambled.

High school students at a math and science workshop Thursday wrapped them with care--in Play-Doh, bananas, cotton balls, noodles, newspaper, paper towels, masking tape and packing popcorn.

One by one, Ventura County firefighter Steve Barron dropped the egg packages from a ladder 60 feet above the ground.

And, one by one, Splat. Squish. Plop. Gooey egg yolk squirted everywhere.

Out of almost 50 eggs, only two survived.

“Yeah! That’s mine,” said David Dodge, 17, whose egg didn’t crack. “It’s the bomb.” His winning combination included Play-Doh, a cup, newspaper and duct tape.

The “Ballistic Analysis of Chicken Embryos”--or the classic egg-drop contest--was one of four competitions at Cal Lutheran University’s fifth annual Math and Science Expo, which attracted about 200 Ventura County students.

“They’re here to get interested in math and science,” said Joey Matoush, a CLU senior who ran the geology competition. “But they’re also here to get interested in CLU.”

The expo, which cost $5, was open to high school juniors and seniors with a grade point average of 3.0 or above. All the participants are eligible to win a $2,500 science scholarship to CLU.

In the morning, the students attended hands-on workshops with Cal Lutheran professors on math, geology, chemistry, marine biology, paleontology and seismology. And in the afternoon, they competed in academic contests. Winners received gift certificates to the university bookstore.

“We want the kids to see the fun side of math and science,” said Jim Wolf, director of CLU’s Science Outreach Program. “Often they get a bad rap. People say it’s boring. But it’s not.”

Luke Mitchell, 16, agreed. “I’m a hands-on kind of a guy,” he said. “I like math and science because you can get more involved.”

In the geology contest, called “Orienteering at CLU,” students used compasses to maneuver through a treasure hunt around the campus. At each station, they found rocks, and had to determine whether they were sedimentary, metamorphic or igneous.

In the math competition, “The Hidden Treasures of Mathematics,” the students tested their skills in geometry, algebra and calculus. They had one hour to answer complicated questions such as: Find a formula to express the linear relationship we use to convert Celsius temperatures into Fahrenheit temperatures.

But the most popular contest was “Murder at the Cafe Forensic.” Teams of three students investigated a fatal hit-and-run accident, using forensic evidence to figure out the primary suspect. The mock scientists crossed the yellow caution tape to measure skid marks left at the crash scene. Then they compared the marks to computer data of the suspects’ cars, evaluating tire width, front axle length and treads per tire.

“You never really think of how much work goes into finding out who’s guilty,” said Jacob Singer, 16, as he dropped paint samples into a container. “We have to narrow 75 suspects down to one just from three tests.”

Donning goggles and gloves, the students also ran the paint flakes through various chemical tests and collected DNA evidence from blood spatters. Hosmel Galan, 15, and his partner Damon Brooks, 16, had eliminated 28 possible suspects.

“Are you sure we did this right?” Hosmel asked, as he lined up DNA patterns. “I don’t know, but I hope so,” Damon responded.

Julie Allomong, 15, was confident that her team would solve the crime. “I love murder mysteries,” she said. “It’s my favorite thing to do. We’ll get it.”

Branden Karjola, a CLU sophomore majoring in biochemistry, monitored one of the labs. “It’s great to get students interested at an early age,” he said. “I’ve loved science from day one. So the more people I can get interested in science, the better.”