Students build a better egg carton

Laura Sturza

Dozens of John Muir Middle School students couldn’t contain their

laughter Friday as science teacher Joe Reed, decked out in a chicken

suit, dropped eggs in elaborately protective cases from a height of

20 feet as part of a campus science experiment.

Unlike the birds that laid them, the raw perishables did not fly.

“These kids are measuring speed velocity and calculating

acceleration,” Reed said. “These are heavy- duty physics concepts.”

As part of the school’s first Egg Drop Challenge, the

sixth-graders were asked to pack a raw egg so it could be dropped

without breaking.

“I stood at the top of the stairs [near my home]” said student

Michelle Hovsepyan. “I tested [my package] five times.”

The 11-year-old’s wrapping consisted of cotton balls and blue

shredded paper encased in two halves of soda bottles, all packed in

a plastic bag just in case the egg broke. But it did not.

By using a measuring device, the sixth-graders could calculate the

speed at which their packages fell.

Because they are studying outer space, the challenge facing

students was also to build a “vehicle” for the eggs that would land

safely, like a space shuttle carrying astronauts, Reed said.

Packaging consisted of paper, balsa wood, blown-up balloons,

sponges and towels, some with parachutes in an effort to ensure a

safe landing.

While training future physicists, the project did not hurt the

city’s grocery business.

“I think we’re responsible for a huge spike in egg sales in

Burbank,” Reed said.