Stirring up science

Robert Chacon

Teny Geragos’ science project prompted her to cut back on makeup.

The Flintridge Preparatory School eighth-grader conducted research

on a handful of makeup brushes belonging to her and her mother, and

after testing, discovered that 31 types of bacteria colonies lived on

the applicators. Displayed in the school’s annual science fair,

Geragos’ project featured several petri dishes pockmarked with

bacteria found on several of the blush, eye and lip stick brushes.

“I’m so disgusted,” Teny said, sans the blush she usually wears.

“I’m not going to wear makeup for a while.”

Her display was just one of 73 projects dealing with chemistry,

life science and physics at the annual fair.

In addition to discovering the horrors that lurk in their makeup

drawers, students entered projects that offered insight into creating

hovercraft, testing plant growth under different types of light,

powering miniature engines with heat and testing the strength of

bridges.

Judges perused the aisles of projects Tuesday, trying to determine

which 13 of the science experiments they will choose to display at

the Los Angeles County Fair in September.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory research scientist Paul Chodas

remembered back to the days when he would enter his science projects

in similar fairs.

“Different kids learn different things with projects like this,”

he said. “For some, they learn the scientific process -- hypothesis,

experiment, conclusion -- and for other kids, its about the idea of

researching something in depth.”

For eighth-grader Michael Wolf, science experiments are about

having fun. He built a crude hovercraft out of a lawn chair, leaf

blower, plywood and other materials. The noisy machine succeeded in

lifting him off of the floor a few inches.

“This sounded much more fun than testing people’s blood sugar

level every hour,” he said.

Some projects had more practical applications. Michael Stanton

tested the efficacy of the Sterling Engine, a heat-powered engine

invented in 1816. The clean-burning machine replaced the steam engine

in factories. Today, the engine is used in some submarines, Michael

said.

“I found out that these types of machines can save money and

produce less pollution,” he said.

The winners of the science fair will be announced today, said

Midge Kimble, middle school director and organizer of the fair.

“I have been doing this for 14 years at this school,” she said.

“The kids came up with some really unique projects this time.”

* ROBERT CHACON covers La Canada Flintridge and La Crescenta. He

may be reached at (818) 637-3239 or by e-mail at

robert.chacon@latimes.com.