2017 Journal of Superior Projects 1
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
2017 Journal of Superior Projects
www.ewrsef.org
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 2
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
2017 Conference Sponsors: The conference would not happen without the generous support of these sponsors!
Platinum Donors ($2500)
Gold Donors ($1000)
Silver Donors ($500)
Bronze Donors ($250)
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 3
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
Table of Contents:
2017 EWRSEF Summary………………………………….4
2017 EWRSEF Awards …………….………………..…….5
2017 EWRSEF Projects.………………………….….…....8
Conference Organizers…………………………………..31
City of Spokane—Water Department
City of Spokane—Solid Waste
Community Colleges of Spokane
Gonzaga University
National Weather Service
Northeast Washington Education Council
Spokane County Water Resources
Spokane Public Schools
Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency
Spokane STEM & Greater Spokane Incorporated
WSU Spokane- Spokane MESA & Project Lead the Way
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 4
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
2017 EWRSEF Summary
On Thursday March 16, 2016 nearly 200 middle and high school students from eastern Washington showcased their Science, Technolo-gy, Engineering and Math (STEM) projects at the Eastern Washington Science & Engineering Fair (EWRSEF) held on the Washington State University Spokane campus. This one-day event gave the students the opportunity to present their STEM projects in a conference setting. EWRSEF is designed to: 1. Encourage and reward innovative student research and provide pro-
fessional scientists and engineers the chance to interact with some of the best and brightest young students in Eastern Washington.
2. Provide students a platform to share their projects with their peers and learn about STEM-related issues and careers.
3. Promote an understanding of STEM research among middle and high school students.
In the tradition of hosting an annual science and engineering competi-tion to support STEM competency in our community, there were a few things that were different for this year. 1. Participants resided in an Eastern Washington County - Spokane,
Whitman, Lincoln, Stevens, Ferry, Pend Oreille. 2. Projects had an adult sponsor - a teacher, a scientist, or another adult
with a science background. 3. Participants could advance to the Washington State Science and
Engineering Fair . 4. Select winners in grades 9-12 were eligible to attend the International
Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). 5. Select winners in grades 6-8 were eligible to attend Broadcom MAS-
TERS. 6. Presentations were done on poster board; no more PowerPoints! 7. In lieu of writing a paper, students provided research journals. Coordinators for the EWRSEF include scientists, engineers, communi-cators and educators. The EWRSEF developed from the Spokane STEMposium, Spokane Youth Environmental Conference (SYEC), Inland NW Science Symposium, and Project Lead The Way.
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 5
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
2017 ISEF & WSSEF Awards
ISEF Finalists
Isaac Caruso. EW-AS-184: Investigating the presence of microplas-
tics in the gastrointestinal tract of Prosoplum williamsoni in the Spo-
kane River; Teacher: Eric Strate, Lewis and Clark HS, Spokane Public
Schools
Faith King. EW-CH-076 Water Spherification for Astronauts;
Teacher: Darci Hastings, Ferris HS, Spokane Public Schools
ISEF Alternate and Honorable Mention
Claire Stromberg. EW-BE-144: Body Type and Academic Perfor-
mance; Teacher: Eric Strate, Lewis and Clark HS, Spokane Public
Schools
WSSEF Award
Brianna Cozino, Callie Smith, Corie Kraus. EW-EB-098: Epidurals...
Are They Worth It?; Teacher: Lori Buratto, Spokane Valley Tech, Cen-
tral Valley SD
Honorable Mention
Ashley Amado. EW-EV-162: Microbial Fuel Cell Optimiza-
tion, Teacher: Eric State, Lewis and Clark HS, Spokane Public
Schools
Ryan Felker. EW-PS-163: A Model for Algae Based Reduction of
Carbon Dioxide Emissions; Teacher: Eric State, Lewis and Clark HS,
Spokane Public Schools
Alice Burchett. EW-CB-190: Extracellular Matrix Degradation; Dr.
Ted Chauvin (Washington State University Spokane)
Julianne Socha. EW-PS-136: Analysis of the MADS-box gene with-
in Malus Domestica due to the presence of pesticides and the diversi-
ty they cause; Teacher: Randy James, North Central HS, Spokane
Public Schools
Jake Windhorst. EW -EG-120: The Downspout Converter; Teacher:
Lori Buratto, Spokane Valley Tech, Central Valley SD.
Conrad Knapp and Blake Shipley. EW-EG-121: Portable Wind Tur-bine; Teacher: Erik Flodin, Spokane Valley Tech, Central Valley SD
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 6
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
2017 EWRSEF Special Awards
NASA Earth Systems Science Award
Avery Shulenbarger. EW-EA-071: Effect of Ocean Acidification on
Zooplankton Death
NOAA “Taking the Pulse of the Planet”
Halle Nelson, Anna Danford, Marissa Pounds, Heidi Niederstadt.
EW-CB-112: Using Lichens as a Model for Glutathione Synthase
Genetics in Coral Reefs
American Psychological Association Award
Claire Stromberg. EW-BE-144: Body Image and Academic
Performance
US Stockholm Junior Water Prize Regional Award
Ryan Leaming, Matthew Mickey, Michael Kron. EW-CB-134:
Analysis of pisaster ochraceus Mitochondrial Metabolic Genes as a
Clue to Susceptibility and Survival of Sea Star Wasting Disease
ASM Materials Education Foundation
Brooklyn Christensen. EW-CH-090: The Effect of Sulfate on Hair
Strength
Ricoh Sustainable Development Award
Ryan Felker. EW-PS-163: A Model for Algae Based Rreduction of
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 7
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
2017 EWRSEF Special Awards
Yale Science and Engineering Association Inc
Steven Patrick, Francis Neff. EW-CB-165: A SNP analysis of the
pleiotropic thermal adaptive regulatory TRPV3 gene in the Columbian
Mammoth
US Metric Association for Best Use of SI Units
Brooklyn Christensen. EW-CH-090: The Effect of Sulfate on Hair Strength
Air Force Award for Outstanding Science and Engineering
Fair Projects
Nathaniel Stanley. Effect of Blue Light on Sleep
Seth Shellabarger. EW-BE-084: Task Switching Between Gamers
and Non-Gamers
Jessica Hatch, Alyssa Hilfiker, Claire Brock. EW-CH-119: Shield
Faith King. EW-CH-076: Water Spherification for Astronauts
The Washington State Science & Engineering Fair Outstanding
Research Based Project Award
Brianna Cozino, Callie Smith, Corie Kraus. EW-EB-098:
Epidurals: Are they worth it?
WSU College of Science Scholarship $3000
Faith King. EW-CH-076: Water Spherification for Astronauts
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 8
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
Ashley Amado Lewis & Clark HS Microbial Fuel Cell Optimization
Award—ISEF Honorable Mention
ABSTRACT
The goal of this project was to investigate the effect of carbon additives on
the voltage output of small-scale dual-chamber microbial fuel cells. Fuel
cells were constructed out of acrylic boxes, and connected via agar salt
bridge. Anode chambers of the fuel cells were filled with compost soil and
combined with water to make mud. Cathode chambers were filled with 0.5
M NaCl solution. Carbon cloth electrodes were used to complete the circuit.
Fuel cells exposed to additional acetic acid and glucose sources were com-
pared to a control cells. Voltage output was measured once daily for 5 days
between the three cells. Voltage output of the control cell averaged 179.012
millivolts, with standard deviation of 40.40. Output of the glucose cell aver-
aged 181.768, with a standard deviation of 51.04. Initial day one output val-
ues of ~0 volts were
discarded in these cal-
culations to avoid dis-
tortion from outliers.
These results were
found to be statistically
significant under the
Kruskal-Wallis test at
the 0.05 significance
level, with H=7.423 ex-
ceeding the critical val-
ue of H=5.692.
EWRSEF Abstracts
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 9
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
EWRSEF Abstracts
Alice Burchett cooperation with WSU Spokane Extracellular Matrix Degradation Award—ISEF Honorable Mention
ABSTRACT
The first stages of cancer metastasis involve re-modeling of the extracel-lular matrix (ECM). A sig-nificant player in ECM degradation is the family of matrix metalloprotein-ases (MMPs). MMPs are proteases secreted by cells to break down the constituent proteins of the ECM such as colla-gen, gelatin, and fibron-ectin. This is what allows cancer cells to break free from a tumor and metastasize. I hypothesized that the reduction of MMP13 in particular would cause a decrease in migra-tion of MCF7 cells in a transwell assay. We used MCF7 cells, a human breast adenocarcinoma cell line, because of their availability and invasive properties. The MCF7 cells were grown and tested for expression of MMP13, then siRNA directed to MMP13 was used to knock down MMP13 expression. The modified cells were grown on fibronectin or matrigel coat-ed membranes on transwell plates to assay for migration. We found that knockdown of MMP13 decreased migration through the fibronectin coated membrane by roughly 70% compared to the sham and control siRNA treat-ments. Migration of cells with any treatment through matrigel was negligi-ble, most likely due to more complex protein structure of the matrigel. These findings suggest that MMP13 plays a significant role in the degrada-tion of the fibronectin component of the ECM by MCF7 cancer cells. This experiment indicates that targeting MMP13 has potential to be an exciting route for cancer research in the future.
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 10
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
Isaac Caruso Lewis & Clark HS Investigating the Presence of Microplastics in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Prosopium williamsoni in the Spokane River Award—ISEF Finalist
ABSTRACT
Microplastics, plastic particles smaller
than 5 mm, have been regularly found
within marine, freshwater, and estua-
rine environments. These tiny plastic
polymers have been discovered in
various species of marine vertebrates
in numerous studies; however, few
studies have examined the ingestion
of microplastics by fish in freshwater
river systems. This study documents microplastic ingestion by Mountain
Whitefish, Prosopium williamsoni, in the Spokane River in eastern Washing-
ton.
A total of 33 fish were sampled from two sites, 10 from a sampling location im-
mediately downstream from the city of Spokane surrounding the Riverside
State Park Wastewater Treatment Plant, and 23 from a sampling location im-
mediately downstream from the Nine Mile Dam. Of the 33 whitefish, 22 (66%)
contained microplastics, a percentage larger than that of previous freshwater
studies. A recently developed method of microplastic isolation with a much
higher extraction yield was utilized in this study, suggesting that this higher
percentage of contaminated fish may more accurately represent the level of
pollution in river systems. Unlike a previous study in the Brazos River Basin in
Central Texas, no correlation between size of fish and number of microplas-
tics was noted; however, several fish were gravid and had little food in their
gastrointestinal tracts during sampling which could have contributed to the
lack of correlation (many larger fish with little food in their gastrointestinal
tracts). The high percentage of fish with microplastics found in their gastroin-
testinal tract suggests that additional research is needed to determine the ex-
tent of microplastic pollution in vertebrates residing in local rivers and the po-
tential adverse effects this pollution is having on the overall ecosystem.
EWRSEF Abstracts
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 11
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
EWRSEF Abstracts
Brooklyn Christensen
Ferris HS
The Effect of Sulfate on Hair Strength
Award—ASM Materials Education Foundation
Award—US Metric Association for Best Use of SI Units
ABSTRACT
This purpose of this project was to deter-mine the effect of sulfates in shampoo on human hair strength. The alternate hypoth-esis was that shampoo which includes sul-fate would cause the human hair to be-come weaker. Fifteen different samples of hair were collected from salons and each were organized into three different sec-tions, control, sulfate, and sulfate free. The control groups were rinsed with water and dabbed dry. The “sulfate” sections were washed with sulfate shampoo, rinsed, and dabbed dry. The “sulfate free” sections were washed with sulfate free shampoo, rinsed, and dabbed dry. After preparing the hair, the strength was tested by completing the penny test. During this, a strand of hair from a section of a sample was hung from a pencil, and weight was added to it until it broke. It was repeat-ed three times to receive an average weight held by the section of the sam-ple. After completing my statistical analysis, which was a two dependent means (matched pairs) t-test, I was able to conclude that my results sup-ported my hypothesis that hair treated with sulfate shampoo was weaker than hair treated with non-sulfate shampoo.
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 12
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
Brianna Cozino, Corie Kraus & Callie Smith
Spokane Valley Tech
Epidurals... Are They Worth It?
Award—WSSEF Award
ABSTRACT
Complications including anxiety, fever, high blood pressure, severe arthritis,
and non-positional headaches are common side-effects of receiving an epi-
dural. These side-effects occur mostly from direct trauma from the needle.
Complications, which occur around 20-30% of the time, could potentially be
decreased with better training tools. “E.T.A” (epidural training assistant), is a
device that would simulate giving epidurals and would be anatomically cor-
rect. Focusing on the lumbar region of the spine, where most epidurals are
given, also makes “E.T.A” appear more realistic. With enhanced training,
that not only allows for practice with realistic conditions but with prior condi-
tions that could lead to side-effects, could lower the risk of harmful side-
effects. After creating “E.T.A”, we asked several doctors their analysis of the
tool, most of the results were extremely positive and provided us with con-
structive criticism. Sensors to detect movement more precisely and more
life like body structures would need to be added. Although there are chang-
es that need to be made, the premise of “E.T.A” remains true: end complica-
tions associated with epidural anesthetic.
EWRSEF Abstracts
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 13
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
EWRSEF Abstracts
Anna Danford, Halle Nelson, Marissa Pounds &
Heidi Niederstadt
North Central HS
Using Lichens as a Model for Glutathione Synthase Genetics in
Coral Reefs
Award—NOAA “Taking the Pulse of the Planet”
ABSTRACT
Abstract for RALAC Lichens, a symbiotic organism, are well known for their tolerance of a variety of environmental strains such as thermal and toxicant stressors. Coral reefs on the other hand, though also symbiotic, are fre-quently exposed and broken down by a series of similar environmental strains, eventually causing bleaching; the event of coral expelling their symbiotic partner, a class of algae known as Zooxanthellae. In this study, the research group is attempting to analyze how antioxidants, specifically glutathione, are genetically different from coral to lichens. Looking at the genetics of the protein that creates this specific antioxidant, glutathione synthase, the study is currently genetically sequencing and analyzing a va-riety of lichen samples and in the near future, coral. The goal of this project is to evaluate the variances in the genetic makeup of the glutathione syn-thase protein in both lichens and coral and determine whether these vari-ances are the reason behind why lichens can tolerate stress at a higher rate and intensity than coral can.
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 14
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
Ryan Felker
Lewis & Clark HS
A Model for Algae Based Reduction of Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Award—ISEF Honorable Mention
ABSTRACT
This experiment was de-
signed to investigate the
carbon reduction capabili-
ties of various forms of
Algae and their potential
for future atmospheric
carbon reduction. Is algae
a suitable crop to use for
the reduction of
atmospheric pollution, and
if so, would single celled or
multi-celled algae be more
efficient in their carbon
reduction capabilities.
Many scientists have analyzed the potential carbon capture rates of genet-
ically modified algae, but its potential use in the future has been rocky and
unsteady due to high cost of production and limited space for algae farms.
Without any cost effective way to reduce carbon dioxide, our planet will con-
tinue to become polluted with carbon emissions. When 425 ml of single
celled and 425 ml of multi-celled algae were tested, the multi-celled algae
reduced carbon at a higher rate than the single celled algae compared to
the control of 425 ml of distilled water. Multi-celled algae on average re-
duced 19.8334 ppm/s over 10 minutes of carbon dioxide more than the con-
trol of distilled water. Single celled which did not reduce carbon dioxide but
rather had a higher output of carbon dioxide by 16.5 ppm/s over 10 minutes.
Further research will be needed to conclude why single celled algae put out
more carbon dioxide than the initial levels and why all three had an increase
in the concentration of carbon dioxide after passing through the water than
before the experiment.
EWRSEF Abstracts
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 15
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
EWRSEF Abstracts
Alyssa Hilfiker, Jessica Hatch & Claire Brock
Spokane Valley Tech
Shield
Award—Air Force Award for Outstanding Science and Engineer-
ing Fair Projects
ABSTRACT
Annually many of our overseas mili-tary suffer from severe injuries that are caused when they are thrown through the air following an explo-sion and hitting solid objects. By creating an experiment using ingre-dients found in everyday house-holds, it can be found that force im-pact severity can be lessened to create a safer uniform. By dropping heavy items on a non-Newtonian fluid, we can establish a reliable op-tion in war zone safety on a small scale. The mixture created showed drastically decreased force amounts when compared to other solutions (Other solution: 1103 Newton's, Mix-ture solution: 331.66 Newton’s) thus proving that it is a viable option.
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 16
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
Faith King
Ferris HS
Water Spherification for Astronauts
Award—ISEF Finalist,
Award—WSU College of Science Scholarship Recipient
Award—Air Force Award for Outstanding Science and Engineering
Fair Projects
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this project was to engi-
neer an alternative method for trans-
porting water into space by using the
process of frozen reverse water spheri-
ficaiton. Moreover, the problem of
transporting water into space was also
tested against three environmental con-
ditions. The spheres were constructed
with sodium alginate and calcium lac-
tate gluconate. The sphere solution
consisted of 4.7g of calcium lactate glu-
conate per 1 cup of water, while the al-
ginate bath used to gel the spheres
was 1.18g per 1 cup of water. The cal-
cium solution was placed in trays and
put in the refrigerator and then gelled in
the alginate bath. Each tube consisted
of 18 spheres and 2 cups of distilled
water.
Tubes were tested in three environmental conditions. Results indicated that
the spheres thrived in temperatures ranging from 10 degrees Celsius to 23
degrees Celsius. If this method of packaging was accepted by NASA, the
two cups of distilled water in the tubes would be used to hydrate astronauts’
food, while the spheres would be used for consumption.
EWRSEF Abstracts
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 17
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
EWRSEF Abstracts
Conrad Knapp & Blake Shipley
Spokane Valley Tech
Portable Wind Turbine
Award—ISEF Honorable Mention
ABSTRACT
When outdoor portable electrical devices run out of power and fail you it could turn into a crisis. By making a portable wind turbine, there is an easy way to supply renewable energy to that portable device. By use of a simple DC hobby motor, some foam board, an old telescope tripod, and a few Vex robotics parts, a portable wind turbine was born. Even though our turbine spins from low wind speeds, we still require a constant wind speed. The first prototype generated too low of a voltage to supply adequate power to the portable device. Our next steps will involve getting a different motor that will generate more volts with less torque. Modifications to the power source is predicted to provide adequate energy to a portable device, allow-ing further testing for generating electricity.
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 18
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
Michael Kron, Matthew Mickey & Ryan Leaming
North Central HS
Analysis of Pisaster ochraceus mitochondrial metabolic genes as
a clue to susceptibility and survival of Sea Star Wasting Disease
Award—US Stockholm Junior Water Prize Regional Award
ABSTRACT
Due to increased mortality rates of sea stars on the Eastern Pacific coast
associated with Sea Star Wasting Disease (SSWD) which is caused by Sea
Star associated Densovirus (SSaDV), this study was designed to find a po-
tential link between durable mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations and an
increased vulnerability to SSWD in Pisaster ochraceus along the Eastern
Pacific Coast. Using DNA extraction, PCR, and loci specific sequencing,
sea stars from various locations including the Puget Sound were analyzed
to assess the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that
may lead to decreased energy production in the organism. Shifts in energy
production due to mtDNA mutations, coupled with increasing water temper-
atures due to global warming may have consequences including increased
vulnerability to SSWD. By comparing sea star samples with maladaptive
SNPs to those known to have SSWD, this study hopes to find a correlation
between the maladaptive
SNP and the susceptibil-
ity to the disease.
EWRSEF Abstracts
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 19
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
EWRSEF Abstracts
Francis Neff & Steven Patrick
North Central HS
A SNP Analysis of the Pleiotropic Thermal Adaptive Regulatory
TRPV3 Gene in Columbian Mammoth
Award—Yale Science and Engineering Association Inc
ABSTRACT
There are many theories as to why Colum-bian Mammoth went extinct approximately 10,000 years ago. Population decline was likely due to a combination of factors, in-cluding shifts in ecosystems due to the in-crease in global temperature. Failure to heat regulate poses complex challenges to mammals. These factors prompted us to look at the ubiquitous mammal heat regulat-ingTRPV3 gene. This pleotropic gene acti-vates at 22-40C and has been shown to promote hot temperature regulating path-ways. The TRPV3 gene sequence has not been published in association with Columbian Mammoth, but when com-paring the TRPV3 sequence for African elephant, and to other mammal’s TRPV3 sequence, it appears to be relatively conserved. Recently, the Wooly Mammoth’s TRPV3 gene was sequenced and a single nucleotide polymorphism was identified that has a reverse pleotropic influence on the Wooly Mammoth; it provides Cold tolerance. Columbian Mammoths ranged much farther south, even into the tropics, than the Wooly Mammoth and would have needed both hot and cold pathways to have survived in its ex-panded range. What unique mutations in the TRPV3 gene did Columbian Mammoth have that allowed them to live a life of extremes? Utilizing PCR primers designed from conserved regions of the TRPV3 gene, DNA ex-tracted from Columbian Mammoth bone was successfully amplified using optimized protocols and is being prepared for DNA sequencing. Gene poly-morphisms will allow for analysis of gene function and may shed light on the extinction of mammoth and its relationship with climate change towards the end of the Pleistocene and much broader implications to modern mam-mals and Global Warming.
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 20
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
Seth Shellabarger
Ferris HS
Task switching between gamers and non-gamers
Award—Air Force Award for Outstanding Science and Engineering
Fair Projects
ABSTRACT
In society’s work force, speed needs to be a
guarantee amongst peers. However, many
people are burdened by an accuracy-speed
trade off where the product of their work
worsens the faster they attempt to complete
it. A continuous debate is whether reaction
times can be reduced with a steady training
regimen where a person’s task-switching
can improve without the loss of accuracy.
Therefore the intent of this experiment was
to determine if gamers have an increased
capability of multitasking when compared to
those that do not play video games. I began
the experiment with subjecting twenty gam-
ers, ten male and ten female, along with 20
non-gamers, ten male and ten female to a
puzzle while I asked a series of questions
as well as timed their response time. After
gathering the total time for all participants, I placed the data in a two sample
T Test. Finding the P value of .1684569383. Due to the high P value, we can
conclude that the information gathered in this experiment supports the hy-
pothesis that gamers do not have an increased capability of multitasking
when compared to none gamers.
EWRSEF Abstracts
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 21
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
EWRSEF Abstracts
Avery Shulenbarger
Ferris HS
Effect of Ocean Acidification on Zooplankton Death Rates
Award—NASA Earth Systems Science Award
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this project was to test the effect of exposing zooplankton to pH levels that are lower than normal ocean levels. My hypothesis was that as pH levels were decreased, the copepods that I used in this experiment would die off at a significantly faster rate. In order to perform this experi-ment, I placed copepods into four different jars and used HCl and marine buffer to set each jar to a specific pH level (7.5, 7.8, 8.0, 8.2). I counted the number of dead plankton for fourteen days and compared them at the end of the project. Studying the data, it is clear that many plankton died off at a fairly quick rate in the more acidic wa-ter. In addition, many plankton survived through the entirety of the experiment in the water of normal ocean pH, while there were few or no surviving plankton in the jars of low pH water. After studying these results and statistically analyzing the data, I was able to come to the conclusion that abnormally low ocean pH levels have a neg-ative effect on the ability of copepods to survive and flourish. This indicates that plankton living in the ocean could be in danger if ocean acidification continues to progress as it has been since humans began polluting on a large scale.
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 22
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
Julianne Socha & Jacquie Egger
North Central HS
Analysis of the MADS-box gene within Malus Domestica due to
the presence of pesticides and the diversity they cause.
Award—ISEF Honorable Mention
ABSTRACT
For decades pesticides have been used in apple production. It has been
known throughout the years that it has had an effect on the pests they are
designed for. This leads to question if apples have also been effected by
these aforementioned pesticides. It has been found that the MADS-box
gene controls the expression of tissue development. MADS-box is a highly
conserved region of the genome across different species; therefore, it can
be compared across a wide variety of apples. The study we conducted con-
sisted of 26 samples of 5 varieties. The methods used within this study are
sample collection, ethanol purification for DNA extraction, Dilution of DNA
extract based on results of Nanodrop and Gel electrophorisis checks, and
PCR (polymerase chain reaction). Changes have been made to optimize
original protocols and have been altered based upon prior experience with
apple tissue samples. It was concluded that the DNA contained many con-
taminants that inhibit PCR from working properly. The protocol of ethanol
purification was added to clean up the excess interference that was evident
when a simple DNA extraction was performed. The excess that occurred
previous resulted in multiple bands due to the multiple landing sites for the
primers. In order to decrease the issue of multiple bands the annealing tem-
perature will be adjusted in PCR. Through this process it can be concluded
that DNA from apple specifically can be difficult to acquire in a clean form
due to the protein and cell debris that get left behind
after extraction. It is also evident that through the use
of different means, such as ethanol purification, these
prohibitions can be avoided. This protocol has proven
to lead to a larger yield of DNA which in turn makes it
more manageable to compare DNA sequence due to
the quantity and quality acquired.
EWRSEF Abstracts
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 23
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
EWRSEF Abstracts
Nathaniel Stanley
Ferris HS
Effect of Blue Light on Sleep
Award—Air Force Award for Outstanding Science and Engineering
Fair
ABSTRACT
The purpose of my experiment was to investigate the link between blue light wavelength and how it affects your quality of sleep. I had 20 subjects moni-tor their sleep for two weeks using a Fitbit fitness tracker. My subjects sent me their cumulative data each morning for a week. For the second week they used the night mode on their phone for at least an hour before bed each night. This blocked the blue light rays on their phone and allowed them to go to sleep faster, resulting in an overall better night’s sleep. I ran a de-pendent T test to statistically analyze my data. The resulting two-tailed P value was .0200 which by conventional criteria is considered to be statisti-cally significant. In conclusion, I accept my alternate hypothesis that block-ing blue light from your phone before bed will significantly improve sleep quality.
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 24
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
Claire Stromberg
Lewis & Clark HS
Body Image and Academic Performance
Award— ISEF Alternate & Honorable Mention
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to ex-amine any potential relationships be-tween body image and academic performance in high school students. The authors hypothesized that body image and school achievement are linked through the global self-esteem or similar environmental factors, and may correlate as such. A sample population of 78 students from grades 9 to 12 were given the Body Investment Scale to analyze body image attitudes and behaviors, and were asked their unweighted G.P.A. (out of 4.0) to represent academic performance in an online survey for-mat. A Pearson correlation coefficient of r=.067 indicated a slight positive correlation between the two varia-bles, which increased as positive outliers were eliminated. The results sug-gest that environmental and psychological influences that contribute to a student developing positive self-image and body attitudes also promote scholastic success.
EWRSEF Abstracts
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 25
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
Jake Windhorst
Spokane Valley Tech
The Downspout Converter
Award—ISEF Honorable Mention
ABSTRACT
Purpose: With over 68% of all electricity generated in 2016 being from non-
renewable energy sources designing a product that can generate clean re-
newable energy from falling rainwater for individual homeowners would offer
a significant environmental and economic benefit.
Procedure: The downspout converter was designed and built via the use of
CAD software and 3D printing. Upon completion of the prototype it was rig-
orously tested to determine how many volts of electricity it would output with
varying volumes of water.
Results: With a starting volume of 300ml of water the device was able to
generate 0.08 volts of electricity. As the volume of water was increased to
its highest level 900ml it reached an average of 0.23 volts. Reliability of
tests were insured by running 3 trials per volume.
Conclusion: Examination of data from this prototype indicated that not
enough power would be generated to light a single LED bulb. The cause of
the low voltage generation was friction in the DC motor (used for generation
of electricity). Future prototypes will seek solutions to this issue as well as
strategies to increase overall voltage output such as the installation of multi-
ple turbines in a series. Alternatives to fossil fuels are high priority for the
sustainability of our planet and our economy.
EWRSEF Abstracts
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 26
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
ISEF Finalists—off to LA!
Faith King & Isaac Caruso
with Dr. Silvia Oliver Early morning set-up
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 27
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
Photoshoots
Faces & Scenes
@ 2017 EWRSEF
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 28
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
Photoshoots
Faces & Scenes
@ 2017 EWRSEF
2017 Journal of Superior Projects 29
Eastern Washington Regional Science & Engineering Fair www.ewrsef.org
2017 Conference Organizers