Wednesday Journal asked the science students to talk about their projects by answering the following questions:
1) How did you come up with your idea for your project/idea?
2) How many hours/days/weeks did you spend on it?
3) During the actual experiment, what did you learn that wasn’t anticipated or hypothesized?
4) What kind of reaction have you gotten from teachers, friends, family about your project?
5) What got you interested in science?
Helen Thomason (A mathematical model to predict reactive attachment disorder in infants)
1) I came up with my idea for my project from the book Make Way For Ducklings, where ducklings follow their parent around the city of Boston. After reading that book to my little brother at the beginning of the school year I started to wonder why the ducklings had an instinct to follow their parent around. That’s how I found out about attachment. Then I wondered if humans had a similar instinct to follow their parent, and sure enough attachment is a very diverse behavior found in almost all species of animals. That led me to wonder how it would affect children and animals if the parent was not present or was taken from the child at a young age, and that is what led me to attachment disorder, and more specifically Reactive Attachment Disorder which is the most common attachment disorder.
2) I spent 45 minutes of class time every day, plus another 45 minutes of my lunch period, and about an hour before and after school. So a total of at least 3 hours a day, every day of the week; and that is not including the time spent at home working on the research paper. I also came into school every other day over winter break to take care of my ducklings.
3) Besides learning how messy, and stinky, ducklings were, I learned how to problem-solve. I did not expect as much trial and error but I was constantly redesigning aspects of my project. For example, the ducklings made a mess with the water in their enclosure for drinking, so I had to figure out how to put enclosed bodies of water that they could swim in inside the enclosure. I also had to build the enclosure from chicken wire, tarp and plastic dividers, which took lots of problem-solving.
4) Everyone is intrigued when I tell them I had eight Mallard ducklings. I could talk about my ducklings for hours and I jump at the chance to tell someone about my project. The other day, before a water polo game, I brought my laptop out on the pool deck and did my presentation — in my swimsuit — for my team to practice for a science symposium the next day. My coach and teammates were excited to see exactly what it was I had been talking about all year and to hear about my research. Everyone I have talked to seems impressed by the level of research me and my classmates have done.
5) I have always loved the hands-on aspect of science and the independence that labs and research, such as this project, offers in the classroom. I took AP Biology with Ms. (Allison) Hennings; and my father works in a hospital, so I have been exposed to the medical field and hope one day to be a part of that field.
Julia Szewc (Developed an oxygen-delivery product to the tissues of those affected by osteoarthritis, based on the saliva from leeches)
1) At the beginning of the year, Ms. Hennings gave the class rigorous deadlines during which we had to bring in lists of topics we were interested in studying. This allowed us to discuss them with our classmates, receive feedback, make revisions to experimental hypotheses, and conduct further research on ideas to find further topics to study. From the beginning of the class, I was always really interested in researching natural medicinal treatments. That ultimately led me to come across an experiment from which I stemmed the rest of my project and research.
2) Every day during the first couple of weeks I spent anywhere from 1 to 2 hours doing homework for the class. As my topic solidified, and I began reading primary source articles specific to what I intended to research, I spent 2 to 3 hours on the class daily. Once I began collecting data, I would often have to come in before school from 7 to 7:50 and stay after school from around 3 to 5 p.m. for multiple weeks during November, December, and January.
3) I had to conduct multiple revisions to my experimental setup due to an error or inconsistent experimental setup. Also, as I read more primary sources and received feedback from my classmates, I came across even more ways of improving my experiment and making the data I obtained more representative of what I was aiming to test.
4) When I tell other people about my experiment, the intricate design and idea of it leaves them absolutely stunned and surprised. They’re in awe of all that I have managed to achieve as a senior in high school with no background in research.
5) I have been interested in science ever since I was a little girl not yet in elementary school. I always loved reading scientific books, investigating the mysteries of nature, and piecing together puzzles to solve a problem. It has always been my dream to become a physician and use my desire to learn about science and the human body to help those in need.
Caroline Cronin (Investigated how certain proteins in cyanobacteria are altered with changes in global climate, such as global warming)
1, 2, 3) I wanted to work with cyanobacteria because I have an interest in ecology and biology, and I had worked with aquatic environments in the past and loved it! I spent the entire first semester and beginning of second semester on my project. I worked during and outside of school to perform research and conduct the experiment. During the experiment, I learned that nothing ever goes as planned and had to rethink my procedure as I went along. But the cyanobacteria were incredibly illuminating, not only as a specific species and set of systems but also as a model for all organisms affected by solar radiation in marine ecosystems.
4) My family has been incredibly supportive of my project by providing funds for the materials and encouraging me to do my best. My mother especially made an impact on the success of my project through her assistance with the setup of my pond ecosystems. Mrs. Hennings has really been not just a teacher to us but also an inspiration for all of us to go beyond conditional limits and think outside the box. Other people who hear of our work are amazed that we are able to accomplish so much in a simple high school lab environment.
5) I have been interested in science since a very young age. I have always wanted to be a doctor when I grow up and was originally introduced to the idea by my grandfather, an orthopedic surgeon. Since then I have enjoyed science in school at all levels but have grown exponentially within the subject under the guidance of Mrs. Hennings and the other wonderful members of the OPRF science department. I intend to follow my passion for science in college and beyond.
Megan Peters (Investigated which electrodes are best used in fuel cells in order to create new, clean energy products)
1) I came up with the idea, initially, because I knew I was interested in doing a project that had to do with chemistry. I looked up some ideas for ways to generate energy in a clean manner, and I came across something called a fuel cell, which I initially had no idea what it was. Then I realized ways to get the reactants for fuel cells through a process called water electrolyis. Then I started to research water electrolysis, and that’s how I became interested in my project.
2) I spent numerous hours on this project. I started doing the physical experiments in November (2013), because the beginning of the year was spent researching, and I came into a lot of problems with my experiment. I had to redo and make my own setup for water electrolysis, which took a while to figure out. Overall, during the next two months, November and December, I came in before school every day, during my lunch period, during class, and then after school until about 5 p.m.— and also late nights writing my 37-page research paper.
3) I learned how to overcome problems. I had never conducted water electrolyis before. So I kind of thought the first time I was going to run it; it would work smoothly if I followed the instructions. Well, that didn’t happen. So I had to problem-solve and make a new apparatus that would make a significant amount of hydrogen gas between my different electrodes.
4) A lot of my friends think I’m a little crazy for devoting so much time doing this project. A lot of people are very confused on what I did or what my project was about. My family and friends were amazed that I was able to do this much amazing research as a high school student and only during about six months.
5) I’ve always really liked science. I really liked chemistry my sophomore. I had a great teacher and knew that I wanted to know more about chemistry in the future. I had the chance of taking AP Chemistry or this research class. I visited Mrs. Hennings to learn more about her research class, and I thought it would be a great idea to challenge myself and get ready for college-level research. I also plan to major in engineering.
Jessica Kende (Developed a syringe with a capsule in it (like an EpiPen) that has a combination of hemoglobin and nanotechnology-created micro-bubbles that contain oxygen. This syringe can be used to treat drowning victims to give oxygen to tissues to prevent brain damage).
1) I have been a lifeguard at the River Forest Tennis Club for 2 years and that is what originally made me interested in drowning and brain death. I looked further into causes of brain death and it related to drowning because of oxygen deprivation. I wanted to make something that was easy to use that could combat this problem. I modeled my injection after an EpiPen because I wanted it to be used easily by someone who is uncertified, as well as reliable and safe. I ended up designing a syringe that could prevent brain death and other problems caused by oxygen deprivation (asthma, drowning, and airway blockage).
2) The entire project (researching, designing, and running trials) took around three quarters of the school year; I was working more than 2 hours every school day.
3) Pretty much everything about my experiment I learned this past year. I didn’t know anything about proteins in human blood, let alone invertebrates. I learned a lot about hermit crabs, which was the invertebrate I tested on. I think finding a test subject was one of the most difficult things because I needed an invertebrate that could be closely relatable to humans. I had to research many invertebrates and ended up with hermit crabs because they have arteries (that’s very unusual in an invertebrate because they have open circulatory systems), as well as a bronchial chamber (which is closely related to lungs).
4) A lot of people don’t understand our class at all and when I try to explain my project they still don’t understand it. If they do understand it, most don’t understand the level of work that we do. Essentially, we are doing graduate-level work. I have submitted my paper to universities and many are very surprised about the level of work that is being conducted. I have submitted my work to companies and have received emails from the president/CEO congratulating me on my work. During Positive Impact (science competition) a judge suggested that I partner with a company to produce a prototype. I have also been suggested to seek a patent.
5) The first time I remember really being excited about science was around second grade when I was visiting my grandpa. He was a researcher at Michigan State University. I remember he put a seed in a Petri dish filled with a clear jelly, and two weeks later I remember seeing it grow. And in the clear jelly I could see the roots and how the little plant grew out of the little seed. I never realized that plants could grow in something other that dirt. Since then, I have ventured into other fields of science than biology. In college, I am hoping to study bioengineering.
Maura Dahl (Created a bandage using a piece of nanotechnology called Sharklet; the bandage can be used to reduce bacterial growth in wounds)
1) I was watching a NOVA program on medical nanotechnologies that featured a product called “Sharklet”. It was used to prevent bacterial growth on hospital and because I’ve always been interested in antimicrobial resistant (AR) bacteria, such as MRSA, I wanted to use Sharklet in a novel way. I wanted to make Sharklet into a bandage that wouldn’t need the bactericidal agents, which have helped AR bacteria develop, in order to prevent major bacterial growth within flesh wounds.
2) Researching the topic itself took about a month and a half, spending eight hours a week in finding and annotating articles related to my project. The project itself then took another month and a half, I could only work about two hours each school day.
3) I learned that bacteria aren’t as resilient as I would have expected. They wouldn’t grow in trypic soy broth (drowned) or non-nutrient agar (starvation?), which was unexpected.
4) For those without much of a science background, I’ve gotten a lot of fascinated stares, which has made it fun to explain my project to them. Many of my peers have told me they were impressed that I was determined enough to work that long and hard, but they hope my product, Gauzlet, goes somewhere. It’s been very encouraging throughout the research process.
5) My dad always told my two sisters and me, “Chicks do math, chicks do science, chicks do medicine.” Instead of watching Saturday morning cartoons, I would geek out over NOVA programs on WTTW 11. Being in veterinarian clinics with my mom since age six, helping heal has become my passion, and I wanted to take that passion and fascination with the natural world and put it to good use.
Charlie Hoffman (Designed and built two different types of turbines to produce energy in distributed-generation systems)
1) I started out wanting to do a renewable energy project, but then I started researching the process to produce electricity. This got me interested in the idea of turbines.
2) I spent weeks on my project. I know there was a total of seven all-nighters to complete the project.
3) Outside of learning about turbines, my project also taught me that just about any moving substance can be converted into electricity.
4) The first reaction I get from people is correcting the pronunciation of the word “turbine.” After that, it’s usually “wow you’re crazy!” Everyone has been very supportive of what my classmates and I have done.
5) I got interested in science many years ago from my need for knowledge. I have always wanted to know how things work, and why things are done certain ways. This has been the perfect class for me because I get to figure out how something works, and explore ideas on how to make it better.
Naren Chaudhry (Investigated the link between cholesterol and the development of atherosclerosis by looking at other major contributors to atherosclerosis in hearts)
1) I was inspired to conduct research on cardiovascular health after two simultaneous events that occurred on the same day. First, my “Step Back” teacher told us the story of how he saved a stranger’s life using CPR. The patient suffered from a heart attack caused by blockage in the coronary artery. This is known as coronary artery disease. The very day I talked to my grandmother over the phone who talked about how traumatic her two heart attacks were and the fear she experienced before being wheeled into the surgical room for an emergency bypass surgery. Since then I have felt a strange desire to prevent this from happening to my loved ones and the rest of the world.
2) I spent around 20 hours per week on this project
3) I found that blood can coagulate independent of a brain to tell it to do so and that blood independent of cholesterol tends to be thinner and coagulates slower than blood with higher cholesterol concentration.
4) My science friends are baffled that a high schooler, especially one with little scientific experience, is able to craft and execute original scientific research and then present that research at a competitive graduate-level. While my parents are harder to impress, they still applaud the effort I put into maintaining scientific integrity and the effort I put into the class.
5) Science is able to characterize the laws of nature in a way that humans can understand it. Aside from the positive impacts it has on medical development and its practical uses, it’s a beautiful system of logic and precision that enables us to understand out immediate environment. Science has always appealed to me as the epitome of logic, rational thinking, and problem solving, the fundamental units of intelligence in my opinion. Therefore a master of science is truly an intelligent person; I pursue science in my pursuit of higher thinking and intelligence.