You don’t often find lasers, holograms, albino amphibians and rollercoasters in the same place at the same time, much less at school, but on Earth Day (April 22) they were integral parts of the second annual Science Fair put on by the Special Education division of Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaragus BOCES at the LoGuidice Educational Center.

Students spent three months doing research, honing their presentation skills and preparing for the capstone to their yearlong science lessons. This event is an initiative of the Special Education division instructional team in cooperation with administrators.

The STEM-based fair focuses on science, technology, engineering and math-based projects and allows students to get hands-on experience with current scientific research in order to develop positive attitudes about themselves, take pride in their work and their accomplishments.

Elementary and middle school groups presented to an audience of peers and teachers in the morning, and in the afternoon the high-schoolers presented. The students honed their public presentation skills in advance of the fair, confidently and deftly answering questions from the audience. They watched their classmates demonstrate their projects and discussed hypotheses and conclusions.

At the elementary and junior high level, students explored the solar system, constellations, the life cycle of frogs, plate tectonics and whether tea/coffee/soda pop stain teeth. They also evaluated the ability of egg substitutes to mimic the leavening property of eggs in baking, how much gas is emitted by certain beverages and had some fun changing the color of milk.

At the high school level, students researched the effects playing video games have on bodies physically and mentally, how ammonia in hair dye can damage human hair, the effects of bridge design on weight-bearing capacity, how G-force impacts football helmets, how a rollercoaster works, if background color affects people completing mazes, measuring sugar content in liquids with a laser and how to make a hologram using a smartphone. The students were respectful, attentive, engaged and supportive during their peers’ presentations.

An independent judging panel consisting of Special and Alternative Education Director Jennifer Saboda, Associate Director Robin Brown and Alternative Education science teacher Julie Sek observed and critiqued the high school projects and provided helpful feedback.

After the judging, the high-schoolers and staff gathered in the eBrew coffee shop to enjoy punch, refreshments and bask in the glory of a job well done.

High school science project rankings include:

First place: Seth Emke, Josh Eidens, Dustin Crowell and Andre Brown for their project “How G-force Impacts Football Helmets.”

Second place: Sierra Couchman, Becca Carlson, Destiney Miller, Kerisa Roche, Melinda Gonzales and Erica Gernatt for their project “Does Ammonia in Hair Dye Damage your Hair?”

Third place: Johnathan Sheldon, Gage Sipp and Zachary Roche for their project “The Side-Effects of Video Game Playing Both Physically and Mentally.”

Coordinators of the second annual Science Fair were high school science teacher Kathy Jones and high school math teacher Stacie Buchheit. Also at the high school level, English teacher Mary Carlson, social studies teacher Heather Banks, science teacher Sylvia Tripp and Career Development and Occupational Studies teachers Dan Rowe and Patricia Laidlaw assisted students with their projects. Support staff members instrumental in helping the students prepare were Jennifer Rizzo, Paulette Wright, Stephanie Banaszak, Marie O’Connor and Penny D’Amico. Special Education teacher Tim Jones also served as a special consultant on several of the projects.

The Special Education division’s second annual Science Fair proved a success and students and staff alike are eagerly anticipating 2017’s event.