Students succeed at Science Olympics

Posted by: Debbie Bowley on Wed, 20 May 2009 20:01:34

Approximately 144 sixth, seventh and eighth grade girls from more than 27 different schools throughout Connecticut spent Saturday, May 16, going for the “gold” at Lauralton Hall’s annual spring Science Olympics. Students competed in three events:  “Crack it up” - an event to design a container that would protect an egg from a 1 meter drop;  “Charge it up” - a race using soda cans and static electricity; and  “Drip, drip, drip” - an event designed to demonstrate adhesive and cohesive forces on water.

The girls were also entertained by Demos-R-Us, a company consisting of a retired University of Connecticut Physics professor and some of his colleagues and students, who demonstrated gravity, pressure and forces using balloons, liquid nitrogen, magnets and eggs.

With the help of Lauralton faculty and students, participants “competed” in problem-solving events. Students worked in teams, with the winners as follows:

In the 8th grade category:
1st Place: The Vertebrates from Our Lady of Assumption in Fairfield:  Alexandra Chrupcala, Andrea- Joy Pringle, and Sarah Yoney

2nd Place: The Torques from St. Peter’s in Bridgeport:  Ashley Dobson, Maria Flores, and Sarah Rigaud

3rd Place: The Newtonians from Longfellow Middle School in Bridgeport:  Bertha Campos, Melissa Joseph, Tatyana Salgado, and Rayneesha Barnes

In the 7th grade category:
1st Place: The Organelles from Hillcrest Middle School in Trumbull:  Camilla Edwards, Kayla Mendell, Lindsay Katz, and Kathy Nickson

2nd Place: The Platypus from St. Francis in New Haven:  Alexandra Fargeorge, Jocelyn Angulo, and Samantha O’Keefe

3rd Place: the E=mc2 s from Wintergreen Magnet in Hamden:  Emily Watzl, Morgan Brokaw, Taryn Anderson, and Brianna Moore
      
In the 6th grade category:
1st Place: The Forces from Trinity Catholic Middle School in Stamford:  Maria
Caponetti, Marissa Browne, Katharina Focke, and Brianna Samaranayake

2nd Place: The Punnet Squares from New Canaan Country School in New Canaan: 
Lexi Kelley, Katherine Norton, and Christine Campisi

3rd Place: The Einsteins from Longfellow Middle School in Bridgeport:  Ashley Smith,
Elise McNair, and Alejandra Campos

Combined grades category:
1st Place: The Vectors from St. Catherine of Siena in Trumbull:  Elizabeth Sargent,
Caroline Sargent, and Julia Spillane

2nd Place: The Deltas from Delta Academy Program:  Alisha Brabham, Makayla Cooper,
Tatiana Gay, and Sabrina Streeter

3rd Place: The Atoms from St. Ann School in Milford:  Haley Barnum, Lauren Vetter,
Paige Vollero, and Heather Volkens.