NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (KNOP) – Students from across Greater Nebraska presented research projects Monday during the Nebraska Junior Academy of Sciences Western Regional Science Competition at Mid-Plains Community College.
The competition, open to students in grades six through 12, encourages participants to apply creativity and critical thinking to scientific questions. Students developed a research project, wrote an abstract and delivered an oral presentation to judges.
Karlie Davies, an eighth-grader at North Platte St. Patrick’s, said her project focused on vertical wind turbines.
“My project is called Spin Into Power. It’s based off turbine blades. Vertical turbines, I think, are one of the best blades today. And I think we should advance them because they don’t kill as many whales or birds,” Davies said. “I chose this because it is one of the lowest-priced energy sources today.”
Ben Cunningham, a sixth-grader at Elwood, said his project started with a question sparked by classmates getting sick.
“There was a ton of sickness going through the school, so I wanted to see what surfaces to avoid so I don’t get sick,” Cunningham said. “I found that water fountain spouts had the most bacteria out of any surface and desk had least.”
Top projects will qualify for the state competition April 23 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Nebraska East Union.
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