NCC Hosts Homeschool Science Fair
Pictured from left: Babs Harrell, science fair co-coordinator; Abel Dees, second place winner; Andrew Pike, first place winner; Analeigh Dupont, third place winner; and Michelle Moseley, science fair co-coordinator
Nash Community College hosted a science fair on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 for homeschool seventh-graders from the Rocky Mount and Dortches Classical Conversations communities. Natural Sciences faculty Dr. David Beamer, Christine Ricci, Rebecca Williams, Tammy Glover and Jarret Devine served as judges.
“This is a great opportunity for young scholars to get involved in scientific research and to visit our campus,” NCC Natural Sciences department chair June Kearney said. “They learn from experienced faculty and tour our lab environment. The instructors engage them in discussions about their research interests. We hope that this helps encourage them to explore more scientific research.”
The 12 students were evaluated in five areas: a lab journal addressing scientific analysis and supporting the project, research methodology, research narrative, presentation display, and oral presentation.
“We are grateful that NCC provided the lab and the faculty judges. This is only the beginning. We hope to continue this, and that some of our students will enroll in classes here one day,” homeschool science fair coordinator Babs Harrell said.
After the projects were judged, the students presented their research to family and friends who were invited to visit each display.
The science fair winners are Andrew Pike, first place; Abel Dees, second place; and Analeigh duPont, third place.
Andrew’s project was aimed at finding out where a bouncing ball’s energy goes. His experiment consisted of measuring the ball’s temperature before bouncing the ball and then after bouncing it 100 times. After 10 trials, he concluded that a bouncing ball’s energy is transferred to heat.
What’s the fastest way to cool a can of Coca-Cola to its optimum drinking temperature of 38*F? Does changing the coolant medium affect the cooling rate of Coca-Cola? Abel’s testing showed that the iced water cooled the cans faster than the cooler of ice and the freezer. The best part was drinking an ice-cold Coke in the name of science.
Analeigh wanted to see which homemade lip balm would work the best, what ingredients made lip balm water-resistant, and if they could create a water seal because lip balm creates a barrier between moisturized lips and the environment. She discovered that lip balms need to have a good ratio of emollients and wax.
Classical Conversations is a K-12 homeschooling program that utilizes the classical method of learning from a biblical worldview,” Harrell said. “In our area, we have campuses in Tarboro, Rocky Mount, Dortches and Wilson.”
For more information, please call 252-451-8235.
