Twenty are fairest of them all

Michael Miller

When Makenzie Kim had to do a science project for her school science

fair, she didn’t have to look far for inspiration.

Makenzie, an eighth-grader at Ensign Intermediate School, often

goes surfing with her father in Newport Beach. During many of her

trips, she said, she noticed trash floating in the water and wondered

how contaminated the water was. For her experiment, then, she

contacted Orange County Coastkeeper and went with members to test the

bacteria level in Buck Gully and Little Corona.

“My project was, ‘How does urban- and storm-water runoff affect

coastal life?’” said Makenzie, 13, who lives in Newport Beach. “I

researched it because I was wondering how it affects animals and how

surfers and people who do water sports are affected by it.”

For the experiment, Makenzie took a water sample from both areas

and heated them in the oven to measure the bacteria level -- which

she described as “really bad,” especially at Little Corona. Her

efforts paid off, as her exhibit was chosen as one of 20 to represent

Ensign this year at the Orange County Youth Expo.

This was the second year in a row in which each of the school’s

nearly 1,200 students submitted a project. The school’s seven science

teachers chose the 20 finalists to send to the county competition.

Winners at the county level will go on to state competition later

this year.

The displays that filled the school’s multipurpose room Wednesday

covered a variety of topics, with seventh-graders undertaking

projects on human body systems and eighth-graders conducting

experiments.

One blue-ribbon winner added blue dye to Sprite, tap water and

salt water and tested to see which blue liquid would penetrate a

carnation fastest. Another project tested the wear of rocks when

exposed to a propane torch.

Eighth-grade teacher Jim Blackie said the judges looked for

originality as well as visual panache.

“Part of it is the visual look of it,” he remarked. “You can tell

when a kid has spent 20 hours on a project instead of one hour. Aside

from that, an original idea is always a plus. I’ve seen ‘Which tastes

better, Coke or Pepsi?’ about 50 times.”

Principal Ed Wong said learning the scientific method was a rite

of passage for middle school students.

“I think it’s absolutely the most important time ever to learn

about science,” Wong said. “When students are in elementary school,

they usually read things in textbooks, but here they have to read it,

understand it, apply it and then demonstrate it.

“The proof of learning something is to be able to teach someone

else about it.”

* IN THE CLASSROOM is a weekly feature in which Daily Pilot

education writer Michael Miller visits a campus in the Newport-Mesa

area and writes about his experience.