Middle and High School Students Take Part in Carver Science Fair
By Paul Kurtz
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Hundreds of young, would-be scientists gathered today at Temple University for the annual George Washington Carver Science Fair.
Representing middle and high schools throughout the city, these students, in grades 7 through 12, showcased a wide variety of projects for the panel of judges.
"I measured the autonomic nervous system by asking questions and having people answer them with a truth or by lying, which is similar to what the polygraph machine measures," said one young woman.
"What I wanted to test for this experiment is whether canola oil would be helpful with the retention of moisture in soil and plant growing," a young man explained.
It's all heady stuff for these young wizards, some of whom will represent the next generation of scientists. But Thomas Anderson, who cofounded this event 34 years ago, says that's not the primary goal.
"I don't expect all of them to become scientists," he tells KYW Newsradio, "but I expect them to become aware of science because science controls our lives from the day we come to this earth to the day we die."
The winners of the Carver Fair will move on to the Delaware Valley Science Fair, next month.
