Journal North:  Home | Sports | Opinion | Obits | Entertainment

          Front Page  north

Tuesday, April 27, 2004

Expo in Los Alamos Brings Science Out of the Classroom

By Angela Turner
Journal Staff Writer
    LOS ALAMOS— Desert Academy students catapulted frozen balloons into piñon trees Monday at the Los Alamos Research Park.
    The trebuchet, a medieval weapon of mass destruction used to break through castle walls, represented the end of the Dark Ages and the beginning of the Santa Fe physics students' participation in the New Mexico Adventures in Supercomputing Challenge Expo.
    Desert Academy physics teacher Robert Dryja said the challenge allowed his students to showcase their mandatory honors project.
    "We plan to do this every year," he said. "It's a terrific way to get folks involved in science."
    More than 200 students from across the state are participating in the 14th annual expo. Teams from five Santa Fe schools— two from Santa Fe High and one from the Career Academy, Santa Fe Preparatory School and Monte del Sol Charter School— were among the 12 finalists.
    Student projects will be recognized during an awards ceremony from 9 to 11 a.m. today in LANL's Physics Building Auditorium.
    The goal of the event is to increase knowledge of science and computing, expose students and teachers to computers and applied mathematics and generate enthusiasm for science in students, their families and communities.
    "This program allows the kids in New Mexico to shine, and that's really inspiring," said David Kratzer, co-coordinator for the event. "There's a lot of talent in New Mexico."
    Monday, students set up poster displays of their computing projects and took part in tours, talks and demonstrations with LANL technical staff members.
    Desert Academy junior John Corff, 17, said the trebuchet used classical physics, including gravity and motion. The sling on the trebuchet released the frozen balloon into the air.
    "There (are) probably so many things going on that we really don't even know about," 15-year-old sophomore Stuart Pollock said.
    Three students from Chaparral Elementary School in Santa Fe entered a project that studied how long it took for groups of people to synchronize their hand-clapping.
    "It proves the size of a group doesn't affect the time (it) takes to synchronize," sixth-grader Edward Blanco, 12, said.
    Bill McKerley, a chemist who helped judge six schools, said he was impressed with students' abilities to communicate their solutions to technical problems.
    "These kids do an excellent job of really being able to answer questions," he said. "It's a really exciting group of kids and an amazing array of projects."
    Alison Trimmer, a freshman at Albuquerque's Bosque School, said it took a moment to get used to judges gathering around her group's project, a study of the effectiveness of a cervical cancer vaccine.
    "It was a little nerve-racking," she said. "Once we got through with the first few slides, it was fine."
    Trimmer's group was among Monday's top 12 finalists. The three winners will be selected today.
    Bosque School sponsoring teacher Thomas Allen said the group's teamwork and organization improved over last year's competition.
    "Now, they can talk about what they're doing," he said. "They're not afraid to refer to one another. They know what their expertise is."
    Bill Knoop, an Albuquerque Academy senior, said his group's project last year on meteors was a bust. Monday, his group presented a study of what happens with solar flares, using physics equations the students learned in class and some Internet research. The project failed to make it to the finals, but remained eligible for individual awards.