Q: What Do Oil, Dolphins, Plants, Catapults & Lava Lamps Have in Common?

A: They were all topics of projects Bradford Area School District students took on for the annual science fair at Fretz Middle School.


Dakota Brewer's project explored how temperature affects the way a plant absorbs liquid. (And, he explained it to me very well! Thanks Dakota!)

Logan Esrich built a working oil jack, and explained how it works. (This was the first project that caught my eye. Very cool!)

The catapult display was one of the most popular interactive projects.


You could learn how to make a lava lamp, or everything you wanted to know about oil spills -- a very timely topic.

This family enjoys a project about dolphins.

As most of our regular readers know, I'm a weather geek. That's why I had to get a picture of this project.

Other projects included the intelligence of gerbils; how fast various liquids will rust a nail; blood; volcanoes; the Allegheny Reservoir; how black lights work; measuring lung capacity with balloons; the solar system; famous female scientists; what's inside a bowling ball; and, the question everyone who's never been to a science fair really wants to know -- Do Wint-O-Green Lifesavers really spark if you bite them?