Rainbow students earn top honours at Sudbury Regional Science Fair

Seven young scientists from Rainbow Schools who wowed the judges at the Sudbury Regional Science Fair held on April 6th and 7th will represent our community at the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Ottawa from May 25 to June 1, 2024. They will be among hundreds of young scientists showcasing their works of discovery and innovation at the national level.

Zavier Simard, a Grade 8 student from Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, impressed the judges with his project “VAWT to WATT: Capturing Wind Energy on Cars” which analyzed the probability of replenishing electric vehicle batteries using vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT). To test his theory, Zavier designed, 3D printed, and assembled a functional wind turbine, gearbox and wind ramp. In combination with a DC generator, he measured the performance and power output of the generator and wind turbine with various gears, wind speeds, as well as with and without the wind ramp. For his project, Zavier Simard garnered First Place, Junior Division, Engineering, the Ontario Power Generation Energy Award, and the Best in Fair Award.

Benjamin Kawa, a Grade 9 student from Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, engineered a device that uses artificial intelligence to detect and alert a driver if they have fallen asleep behind the wheel. This was the second iteration of his project from 2023. New this year, Benjamin built component parts for a standalone universal device that mounts on the dashboard for improved driver safety. For his project “Driver Wake Up 2.0: A Compact Standalone Device”, Benjamin Kawa earned First Place, Intermediate Division, Computer Sciences, the Founding Members’ Award, the Bharti School of Engineering and Computer Science Engineering Award, and the Ontario Power Generation Engineering Award.

Camille Landry, a Grade 7 student from Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, prepared a project “Stop the Spread” which focused on eliminating the spread of oil spills in bodies of water. Camille tested four sorbents – cotton, peat moss, dog hair and kitty litter – to see which would absorb the most motor oil in a cup of water. Through her analysis, Camille determined that peat moss, which is typically found in ponds and lakes, absorbed all of the oil and very little water, while kitty litter sank to the bottom and became very contaminated. For her project, Camille Landry took home First Place, Junior Division, Physical Sciences.

Felix Naghi, a Grade 8 student from Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, developed a self-sustaining robot that swims through water autonomously to collect harmful plastic waste and save wildlife. Felix’s small-scale robot, which measures 40 centimeters by 25 centimeters, can travel at a speed of five kilometres per hour. Felix hopes to expand his model to 2.5 metres by 4 metres to travel at 10 kilometres per hour, which would have the capacity to clean Ramsey Lake in 127 hours. For his project, “Plastic Purge: Marine Debris Eliminator”, Felix Naghi garnered First Place, Junior Division, Engineering, the Bharti School of Engineering and Computer Science Engineering Award, the Ontario Power Generation Environmental Award, and the Ontario Power Generation Innovation Award.

Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School Grade 8 student Eden Abols experimented with black oyster mushrooms to see if they could eliminate copper out of straw. The process of refining mined minerals creates copper tailings that are harmful to the environment. For the project, Eden grew black oyster mushrooms on pasteurized straw with varying amounts of copper sulfate. Once mature, the mushrooms were harvested, dehydrated, ground into a powder and measured using an atomic absorption spectroscopy analyzer. The results showed that mushrooms could be used to remediate environmental pollutants from the mining process. For his project “Metallurgical Mushrooms”, Eden Abols captured First Place, Junior Division, Life Sciences, the Biotechnology Award, the Laurentian University School of Natural Sciences Chemistry/Biochemistry Award, the Modern Mining and Technology Sudbury Award, and the Ontario Power Generation Environmental Award.

Violet Simon, a Grade 8 student from Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, conducted an experiment with the five most common soils – clay, sand, peat, loams, and chalky – to determine which would decompose the most organic matter. For the inquiry, Violet placed each type of soil in a container with equal amounts of banana, cucumber and tomato, spraying them daily with water. After 15 days, the materials were analyzed and weighed, and it was determined that clay soil decomposed the most amount of organic matter. Having clay soil in compost bins would decrease the amount of waste sent to landfills. For her project “Mission Decomposition”, Violet Simon earned First Place, Junior Division, Life Sciences, and the FROSKR Environmental Award.

Jack O’Connell, a Grade 8 student from Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, developed a project “Are Adults Dirtier than Kids?” Research shows that 90% of cell phones in Ontario have traces of staphylococcus, streptococcus, bacillus cereus and E. coli, and only 10% of the population cleans their phone on a daily basis. Jack measured the difference in bacteria present on a cell phone in three groups – middle school students, high school students and adults. All three age groups had variations of bacteria in type and quantity. For his project, Jack determined what each group could do to lower the bacteria present on their phone leading to illness such as the flu, pneumonia, food poisoning and liver problems. For his project “Are Adults Dirtier than Kids?” Jack O’Connell won First Place, Junior Division, Life Sciences, and the Laurentian University School of Natural Sciences Forensics Award.