High School Science Fair



February 1998:
Science Fair began the summer before my sophomore year in high school as a project my best friend and I devised would give us a little more to work at. We had no idea how far two bins of worms would take us. The project evolved into a three year study of vermicomposting, using special worms to compost natural waste. The first year, experimenting on household fabric and paper waste, gave us grand prize nominations at regionals and states, but team projects were never allowed to win. But already we had earned the name "Worm Girls" in our school and area. The second year, we experimented to try to speed up the rate of composting. That year, we made it to states, expanded the backboard, and set of report binders, but still, no further than state science fair. The third year, we targeted the practicality of vermicomposting, in a project that would determine the reproduction rate of the captive worms. This project took us all the way to the 49th Intel International Science Fair in Fort Worth, Texas. The trip was a wonderful experience, even though our competition was judged better.
But perhaps the greatest part of science fair, was the fun my best friend and I had in putting it together. We learned so much about teamwork, science, and presentation. After our first year of wins, one of the private companies who awarded us a first place invited us to present to one of their board meetings. And another company invited us to set up a display beside their company’s table at a local Eco-Day fair. We passed out information and gave adults & kids a hands-on taste of helping to save the environment. I consider our science fair project and related activities to be one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself and the world.