Students have winning down to a science: Three High Desert winners hope to bring home more gold from the state fair.
By Gretchen Losi/Staff Writer, Daily PressAPPLE VALLEY - While riding down Navajo Road in Apple Valley, 12-year old Taya Crayk-Bonde couldn't help but notice patches of land where no vegetation grew.
The inquisitive seventh-grader decided to investigate.
"I noticed there used to be some gas stations there and snooped around taking soil samples," Taya said.
Through soil tests she discovered elevated levels of lead and hydrocarbons. She took her information and entered it in this year's science fair competition.
Taya's curious nature earned her a gold medal at the Inland Empire Science and Engineering Fair and the Mojave Air Quality Management District Award for her experiment titled "Soil Contaminates Around Apple Valley Gas Stations."
Now Taya is among 900 California Public School students in grades six through 12 who will advance to the 54th California State Science Fair. They will represent 350 different schools and compete for more than $50,000 in awards in Los Angeles on May 23 and 24.
Three of those advancing represent the High Desert. All of them are sponsored by the Academy for Academic Excellence in Apple Valley where two are students and one is a former student.
Gold medal winners Garrett Reid-Storm, 11, and 12th-grader Molly Estes will take their science experiments and join Taya in Los Angeles, all hoping to bring home more gold.
Molly's "Cattails in the Water" project reintroduced the endangered Mohave tui chub fish into its natural habitat in the Mojave River and Garrett performed a tsunami experiment.
"I wanted to figure out what type of sudden release of pressure would cause the biggest tsunami," Garrett said. He used balloons, an air compressor and a swimming pool.
"It was harder than I thought," Garret said. "The balloons kept ripping because of too much pressure."
Several ripped balloons and wet T-shirts later, he came to the conclusion the largest balloon would create the tallest and fastest tsunami.
Lewis Center spokeswoman Cheryl Thompson said her school's winners are thrilled to have won and look forward to the statewide competition. "They're very excited. I'm just really happy for them," Thompson said.
Gretchen Losi may be reached at 951-6233 or gretchen_losi@link.freedom.com.
Used with permission by Daily Press, Freedom Communication, 2005