Cosgriff student takes top science fair award

Friday, Feb. 24, 2017

SALT LAKE CITY — Nicolette Miller competed against hundreds of students from schools across the diocese to claim the top prize at the Knights of Columbus Diocesan Science Fair on Feb. 11.

When the J.E. Cosgriff Memorial School eighth-grader’s name was called for the Young Scientist of the Year Award, “I was definitely surprised,” Miller said. “But if felt very good to know that I would have the opportunity to represent Cosgriff in that way. It was an honor.” 

One reason she was a bit shocked was that she never had much interest in science until recently, she said. 

“Before this year, science wasn’t my favorite,” Miller said. “But the diocesan science fair opened my mind to the possibilities of how much fun it could be.” 

When she began planning her project, she decided early that she wanted to do something that wouldn’t just be solely scientific, but would be helpful in everyone’s daily lives. She chose her project, “Which Stain Remover Best Removes Enzymatic, Greasy, Particulate and Oxidisable Stains?” because she knew how much trouble everyone has with stains, she said.

She first began by staining clothes with four different substances: wine, butter, chocolate and mud. She set her hypothesis on which stain remover would be best, based on their chemical makeup. Then, she tested them, using a light meter to gauge the reflectivity of light from the stained clothes after the stain remover was used. Of those she tested, she found that Oxiclean gel was the most effective for removing stains.

Miller gave credit to others for their help with her success. 

“My teacher, Mr. Larson, answered questions that I had, and my parents put up with me staining everything,” she said.

Jim Larson, a Cosgriff science teacher and one of the diocesan science fair coordinators, said he assisted all 67 of the Cosgriff students with their projects. “Most of the teachers in the diocese are intimately involved [with helping students],” he said.

Among the help that Larson gave Miller was direction on choosing her project.

“Specifically with her project, she had an aptitude in chemistry,” he said. “I said to her, ‘First, use your background in chemistry. Second, make it quantitative.’” 

He also suggested that Miller use a light meter to test the cleanliness of the garment because it gave her a “quantitative method to test her hypothesis,” he said. 

On her way to winning the Young Scientist of the Year Award, which is presented to the student who earns the highest number of points at the fair, Miller took first place in the eighth-grade Chemistry category and the Best Overall Chemistry award.

Miller deserves to be commended for the work she did on her project, Larson said. 

“She was dedicated, she adhered to the time line that was set,” he said. “She’s an extraordinary science student; a fantastic, remarkable student.”

The fair and her victory as Young Scientist of the Year have heightened her opinion of science quite a bit, Miller said. “I’d have an open mind to trying it again,” she said. 

That opportunity to test her scientific skills will come soon, as she takes her place among the students representing the diocese in the regional Salt Lake Valley Science and Engineering fair in March.