Cosgriff students exchange science concepts at S.L. Valley Science Fair

Intermountain Catholic

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J.E. Cosgriff Memorial School students Kyra McComas, Sarah Villareal, Elisabeth Barrows, Connor Liston, Lindy Hughes, Rima McComas, and John Kearns competed in this year's Salt Lake Valley Science and Engineering Fair March 29.IC photo by C. Gray

SALT LAKE CITY — It’s hard to keep up with the J.E. Cosgriff Memorial School students who attended this year’s Salt Lake Valley Science and Engineering Fair March 29 as they describe their projects.

From radiating radish seeds to investigate the effects of ozone depletion to the finding of a perfect pressure for a volleyball, the kids’ inventive resourcefulness is inspiring.

After all, how can one radiate radish seeds without, say, a medical linear accelerator?

Students Rima and Kyra McComas, Elisabeth Barrows, John Kearns, Sarah Villareal, Lindy Hughes, and Connor Liston made up the contingent from J.E. Cosgriff to attend the Salt Lake Valley Science Fair.

Kyra, who came up with the ingenious radish experiment, and Sarah, who won second place in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering for her volleyball tests, both scored in the top ten percent of all entries in the elementary and junior division and will compete in the Discovery Channel National Young Scientist Challenge for a one week all expense paid trip to Washington, D.C.

"Going to the science fair, I was able to meet new people and talk about other ideas and different viewpoints in science," said Kyra in an interview with the Intermountain Catholic.

Kyra’s sister Rima agreed. "Overall, I thought the science fair was a great experience. You get to learn a lot from other students."

Kearns-St. Ann School and Our Lady of Lourdes School also sent students to the science fair.

"The judges really took time to listen to the project presentations," Elisabeth said. "They were very helpful in suggesting ways the experiment could be improved."

Middle school math and science teacher Jim Larsen suggested peer cooperation is an important part of succeeding in science. "Going to the science fair, the students meet not only other students but people who are experts in their fields, providing them with an essential experience," he said.