Our Lady of Lourdes students excel at diocesan science fair

Courtesy of Our Lady of Lourdes School

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SALT LAKE CITY — The winners of the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School Science Fair were announced on Feb. 1. Less than two weeks later, the winners gathered to compete once again in the 2019 Diocesan Science Fair sponsored by the Utah Knights of Columbus.

The fair, held Feb. 9 at the Skaggs Catholic Center, had 231 student participants from Catholic and independent private schools throughout the valley. The Our Lady of Lourdes middle school students excelled in several categories.

Eighth-grader Leah Han won first place in the Behavioral Science category, Best Overall in Behavioral Science, and Best Use of Mathematics. Han’s project began with the question, “Is learning a language through gaming more effective than learning by computer worksheets?”

In the end, “I found that learning a language through gaming is not only fun, but more effective,” Han said.

“What makes a science fair project such a great learning experience is that it involves so much more than science,” said Our Lady of Lourdes science teacher Mrs. Luttmer. “My students work very hard to hone their skills in writing, data analysis and graphing, presentation and public speaking.”

Science fair participants competed in categories such as behavioral science, engineering, chemistry, environmental science and biology. Participating in the fair allows students to apply the scientific method to solve everyday queries. It also demonstrates a student’s organizational ability, as they had to work on the project for several months.

Luttmer felt the students did best when they were passionate about the topic they chose. One of her eighth-grade students, Stella Sharp, chose a project that allowed her to incorporate her love of animals, her concern about their welfare and the impact of the animal food industry on our environment. She won second place in the Medicine/Health category for “Beet vs. Meat.”

“So many people were surprised by their preferences – choosing the plant-based patty over the animal-based one,” Sharp said.

Ale Sherman took second place in Behavioral Science for her project “Can people really multitask?,” which examined the efficacy of task performance when more than one task is required at the same time; while seventh-grader Anna James’ project “Fiery Fabrics” examined how fabric softener affected the flammability of different fabrics, scored among the top 40.

All three eighth-graders, along with seventh-grader Anna James, advance to the University of Utah Science and Engineering Fair, which will be held in March.

“Many students approached the science fair with a Catholic mindset; a number of projects featured elements of Catholic Social Teaching, including conscious stewardship of God’s creation and demonstrated awareness,” Luttmer said. “I am inspired by the students’ willingness to investigate possible solutions to the world’s problems at their age; this is how Catholic schools challenge students to think beyond their own lives.”

Courtesy of Our Lady of Lourdes School