Chicago Zoological Society Inspires Student Passion for Science, Engineering

Submitted by the Chicago Zoological Society.

Brookfield, IL - Students in grades five through eight from 18 schools in the West Suburban Consortium for Academic Excellence (WSCAE) and two other suburban school districts showed off their science and engineering projects at the annual science fair in Brookfield Zoo’s Discovery Center on February 25.

More than 150 students presented their projects to a panel of judges comprised of Chicago Zoological Society (CZS) staff and some of Chicago’s top corporate executives from companies, including BP America, the event’s sponsor.

This year’s projects were broken down into two categories: science and engineering. The science projects aimed to answer a question, whereas the engineering projects sought to solve a problem. The move to incorporate engineering projects into the annual science fair aligns with the State of Illinois’ newly adopted Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which encourage teachers to integrate both science and engineering practices into their classrooms.

“This event is specially designed each year by CZS in collaboration with the suburban school districts to create an engaging atmosphere for the students,” said Agnes Kovacs, manager of school groups and teacher programs for the Society. “It challenges them to create and innovate through science education, inspiring the inner scientist and engineer to motivate the next generation of leaders in the field. The fair is an opportunity to connect students with experts and receive relevant feedback on their work.”

The science projects were judged on criteria such as overall display, oral presentation, level of creativity, and how their conclusions relate to the “bigger picture.” The all-new engineering-focused rubric were used to judge students and their projects on engineering components such as identification of a problem, background and research, design plan and materials, prototype and testing, and real-world connections.

First-, second-, and third-place finishers for each age group were selected. First-place winners received a Brookfield Zoo Family membership; second-place winners were awarded a Brookfield Zoo family four-pack of tickets plus all in-park attractions; and third-place winners received a Brookfield Zoo family four-pack of admission tickets plus passes to The Carousel and Dolphins in Action.

In addition, BP America presented BP Future Scientist Awards to select students who demonstrated promising futures in the science and engineering fields. All students received T-shirts and certificates for their participation.

WSCAE schools that participated in the science fair included A.F. Ames Elementary in Riverside, Blythe Park School in Riverside, Butler Junior High in Oak Brook, Central Elementary in Riverside, Clarendon Hills Middle School in Clarendon Hills, Field Park Elementary in Western Springs, Forest Hills Elementary in Western Springs, Gower Middle School in Burr Ridge, Hester Junior High in Franklin Park, Highlands Middle School in La Grange, Hollywood Elementary in Brookfield, Ideal Elementary in Countryside, Komarek School North Riverside, Laidlaw Elementary in Western Springs, McClure Junior High in Western Springs, and Park Junior High in La Grange Park. Schools from other suburban districts that also participated were Cass Junior High in Darien and Eisenhower Junior High in Darien.

Photos:

Burr Ridge Students
1: Anastasia Galinski, a fifth grader at Gower Middle School in Burr Ridge, won second place in her age category at a science fair held at Brookfield Zoo on February 25. The title of her project was “All The King’s Horses and All the King’s Men.”

2: Dhruv Vaze, a seventh grader at Gower Middle School in Burr Ridge, received first place in his age category at a science fair that was held at Brookfield Zoo on February 25. His project title was “A Brighter Future.”

Countryside Student
3: Ana Babnigg, a sixth grade student at Ideal Elementary in Countryside, won second place in her age category at a science fair that was held at Brookfield Zoo on February 25. The title of her project was “The Effect of Electricity on Fish.”

Darien Student
4: Jared Herchenbach, and Joshua Baron, eighth graders at Cass Junior High in Darien, were awarded third place in their age category for their science project, “Do Different Densities of Different Woods Affect the Time to Drill Through Them?” The science fair, which was sponsored by BP America, was held at Brookfield Zoo on February 25.

Franklin Park Students
5: Mark Orbon and Irvin Ortiz, eighth graders at Hester Junior High in Franklin Park, were recognized with the Future Scientist Award from BP America, the sponsor of a science fair held at Brookfield Zoo on February 25. Orbon and Ortiz’s project, “We Nose You’re Lying,” demonstrated the two have promising futures in the science and engineering fields.

La Grange Student
6: Sarah Schutz, a sixth grader at Highlands Middle School in La Grange, won first place in her age category at a science fair that was held at Brookfield Zoo on February 25. The title of her project was “Desalination: How Much Water?”

Oak Brook Students
7: Sophia Lee and Rama Bhagwat, sixth graders from Butler Junior High in Oak Brook, were awarded third place in their age category at a science fair held at Brookfield Zoo on February 25. Their project was titled “Electrolytes in Drinks.”

Riverside Student
8: BP America, the sponsor of a science fair held at Brookfield Zoo on February 25, presented Sophie Klyber, a fifth grader at Central Elementary in Riverside, with its Future Scientist Award for demonstrating a promising future in the science and engineering fields. The title of her project was “Bouncy Balls.”

Western Springs Students
9: Peter Mikulski, a fifth grade student at Forest Hills Elementary in Western Springs, won first place in his age category at a science fair held at Brookfield Zoo on February 25. The title of his project was “H2O No! Testing Western Springs Water.”

10: Fifth grader Maggie Pabst of Forest Hills Elementary in Western Springs participated in a science fair, sponsored by BP America. The fair was held at Brookfield Zoo on February 25. The title of her winning project was “Pencil Resistors.”

11: Seventh graders Daniel Kiely and Colin Flueck of McClure Junior High in Western Springs received second place in their age category at a science fair held at Brookfield Zoo on February 25. In addition, BP America, the science fair’s sponsor, presented the two students with its Future Scientist Award for demonstrating promising futures in the science and engineering fields.

12: Fifth grader Matthew Ozark of Laidlaw Elementary in Western Springs received the Future Scientist Award from BP America, the sponsor of a science fair held at Brookfield Zoo on February 25. BP America selected Ozark for demonstrating a promising future in the science and engineering fields with his project, “The Better Battery.”