Fifth grader William Zimmerman got the idea to study paper straws for his Science Fair project when his mom Megan returned from a trip to Florida.
As they lack the compressive strength of their plastic counterparts, paper straws made drinking coffee difficult.
“She hated it, and that’s what set me thinking about what liquids disintegrate a paper straw.”
Zimmerman hypothesized salt water would do the best job because the paper straws are designed to break up in the ocean. But after two weeks of observation, his results showed it was Prime sports drink that disintegrated the paper straws faster and more completely, beating out Diet Coke, Gatorade and coffee as well.
Because of their mushiness, Zimmerman isn’t completely sold on the idea of using paper straws as sustainable alternative to the plastic variety, but he does agree they are better for the environment.
“A lot of fish and birds choke on them, unlike paper straws, which disintegrate.”
Zimmerman was one of 88 fifth and sixth graders who participated in Cleveland’s Science Fair, which was held in the school commons on March 8.
The students begin their projects back in September. Sixth grader teachers Bree Meyer and Brady Hahn and fifth grader teachers Katie Wolf and Jeff Skinner worked with their homeroom students to help them understand what needed to be done.
“They were given each step of how to do their science fair project and each month a specific step was required to be completed,” Skinner said.
The students worked on choosing a topic in a science area. From that topic they designed an experiment. They worked on procedure steps, materials and variables, which led them to do their experiments at home.
Students studied plant growth, physics, animal behavior, chemistry, consumer products and electricity.
“The big thing is scientific method, all the different steps of science,” Skinner said. “They also learn the measurements in their experiment and determine what they’ve learned, what mistakes they’ve made and if they did it again, what they would do differently.”
But the project also goes beyond science, Skinner said, as students learn how to keep records and present their projects, both verbally and with information displayed on a poster board.
“Presenting, sharing what they learned, is a big part.”
Every student’s project was judged three times, first by their classroom teacher and then by two other adults. Any student who received an average score of 90 percent or higher can go on to the Regional Science Fair at Minnesota State University, Mankato on Saturday, April 27.
Judging the contest were school staff Shanna Roloff, Allison Stoffel, Lisa Pope, Brooke Vogel, Emily Manser, Alissa Gibbs, Clara Wieser, Kyle Atherton, Sidney Johnson, Kayla Groskruetz, Katie Hoffman, Megan Peterson, Ashley Genelin, Lacee Johnson, Lupita Marchan Charlie Haugen, Rich Kern, Kally Remiger; National Honor Society students Madysen Seely, Cassandra Connor and Abigail Osness; and from the community Ms. Schettler, Ms. Guanella, Ms. Thornburg, Jack Zimmerman, Tami Skinner and Evan Skinner.
William Zimmerman studied what drinks disintegrated straws the fastest.
Sixth grader Natalie Flowers experimented with how fast different types of candies dissolved and related it to their sugar content.
Sixth grader Carson Jindra determined what chemical melted ice the fastest.
Fifth grader Jacquelyn Heldberg looked at what materials can be used with potted plants to hold moisture the longest while her classmate Abel Hastings studied the buoyancy of peeled and unpeeled oranges.
Fifth grader Robert Hammermeister wanted to figure out which paper towel is the strongest.
Fifth grader Miles Reintjes determined if hybrid beans grow better than non-hybrid varieties.
Fifth grader Emmy Miller wanted to know what brand of flour makes for the tastiest cookies.
Fifth grader Riley Domras wanted to find out what liquid is the best heat conductor while his classmate Blake Christiansen related vision to accuracy in shooting a basketball.
Fifth grader Ellie Williams wanted to know which brand of soap is best for cleaning oil from hands.
Sixth grader Evangeline Pearson studied how caffeine drinks affect heart rate.
As he likes all things athletic, it wasn’t a surprise that sixth grader Johnathan Cink picked a sports-related experiment. He wanted to see what bat-ball combo resulted in the farthest hit.
With a physics experiment, sixth grader Jack Bonorden looked at gear size as it relates to speed.
Fifth grader Silas Vlasak studied animal behavior.
Fifth grader Brylee Kortuem studied physical reaction time in humans.
Sixth grader Hadley Thompson wanted to find out how location influenced banana ripening.
Fifth grader Charlie Gair talks about volcano eruption with judge Rich Kern.
Charlie Gair
Fifth grader Elijah Johnson studied electrical production in fruits.
Fifth grader Charles Mons looked at the best container for preserving fruit. His classmate Khloe McCabe studied hard water. Classmate Emma Kopischke determined what food her cat liked the most.
Sixth grader Kyle Wobbrock determined what cleaner is best for killing bacteria.
Fifth grader Robert Hammermeister with classmates Brienna Groebner and Dennis Ginter Ernsting. Groebner has a garden and wanted to know what potting mix germinates seeds the best, and Ginter Ernsting wanted to determine what baking soda to use to make the best slime.
Brienna Groebner
Sixth grader Evan Hoffmann studied battery power while his classmate Gretchen Heldberg wanted to learn what video games have the most effect on heart rates.
Sixth grader Thomas Groebner compared soil type to plant growth.
Fifth graders Miles Reintjes, Olivia Olson, Zack Miller and Emmy Miller. Olson also studied soil and plant growth while Zack Miller experimented with how yeast influences a chemical reaction that makes foam.
Emily Baker wanted to determine what popcorn leaves the least number of old maids.
Jack Zimmerman evaluates the work of fifth grader Lincoln Ernsting: how air type and pressure affect football flight distance.
Fifth graders Kennedy Schleeve, Emma Steinborn, Blair Voit and Ellie Williams. Schleeve studied the importance of light in plant growth, Steinborn experimented with moldy bread, and Voit looked at what type of water bottle works the best.
Sixth grader Addison Sandhurst studied the quality of dyes.
Sixth grader Makenzie Kortuem determined the time required to make the best boiled egg.
Beautiful nails. Fifth grader Raelynn Holicky evaluated fingernail wraps.
Sixth grader Lily McMillen wanted to find out if the color of candy can be tasted.
Sixth grader Chase Roemhildt studied the factors the influence a foaming “elephant” explosion.
Sixth grader Anistyn Dauk studied crystal formation.
Sixth grader Geoffrey Gehrke looked at foaming explosions.
Fifth grader MacKenzie Borer studied pigment production in flowers.
Fifth grader Olivia Kopischke experimented with food flavoring.
Float your boat. Fifth grader Sawyer Roemhildt experimented with buoyancy.
Fifth grader Victoria Ritchie experimented with geotropism.
Going vegan. Fifth grader Annalise Rysdam wanted to find if people preferred almond milk and alternative meat to the real thing.
Sixth grader Parker Holicky studied fish interest in different types of artificial baits.
Sixth grader Dana Espino wanted to see if color influenced dog behavior.
Fifth grader Bella Baker wanted to know what product removes food stains the best.
Fifth grader Zoey Meissner looked at what treat her dog liked the most.
Fifth grader Leighton Below evaluated candle waxes.
Sixth grader Anthony Geppert studied the effects acidic water has on rocks.
Fifth grader Jase Blaschko wanted to know which soil acts as the best water filter: plain dirt, dirt with grass growing on it or dirt with leaf litter.
Sixth grader Jayden Anderson studied stick bridges.
Sixth grader Brennon Holicky wanted to know if potatoes could light up an LED.