Pupils ponder perplexities at science fair

Pupils ponder perplexities at science fair

YOUNGSTOWN — Have you ever found yourself wondering how plants react to music, or which hot sauce kills the most germs?

Have you lately contemplated the effects of smoking on your voice, which paper towel is the most absorbent, and which of four common household items best prevents rust?

These and countless other scientific conundrums were explored in detail during today’s Lake-to-River Science Fair in Youngstown State University’s Beeghly Center. Sponsors were YSU, the Industrial Information Institute for Education Inc. and District 15 Science Fair, which covers Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana and Ashtabula counties.

The seven-hour program featured science projects of pupils in grades five through 12 from the four counties. The pupil with the best project received a four-year full-tuition scholarship to YSU.

Braxton Wessell and his father recently decided to insulate their hog barn, and the move inspired the Geneva High School junior to delve a bit deeper into which types of insulation hold the most heat the longest. So he came up with the idea to place five kinds in a freezer for two hours while monitoring their temperature every 30 minutes.

Contrary to his hypothesis, Braxton found that expanding foam, not fiberglass insulation, worked best in that capacity.

For the complete story, see Sunday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.