Seventh-grade students at J.W. Dodd Middle School transformed a school gym into a hall of science when they put their research on display in the annual school science fair. "The investigations covered topics in astrophysics, physics, chemistry, earth science and biology. I am very proud of the quality of the student work. We hope that this middle school experience will increase interest in scientific careers among the students," said Freeport District Science Coordinator Dr. Vincent Pereira.
Some months ago, students identified, and received approval for, their topics of research, which gave them the starting point for testable hypothesizing, experimenting, recording and analyzing data, and stating their results while formulating conclusions. All of this work was dutifully translated onto tri-fold display presentations, combining clear, concise writing with graphic presentation skills.
Science teachers invested their time in helping the students with their research projects after regular school hours. The fruit of this effort was made evident when the students enthusiastically shared their findings with Freeport school administration, parents and friends on the night of the science fair.