Area science projects on display at Triton

Fourth, fifth and sixth graders from schools in the Zumbro Education District descended on Triton High School last Friday to show their science projects as part of the 24th Annual  ZED Science Fair.
Using the “scientific method,” the projects tackled a variety of subjects including how to keep apples from turning brown, which liquids stain teeth the most, which cleaners worked best, keeping cut tulips fresher longer with sugar and the best way to store bananas. 
Nearly 200 projects were lined up in the East Gym, said Becky Remmele, special projects coordinator for ZED.
ZED includes seven southeastern Minnesota school districts – Blooming Prairie, Byron, Hayfield, Kasson-Mantorville, Pine Island, Stewartville and Triton -- with six of the seven sending students to the science. Students in Blooming Prairie did not participate.
Each of the schools was able to enter 35 student projects, Remmele said. Teams of judges from throughout the ZED area talked to each of the students asking them about their original hypothesis, the methods they used to prove or disprove it and the results.
In judging the projects, Remmele said, the emphasis is on what the student learned and their explanation of it rather than the visual presentation.
And, she said, it’s not only a learning experience for the students.
“We all learn something each time,” she said.
The Science Fair began at 11 a.m. and continued until 4 p.m. with the schools rotating throughout the day.
When the time for their school projects to be judged arrived the students stood by their projects until it was their turn.
Isaac Dearborn, a fifth grader from Byron, was waiting by his project that asked which liquids did the best job of preventing an apple from turning brown.
He explained that he tested an apple using four liquids – lemon juice, orange juice, water and vinegar. The winner, he said, was lemon juice.
Students were responsible for coming up with their own project ideas and Isaac explained he got his idea from a friend.
One day they were on a picnic, he said, and he saw that his friend had apples in a container with a small amount of lemon juice. The friend told him that he did not like brown apples and the lemon juice kept them looking fresh.