oral presentation winners
1st - Faisal from Bahrain School
2nd - Laura from Bahrain School
3rd - Ethan from Incirlik Unit School
4th - Chloe from Hohenfels HS
2nd - Laura from Bahrain School
3rd - Ethan from Incirlik Unit School
4th - Chloe from Hohenfels HS
oral presentation finalist
Faisal, Bahrain school, bahrain
Mentor: Brian Zimmer, Teacher, Bahrain school
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Cooling Stationary Cars with Compressed Air
This experiment investigated the use of an air compressor, which does not require the engine to be running, as a means to cool down a stationary car. Traditional car cooling systems require the engine to be idling, using large amounts of energy and releasing toxic chemicals. The purpose of this investigation was to optimize the performance of the compressed air cooling system so that its feasibility could be assessed and it could be compared to a standard car air conditioning system in future studies. Compressed air was released into the car cabin through the passenger window in bursts of 10 seconds. The length of the time intervals between bursts was varied at 7 different increments between 0 seconds and 60 seconds. The temperatures inside and outside the car were monitored at all times. After data was collected, the drop in outside temperature over the tests (which were conducted consecutively) was found to be greater than any of the drops in car temperature, so none of the drops in temperature inside the car were considered statistically significant. However, the cooling effect of the compressed air may have been smaller than expected due to the fact that the experiment was conducted in the winter, and repeating the investigation in warmer weather could yield clearer results. |
Laura, Bahrain School, Bahrain
Mentor: Brian Zimmer, Teacher, Bahrain School HS
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How does the width and composition of a damping material affect sound damping in a constrained layer damping system?
Sound waves are universally present in our lives, where sound waves of extreme intensities can have a large effect on comfort. To minimize the effects felt by sound waves, various forms of sound blocking are often used. These methods rely on certain qualities of sound waves, such as sound waves ability to be superimposed and the loss of energy, and a subsequent decrease in intensity, when traveling through different mediums. The research question explored is “How does the width and composition of a damping material affect sound damping in a constrained layer damping system?”. The model explored utilized two large glass plates (47 by 63 cm) and wooden blocks which can be moved to adjust for different widths, allowing the model to test a wide variety of widths and materials as well as different frequencies. Frequencies tested ranged from 1000 Hz to 10,000 Hz, with materials including magazines, carpet, and t-shirt. The aim of the model is to determine whether there is an economically efficient set up in sound blocking systems, which is accomplished through chi-squared test and regression analysis. The data obtained from the experiment indicates that. Constrained layer damping systems are generally not effective at lower widths (yielding a p-value above the critical level of 0,05), however, at larger widths, the use of constrained layer damping to decrease the effects of sound radiating materials appear to have a positive effect on the sound blocking level. |
Ethan, Incirlik Unit School, Turkey
Mentor: Matthew Burkman, Teacher, Incirlik Unit School
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The Use of DNA as Long-Term, Large Quantity Compute Storage The problem of computer storage is fast approaching with the onslaught of new technologies such as 4K resolution video and quantum computing, the use of the conventional storage will soon become obsolete. Recent studies have shown that the use of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) can hold more information than any other current storage medium. This study uses a new technique to store even more data on DNA than previously thought by encoding two bits of information to one nucleotide allowing for more storage. In addition, a checkpoint sequence was added to boost the efficiency of this storage medium. This study aims to increase the efficiency of DNA storage to able to be used on DNA synthesis machines. |
Chloe, Hohenfels High School, Hohenfels, Germany
Mentors: Joyce Dusenberry, Mrs. Dohl, Teacher, Hohenfels
Mentors: Joyce Dusenberry, Mrs. Dohl, Teacher, Hohenfels
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The Effect that Braces Have on the Number of Bacteria in the Mouth The amount of bacteria an individual has in their mouth can be greatly affected by whether or not the subject has braces, since braces add more surface area to the inside of the mouth. A survey was given to the test group comprised of ten people with braces and ten people without braces. This survey established their baseline dental hygiene habits. The subjects were then given a brushing regiment to follow for two weeks. Samples were collected with a mouth swab at the start of the experiment and after the two week brushing regimen. The samples were then allowed to culture for two weeks on agar plates and the bacterial colonies were counted and slides were made to identify bacterial types. The data collected supported the original hypothesis that individuals with braces will have a higher bacterial count than those without, however when a t-Test analysis was run there was not a significant statistical difference in the data. |
Shaele, Aviano High School, Aviano, Italy
Mentor: Robin Clement, Teacher, Aviano High School
Mentor: Robin Clement, Teacher, Aviano High School
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Relationships Between Beverages and Oral Bacteria The purpose of the experiment was to investigate whether sugar content in beverages affected the amount of oral bacteria grown on different Petri dishes. Agar media plates were prepared with six different beverages and commercially-prepared plates containing laboratory lamb’s blood media were used for comparison. The beverages tested were water, cranberry juice, apple juice, sugar water, and orange juice. Bacteria were collected from 10 subjects who were swabbed, and used to inoculate each set of plates. Plates were incubated and the results analyzed. Differences were noted in the number of Gemella sanquinis colonies grown on the various media. Further testing will need to be taken to determine the factors causing this difference. |