2007 North Country Energy Fair » Youth Energy and Environment Expo

Youth Energy and Environment Expo

ENERGY SCIENCE FAIR

This year’s Energy Fair opened with the Youth Energy and Environmental Expo (YEEE) Science Fair. Over 200 students in grades 4 through 12 with 80 projects set up in the packed SUNY Canton Campus Center gym. A team of judges reviewed these projects to choose the winning entries in each age category.

Projects ranging from the need to recycle to a home movie on peak oil to nuclear power illustrated the students’ concern about environment and energy and their creative solutions for their own energy future. A keynote presentation by middle school teacher Jim Juczak, S. Jefferson School in Watertown, provided an overview of our energy consumption habits and his own unique personal approach to saving energy at his unusual off-grid home in Adams Center.

At noon the winners of $50 and $100 prizes in 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12 were announced.

Grades 4-6:

First place: WIND POWER, Jennifer Wilson, Cassidy Scott, Kaleigh Field and Austin Scott, teacher Paul Jones, Madrid Waddington Central School

Second place: CONSERVING WATER FROM A NATURAL GAS WATER HEATER, Ellie Seigfried, teacher Maria Corse, Little River Community School

Grades 7-9:

First place: ANAEROBIC DIGESTION TO GENERATE BIOGAS FROM THE SCHOOL’S SHEEP, Seba Molnar and Brigid Carr, teacher Steve Molnar, Little River Community School

Second place: WIND ENERGY, Jessica Anderson, teacher Walt Kissam, Colton Pierrepont Central School

Grades 10-12

First place: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AL GORE’S ASSESSMENT OF CLIMATE CHANGE VERSUS OTHERS WHO DEBUNK HIS ASSESSMENT, Alex Jenseth and Matt Stankiewicz, Teacher Tom Van de Water, Canton High School

Second place: THE HIGHLY EFFICIENT STIRLING ENGINE, Jeff Jones and David Pynchon, teacher Tom van de Water, Canton High School.

The Energy Science Fair was coordinated by Clarkson University’s Office of Educational Partnerships and Community Energy Service’s Project Green Teams with the support of the North Country Energy Fair organizers and SUNY Canton.

Next year’s Energy Science Fair will be held on Friday, April 25. For more information contact: Fair@ncenergy.org or call 315-379-9466.

You may work as an individual, with a partner, or in a team or class with friends. The winning displays will be set up at the Energy Fair on Saturday. Some field trip travel grants are available. See below for more detailed information on guidelines and suggested projects or email Susan Powers at sep@clarkson.edu.

SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR PROJECTS

Entrants are encouraged to identify, analyze, and work towards the solution of a particular energy or environmental problem. Create your own ideas or consider these suggestions:

* Lighting in your school - estimate how much electricity is used for lighting in your school and determine options and savings for solutions involving energy conservation/efficiency.
* Characteristics of energy efficient homes - Review electric and gas bills for 3-5 homes. Determine which house consumes the least amount of energy. Survey occupants and inventory energy use/efficiency aspects of each home to analyze differences in energy consumption.
* Energy Efficiency - Complete an energy audit of your home and identify improvements (audit kits available)
* Renewable energy sources - Evaluate the feasibility of using a renewable energy source for supplying some fraction of the heat or power consumed by your school or home.
* Building construction - Build a model house with and without insulation and other passive energy conservation measures. Test the efficiency of the insulation in maintaining temperature within the structure.
* Community education - Identify a need for increased education and prepare a video to communicate an energy efficiency or environmental message to the general public (other media also acceptable)

Non-problem-based alternatives. Suggestions include:

* Alternative energy sources - Build a model car or house and describe how it works.
* Environmental impacts - Show the environmental benefits of an alternative energy source or energy efficiency measures

For additional ideas and information, see these resources:

o National Energy Education Development (NEED) http://www.need.org
o DOE http://www.eere.energy.gov/education/science_projects.html
o NYSERDA - Get Energy Smart
http://www.getenergysmart.org/schools/teachers/curriculum.asp
o Energy Star http://www.energystar.gov/
o Energy Hog http://www.energyhog.org/

GUIDELINES

Entries can include: models, demonstrations, posters, film, scrapbooks, photo displays, or representational or performance art.

The display should fit within a 4-5 ft. x 2.5 ft area (table top or floor) and should clearly identify the title, participants and school or organization.

The entry form must be completed and submitted to CES, 325 Northwoods Road, Hermon, NY 13652 by March 30, 2007. Call 379-9466 or email Patricia@NCEnergy.org to request an entry form or for more information.