Michael Rosenthal

(11/2019) Once again, I had the inspiring experience of attending the Mother Seton School STEM Fair (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). The 98 student presentations this year consisted, as in the past, of a desktop information board, consisting of a hypothesis, the materials utilized, the procedures undertaken, the observations, the data obtained, and the conclusions derived from the study. A journal is kept and also presented which records all the observations and data obtained. The projects are judged by community members with scientific background, including some Mother Seton graduates.

The Grand Champion winner was Carli Mazaleski, a seventh grader, whose topic was: Do Different Eye Colors Affect After Images. Here are the winners and their topics.

• Third Grade: Philip Field – How does Weight Affect Distance.
• Fourth Grade: Mya Arrington – Will Room Temperature or Cold Cream Turn To Butter First Dylan Slusher won second place.
• Fifth Grade: There were two first place winners: Peyton Faller – How Long Do You Have To Wait Before Opening The Soda Can You Just Dropped. Taylor Camp – What Type of Foundation Do Honeybees Prefer.
• Sixth Grade: Jayden Price – Can Charcoal Filter Molecules Out Of Water. Benedict Hochschild won second place, and Molly Sill won third place.
• Seventh Grade: Carl Mazaleski, the Grand Champion noted above.
• Eighth Grade: Daniel Soares - How Does Caffeine, Sugar, and Artificial Sweeteners in Coca Cola Products Affect Blood Pressure and Heart Rate? Nathaniel Hand won second place and Cassidy Sill won third place.

In the category of Inventions, Isaac Jenkins was the winner with Inventing a Biodegradable Bottle Cap, second place went to Elena Cruthchfield, and third place was a tie between Zachary Getz and Connor Jessup.

Some other topics among the winners that caught my attention are worthy of mention: Does Smell Affect Taste (Molly Sill); Do More Acidic Fruits Produce More Electricity (Benedict Hochschild); Paw Preference in Pets; the Invention of a Dog Harness and Dog Cuff (Elena Crutchfield), and How Water Moves Using the Archimedes Screw Pump (Lane Koenig).

I greatly enjoyed chatting with a number of the students as we looked at their projects together. Clearly some of them will choose to become scientists, and several of them expressed that ambition. These conversations made me reflect upon my own experiences as a student as I moved on the path toward a career in science, specifically in chemistry. Though I was a high-achieving student in all my studies (except handwriting and art!), I was never inspired to commit myself to science until my high school senior year when I studied chemistry. Both the topic itself, especially the laboratory work, and my teacher, Mr. Gillespie, focused me on my career direction, which ultimately led to my achieving my PhD in Chemistry and to spend a career teaching chemistry and academic administering in small, liberal arts and sciences colleges.

The wonderful thing about this science program at Mother Seton is that it begins to develop the assessment of your talent in science and your commitment to a scientific career early in your educational life. Those who do not choose a scientific career still benefit greatly from this program and others like it, as it enriches and furthers your interest in science, a valuable tool for happiness and success in your adult life and career. Congratulations to Daniele Kuykendall, who directs this program and her colleagues, and to the Mother Seton School administrators who support the program. Congratulations as well to the mentors and judges who graciously donate their time and energy to this wonderful program. Programs such as this have enormous impact upon young lives as they choose their career direction.

We’ve written before about the problem of plastic bags polluting the environment, and at least we felt some small satisfaction in recycling them. However, Frederick County, and probably many other places, is no longer accepting plastic bags for recycling, so we have no other choices but to pile them up in our garage or throw them in the trash. It makes me wish we’d go back to paper bags for purchases. At least these bags are recyclable. A better choice yet is to carry reusable cloth bags with you for shopping.

A while ago the Town of Emmitsburg distributed a brochure, entitled Only Rain in the Drain!, promoting its Storm Drain Marketing Program. It states how one should ignore the temptation to dispose of anything into county storm drains. All liquid that enters these drains finds its way eventually into Chesapeake Bay. Some of this pollution cannot be helped as storm water flows through the streets. But there are some things we can do to minimize this problem, as outlined in an excellent Town of Emmitsburg brochure, which is supported by a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust:

• Use lawn chemicals and pesticides sparingly.
• Recycle used motor oil and paint, and dispose of it at a hazardous waste site
• Pick up pet waste and dispose of it in the trash
• Compost or recycle yard waste when possible
• Repair auto leaks
• Wash your car on the lawn with phosphate-free soap or a commercial car wash
• Direct downspouts away from hard surfaces
• Never dump anything down a storm drain that you would not swim in or drink; only rain in the drain!

In August of 2019, The Town of Emmitsburg was awarded a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust to start a rain barrel program. A rain barrel is a system to recover rainwater as an alternative to using tap water for watering lawns and gardens. This grant reduces the cost of such a system to only $40. A recent brochure from the Town of Emmitsburg promotes this system and further explains its use and justification. Further information can be obtained from Zach Gulden, Town Planner, at 301-600-6309.

I must add one more item to the list of irresponsibly disposed-of waste. Cigarette Butts! In our family dog walking, we run across many cigarette butts disposed of on the grass, on the sidewalk, or in the street. I have a long time habit of picking up trash, placing it in a bag that I carry with me on walks, and then bringing it home for proper disposal. But, for both aesthetic and sanitary reasons, I have no interest in picking up the cigarette butts that I find along the way. The popularity of filter cigarettes makes things even worse, since the filters are less biodegradable than is the rest of the cigarette, and last longer. I believe that each individual has the right to choose to smoke or not to smoke, but disposing of the cigarette butts along the street or sidewalk is a truly irresponsible thing to do. If you smoke, please be responsible in disposing of your cigarette butts. The Town of Emmitsburg has printed and distributed an excellent brochure entitled Emmitsburg Cigarette Litter Prevention.

Read other articles by Michael Rosenthal