Imogen Apps’s science fair entry arrived covered in rose petals and accompanied by a vase full of the pink flowers.
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It made for a pretty display, but Imogen was serious about her findings, and about science.
‘‘I’ve learned what cryogenic freezing is,’’ said Imogen, a Year 6 student at Mount Annan Public School who examined the effect of different temperatures on roses.
‘‘I want to find a way to keep roses in this cryogenic state without causing these nutrient glands to stop functioning.’’
Imogen was among a record 720 students from 57 schools who presented 450 projects at this year’s fair at the University of Wollongong’s Sports Hub building on Wednesday.
The big hall pulsed with enthusiasm as judges wove between the rows of tri-fold boards proclaiming their many wondrous conclusions.
There were experiments comparing the growth of mould on different brands of bread, a test of the corrosive qualities of different kinds of soda, a comparison of the effectiveness of pump soap compared to cake soap and a scientific study on how to maximise air time on a motorbike.
Taleigha Bourke, of Holy Spirit College, used her entry to prove that tapping the bottom of a badly shaken soft drink would prevent it from exploding upon opening.
Then there were the Austinmer Public boys, Ethan Vezgoff and Louis Donovan, who had inventively strapped pedometers to members of their under-11s soccer team to find out which positions did the most running.
The striker took the most steps in the end - more than 7000 in a 60-minute game - although Ethan and Louis came away from their experiment unsure that positions influenced a player’s exertion levels much at all.
‘‘We thought it was more about the person than the position,’’ Louis said.
The Illawarra Coal-sponsored fair has been running for 10 years and draws students from the Illawarra, Wollondilly, South Coast, Macarthur, Southern Highlands and beyond.
UOW sends science mentors to schools in the lead-up to the event to encourage students to experiment and come up with new ideas.
Event organiser Dr Melissa Thompson said the number and calibre of entries increased every year.
‘‘We really like to encourage the younger students to begin experimenting and, with senior students, to continue with biology, chemistry and physics to help them prepare for university,’’ she said.
