Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Students are finalists in STEM competition
Three Coatesville Intermediate High School students are finalists in the eCybermission STEM competition.
CALN » Three Coatesville Intermediate High School students are finalist winners in the eCybermission STEM competition, sponsored by the United States Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP), administered by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA).
Team JaJaRy, consisting of students Ryan Mendenhall, Jason Snow and Jacob Walton, was awarded second place for the state of Pennsylvania in the 16th annual competition. Prizes are awarded at local, state and national levels for the study of a problem in the students’ community. Students must research and present a potential solution by using a scientific or engineering design processes. Each student on this second place team earned a $500 U.S. EE Savings bond.
These three freshmen, one team out of dozens to submit projects from CAIHS, worked for months on their research and solution. They developed a hypothesis, submitted the proposal for review, kept meticulous notes and then digitally uploaded their research, evidence and conclusion.
“The eCybermission competition was a great opportunity for students to work together and compete to solve problems in the community,” Team Advisor Heather Haitz said.
The group studied the effect of aspirin on plant growth in order to find a way to grow more plants faster to feed a larger population. The carrot plants were grown for 5 weeks with half being watered with plain water and the other half watered with aspirin water. The students found that plants watered with the aspirin water grew less than those watered with plain water.
“Although all students who entered a project went above and beyond expectations, Jason, Ryan and Jake took their scientific inquiry project to the next level,” Haitz said. “This competition was a great way for us to introduce STEM into the classroom in such a way that was engaging and fun.”
In addition to Coatesville having the second-place winning team of future
scientists, one other team received Honorable Mention: Team Stars 3 – freshmen Diana Smyles, Hailey Crawford, Brady Frankland, Cora Yoder. These students were recognized for their work studying
plant growth. Their project examined how certain configurations of plantings can enhance growth on sloped surfaces, as can be found in Coatesville City and surrounding areas.
“I’ve enjoyed watching these amazing projects come through the cycle of identifying the issue to study, through the hard work of research, design, trial and error, and finally their submission to the eCybermission platform,” Assistant Principal Eileen Rudisill said. “We have a
“The eCybermission competition was a great opportunity for students to work together and compete to solve problems in the community.” — Team Advisor Heather Haitz
lot to be proud of here in Coatesville with our amazing students and their work through our STEM initiatives. We can’t wait for next year’s mission.”
This competition, sponsored by the U.S. Army, is designed to showcase the talents of our nation’s science programs in grades 6-9 and encourage and prepare students for participation in the sciences.