Raffle

Thanks to donations from many local companies, a raffle was held at the end of the conference for the attendees.  Prizes included many scientific toys, puzzles and games.

Closing remarks

Terri Busch, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, thanked the teachers who represent the GEMS organization.  The GEMS group worked for nine months to organize and prepare for the conference today.

Structural design: buildings

Students built structures that would not be blown over using paper, scissors and tape.

Structural design: buoyancy

Students used plastic cups, platic wrap, straws, tape, and scissors to design a boat.  The challenge was to create one that could hold the most amount of mass.  The group that designed the boat that could hold the most pennies was the winner.

Polymers part two

Students created foam polymers similar to the foam found in insulation.

Polymers

Soil Erosion

Students learn about different types of soil then measure the amount of time it takes for water to pass through each one.

Some types of soil do not pass water through them easily.