By Sofia Mercier

Student writer

From anatomy to botany, physics to biology, Medway Middle School’s 7th and 8th graders put together a wonderful Science Fair last month. The school held its 16th annual Science Fair hosted by local science teacher, Lawrence Brown. 

The fair was held on Feb. 15 in the Middle School library and encouraged the students to use scientific engagement and creativity. Twenty-nine students used research skills and scientific methods to put together a total of 17 projects. 

They were tasked with asking a question, creating a hypothesis, finding an answer with an explanation, and putting together their knowledge on a written paper and trifold board. The students’ interests ranged across several scientificfields, showcasing both diversity of topic and creativity in presentation.

On the night of the fair, students dazzled their families and others with shrewd knowledge of their chosen topic. Among them, the following four students placed 1st to 3rd place.

First place 

Geetika Seethammagari placed first with her project titled “Brains & Bridges,” exploring the physics of well built bridges. Seethammagari used her knowledge of physics to create several small bridge models and tested their sturdiness using a small weight.

 Second place 

Abby Waugh placed second in her study titled “Food for Thought” where she experimented with the effects of healthy eating on herself. Waugh discovered unsurprisingly that healthy eating directly contributed to her success in soccer practice, providing her with the most energy to get through the day.

Third place (tie) 

Tied for third were Rishi Gupta and Kathryn Baio. 

Gupta grew his own garden using the science of hydroponics in his project, “Hydroponics- Green Without Soil.” Gupta’s study found that certain plants grow better in water than in soil due to improved nutrient uptake and lack of soil dependence, as observed in his research. 

Baio explored the cruel nature of Brood Parasitism in her research project titled, “Would you raise the baby that killed your children?” She researched three bird species that rely on brood parasitism and discovered the complexity of survival strategies in nature.