|
DDI takes second place in nationwide science contest
News · May 26, 2010
A sixth-grade Science Club team won second place in a national competition for research into how people throw away unused or old medicine.
Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge on Monday announced that the Drug Disposal Informers took second place in the company’s annual contest. Each team member -- Gabby Salemink, Kara Fountain, Allison Kusick and Megan Tadlock -- won $7,500 in savings bonds, a trip to Yellowstone National Park and a pocket camera.
“I’m ecstatic,” Salemink said.
The first-place team, “No1ldling,” from Novi, Mich., researched wasted fuel from leaving cars running while parents dropped off children at school.
Science Club advisor Hector Ibarra called it “quite an accomplishment.”
“When it’s a national award, second is about as good as first,” he said.
Ibarra said winning national contests “allows other opportunities” to spread the team’s research and findings.
DDI, with the help of University of Iowa Hygienics Laboratory, studied processed sewer water for traces of medicine getting into the environment and hosted a “take back” day for people to return unused and old medicine for incineration.
Kusick said the team is planning more collection days soon.
She added that the team member’s parents “were a big help.”
“Actually, what my mom said was ‘You can’t stop now,’” Salemink smiled.
Ibarra said he was pleased that four Science Club teams -- DDI, Lights Out!, The Notifiers and The Reading Doctors — had won accolades in national contests this school year, saying that speaks to the quality of all the projects.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
