Science Focus Program students learn lessons in research - and much more

Flexural Strength, Elasticity and Occupational Uses for Starch Based Plastic. Distribution and Diversity of Forb Species from Eastern to Western Nebraska. How did British Policies and Weapon Advancements Affect India in the 19th Century? Fossil Diatom Evidence from Miocene Sea-ice Development in the Southern Ocean.

Those were just a few of the mind-blowing research topics explored in depth by seniors at the Lincoln Public Schools Science Focus Program this year. They presented their findings May 2 at the annual Senior Research Night, held at the program’s home at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo.

The 17 students spent more than a year working on these projects. In the end, they produced a report - some as long as 50 pages - that included extensive background information; a description of their procedure for collecting data; their data organized into tables, with descriptions; an analysis section; a conclusion; and an abstract. They also created posters and a short presentation for Senior Research Night.

“It’s more representative of college-level work,” said Emily Rose Seifferlein, science teacher and department chair at the Science Focus Program, now in its 21st year.

“It kind of completes that scientific process for us," she added. "It’s how we do science in the real world and it’s how we communicate science in the real world so we want to model that here at the Science Focus Program."

Students also learned lessons they can apply to life beyond science.

Dana Clements studied the water quality of eight different bodies of water in and around Lincoln. In the end, her findings were inconclusive - but that doesn’t mean it was a failure. It may sound cliche, she said, but she learned to persevere.

“I learned how to create my own project and my own procedure and stick with it until the end, which is something I think you can apply to everything in life,” said Clements, whose home school is Lincoln Southeast High School and who plans on majoring in theater at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Saahil Niazi, from Lincoln North Star High School, and Ryan Strom, from Lincoln Southwest High School, partnered on their project to create a model magnetic levitation train. In the end, they succeeded - but it wasn’t easy.

“It pretty much taught us that failure is essential,” Niazi said. “You can’t have success without the failures first.”

The complete list of the Science Focus Program seniors and their research projects:

Name	School	Topic
Caleb Dick	Lincoln High	Relationship Between Sound and Windings of a Guitar Pickup
Maggie Ramsay	Lincoln High	Flexural Strength, Elasticity, and Occupational Uses for Starch Based Plastic
Maxine Parry	Lincoln High	A Survey of Nebraska’s Wild Bees
Lydia Regier	Lincoln High	Distribution and Diversity of Forb Species From Eastern to Western Nebraska
Megan Soldatke	Lincoln East	Frequency of Rodents in Suburban Environments
Dana Clements*	Southeast	Water Quality Testing of Small Bodies of Water In and Around Lincoln, NE
Saahil Niazi	North Star	Maglev Train Model
Ryan Strom	Southwest	Maglev Train Model
Zakk Hoferer	North Star	We Built A Tiny House
Indigo Mathes	Southeast	We Built A Tiny House
Aden Whipple	Lincoln High	How did British Policies and Weapon Advancements Affect India in the 19th Century
Jihan Aljinabi	North Star	Health of A Chicken's Egg Using A Different Diet
Lea Olexo	Lincoln High	Genetic Personalities in Fancy Rats
Ben Kisicki	Lincoln High	Fossil Diatom Evidence From Miocene Sea-ice Development in the Southern Ocean
Sebastian Newman	Lincoln High	Hurricanes and Climate Change
Colleen Arnold	Lincoln High	Academic Performance Versus Self Esteem Among College Students
Phoenix Canby	Southeast	Emotional Regulation in High School Age Children

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