Excellent Experiments: LPS students create winning experiences at science and engineering fair

March 17, 2025

Kooser Elementary School students Paisley and Natalie created a symphony of success with their scientific talents at one of the biggest discovery-based events of the year.
 
The two fifth graders joined scores of future scientists and engineers at the 2025 Lincoln Public Schools Science and Engineering Fair. They took part in an event designed to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education at upper elementary and middle school levels. All LPS students in grades 5-8 were eligible to participate in the fair and could explore all types of STEM topics.
 
Paisley and Natalie wanted to discover if different types of music – classical, heavy metal and technotronic – could affect someone’s heart rate. They chose a music-themed experiment because of their own love for instruments. Paisley plays alto saxophone and Natalie is a violinist at school.
 
“This was really fun,” Paisley said. “We were hoping to see how all of the music affected people, and the experiments turned out really well.”
 
The two friends first recorded the baseline heart rates of 27 people before playing a 30-second classical excerpt of “Ave Maria” for each one. They then registered the new heart rate before repeating the process with a Slipknot heavy metal song and a “Pump up the Jam” techno tune.
 
Paisley and Natalie felt classical music would relax people and cause their heart rates to slow down, and they felt the opposite would happen when their subjects heard the techno and heavy metal songs. Their data revealed that their hypothesis was true.
 
“It was really cool to see,” Natalie said. “We were pretty happy with what we found.”
 
LPS K-12 Science Curriculum Specialist Betsy Barent smiled as she looked at a long row of students with their science displays. Fredstrom Elementary School fifth grader Emma researched whether cold water, dish soap or a combination of both removed the most stains from clothes, and Sheridan Elementary School fifth grader Oliver explored how and why the surface on Mars is red. Adams Elementary School fifth graders Berkley and Payten asked if the amount of sugar in a piece of bubble gum affected how big the bubbles could get.
 
“I get excited because this is an opportunity for students to be curious,” Barent said. “This is what science is all about. It’s about a chance to explore an idea and see how it turns out based on scientific evidence and inquiry.”
 
Bill Sehi of Zoetis Inc. was one of the judges for the fair. He said it was important to encourage younger students to examine STEM-based fields. Some of the first projects he reviewed included what colors pets can see and how gravity affects the shape of planets.
 
“It’s fun to see the kids have fun and hear them talk about their projects and what they learned,” Sehi said.
 
Exhibitors and sponsors such as Zoetis maintained booths on one side of the Currency Pavilion in the Sandhills Global Event Center, and students such as Emma showcased their work on the other side. Emma found out that cold water alone did the best job of removing a half-teaspoon stain of ketchup from a white handkerchief. She said she enjoyed the experimentation process.
 
“I thought that the dish soap would do the best job, but the cold water was the best,” Emma said. “I’m glad I did this because it was really interesting to find out.”
 
Sugar turned out to be a popular topic for students this winter. Berkley and Payten discovered that bubble gum becomes stronger if it contains more sugar, which allows it to stretch and hold a larger bubble. Riley Elementary School fifth grader James found that the ingredients in milk helped it create more rock candy sugar crystals than less-sugary sports drinks, and Schoo Middle School seventh graders Heather and Lexi tried to grow turnips and broccoli by watering them with three types of soda drinks.
 
Heather and Lexi found that the caffeine in one of the soda drinks caused the broccoli to thrive. However, one of the liquids caused both turnips and broccoli to become moldy and the third soda hardened the turnips.
 
“It was fun to do this,” Heather said. “We think the caffeine was kind of a super-fertilizer for the broccoli, which we weren’t expecting at all.”
 
Barent said the science and engineering fair was a prime example of two elements of the 2024-29 LPS Strategic Plan: family and community engagement and student wellbeing and outcomes. Many family members and local residents went up and down the rows of scientific displays and asked students friendly questions about their projects.
 
These conversations boosted their confidence and helped them learn how STEM subjects are used in many types of careers and hobbies. It also reinforced the importance of all of their science lessons at school.
 
“I love seeing how the community gets involved with this,” Barent said. “I think it really means a lot to the kids to see how many people are here.”
 
That encouragement was evident on the faces of students like Paisley and Natalie, who said they would return to the science and engineering fair in future years.
 
“I really liked doing this,” Natalie said. “It’d definitely be fun to do this again.”
 
Check out home.lps.org/science to learn more information about science initiatives for LPS students and families.
 
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