In her science fair project “Another One Bites the Dust,” she tested products such as vegetable oil, cinnamon oil, yeast, egg yolk and lime juice. Telehey, 14, came up with the idea from her teacher, Annette Kreft.
Kreft had placed vegetable oil in a dam near her home and informed Telehey it kept mosquitoes from bothering her cows. In doing her project, Telehey found cinnamon oil worked the best.
Ian Black, 18, a home-schooled student, designed a system that increased braking effectiveness in vehicles. In his project titled “The Ice Breaker: An Auxiliary Slow Speed Vehicular Braking System,” Black found an aluminum brake pad worked better than a plastic brake pad (he chose the lightweight material so it wouldn’t tear up the road). The system showed a 56 percent improvement on wet ice, 35 percent improvement on compact ice and 33 percent improvement on compact snow.
Black was inspired to do the project based upon a personal experience. One day on an icy road, he was only traveling 2-3 mph and attempted to brake, but slid into a pole. This was frustrating and he wanted to find a better braking system to “allow a driver to stop where he/she wanted to,” he said. Telehey and Black, along with two more area students, are headed to Reno, Nev., on May 8 to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. The fair is the world’s largest pre-college science competition, where 1,600 students from approximately 50 countries share research, showcase their projects and compete for about $4 million in awards and scholarships, states the event’s Web site.
Trenton Public School sophomore Kendra Kjos, 16, and Trinity Christian School sophomore Victoria Bastian, 16, are attending as alternates. This means they are observing and are able to participate in activities at the fair such as workshops. Telehey and Black are presenting their projects at the fair.
At the regional science and engineering fair held in March, Black placed first. Schatzi Jore, 17, a home-schooled student, placed second, Telehey third, Kjos fourth and Bastian earned fifth. The first- and second-place winners earn the opportunity to compete at the international fair, while the third- and fourth-place winners earn the opportunity to go as observers.
Jore is unable to attend after she attempted to find the truth behind electronics people claim are harmful, such as microwaves, cell phones and alarm clocks. In her project titled “An Analysis of Electromagnetic Fields in the Home,” she tested the electromagnetic fields of the appliances.
She discovered landline and cell phones tested the same as to the amount of harm they can do. The reason cell phones are targeted more severely is because of their mobility, as people carry cell phones with them constantly.
“It’s either on your head or in your pocket,” Jore said.
To avoid harm from alarm clocks, it’s best to keep them several inches from one’s head. If people think they can live without their microwaves, it’s best to get rid of them, she said. This is what she and her family did a while back.
“At first, it’s hard to get used to,” Jore admitted, but added it’s no longer a big deal.
Bastian attempted to cure a yeast infection with four types of bacteria in her project titled “Oh, Candida.” Meanwhile, Kjos took materials such as moss and lichens to see if they would kill bacteria to produce antibodies in her project, titled “Investigating the Metabolic Products of Lichens and Their Antimicrobial Properties.”
All four are excited about their upcoming trip to Reno, and they have every reason to be excited, said Jore. She attended in 2007 as an alternate and in 2008 as a competitor. She loved meeting people from all over the world and participating in the workshops.
“I got to meet kids from Germany and Thailand,” she said.
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