Science fair entries wow judges at regional competition

Leo Schweizer, 13, with his 'Possum Pickle' experiment to find out which smells possums like best. Photo/ Steve Parker

What smell do possums love best? How can we get kids to wash their hands properly? How many uses are there for a plastic bag?

Curious young minds sought to answer these questions and many more at the Niwa Bay of Plenty Science and Technology Fair this week.

Judging of the 113 entries from 13 different schools took place yesterday and the winners will be announced this afternoon at the Rotorua Convention Centre.

Head judge Tracey Burton said the judges had been impressed by the standard of entries.

She was encouraged to see an increase in the number of entries focusing on the environment.

"Kids are really thinking about the future and sustainability."

One girl made a soap ball designed to make kids wash their hands properly which fizzed for two minutes, and another entrant looked at how plastic bags could be re-purposed to thatch roofs in low income areas overseas.

"The future's looking in good shape with the ideas coming out this year," Ms Burton said.

Among the entrants was 13-year-old Leo Schweizer, a Year 8 student at John Paul College.

Leo lives in Kaharoa and has been possum hunting all his life.

The young scientist tried to figure out which scent a possum likes best by setting nearly 100 traps in three different trials.

"I found that the three that were more smelly, they worked better," he said.

In each trial he set six traps for each smell - cinnamon, aniseed and eucalyptus.

He also set control traps, which were baited with odourless flour.

Possums preferred cinnamon by a whisker - Leo caught eight possums in his cinnamon traps, and seven each for eucalyptus and aniseed.

The control traps caught two.

Leo killed the possums and sold the fur, spending the money on more traps because he was worried about the effect the animals were having on his family's farm.

"I can see the possums are hurting the trees."

Ella Dodd, 13, in her reading swing seat. Photo/ Steve Parker

Ella Dodd, 13, is in Year 9 at Rotorua Lakes High School.

Her technology entry, a hanging swing chair, was made for less philosophical reasons - she just wanted somewhere to read.

"This is my dream seat."

Using strong rope and sturdy plastic, Ella created a swinging chair which can be hung from beams or trees.

"I didn't really have an aim other than I wanted this," she said.

Ella said she read anything and everything, but her favourites were the Percy Jackson and Alex Rider young adult series.

She makes dream catchers as a hobby and used the same pattern to make the seat of the chair, and the knots she learned in the Rotorua Young Mariners gave her the knowledge to make the seat sturdy enough to bear up to 100kg.

The fair is open for public viewing until about 2pm today.