Armed with hypotheses and backed by evidence, Cayman’s budding scientists came out in numbers on Saturday for the annual Rotary Central Dr. Bill Hrudey Science Fair.
Camana Bay’s Arts and Recreation Centre was transformed into an incubator of innovation as students from across the islands competed for top prizes at the special event aimed at highlighting the importance of science.
Governor Martyn Roper, who delivered brief remarks to open the science fair, said he was impressed by the presentations and the level of interest in science.
“There’s some wonderful, wonderful experiments, and they’re all so enthusiastic and excited about science. I think that’s really nice because we all know that science is so fundamental to our life on this earth,” Roper said.
He said the world observed science at work firsthand with the creation of COVID-19 vaccines in the midst of the pandemic.
The Rotary Central Science Fair is supported through the donations of several sponsors, in addition to funds contributed by Rotary Central.
The pandemic also featured at the fair as students conducted experiments showing the effectiveness of different masks and face coverings, as well as the impact of washing hands properly.
“There were some interesting experiments in there,” Roper said. “One school… was testing the best masks, which I thought was really interesting.”
He highlighted others involving coral reefs, and the environmental impact of having no tourism for a year.
“We all know that our young people are so passionate and feel very strongly about protecting our environment,” he said, adding that everyone is feeling the “existential threat” that is climate change.
Last year’s science fair was postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions, which is why the chair of the science fair committee, Eric Cameron, said getting this year’s event off the ground was important for all involved.
“The students have responded extremely well. I think this is our highest attendance ever, even though we got off to a bit of a late start. We have 12 schools, plus the homeschool community, represented here today. The average age, I think, is 11 and the average grade is six and maybe 65 projects,” he said.
About 250 people are expected at Saturday night’s banquet. A total of 107 students participated in the science fair.
This year, the fair featured three teams from Cayman Brac. Cameron said Rotary Central would like to expand efforts on the Sister Islands to have more teams participate.
Rotary Central has been hosting the science fair since 2006 to raise scientific awareness among the student population, he said.
Student Jacob Kinghorn and teammate Mason Simister demonstrated the effect soap chemicals have on water tension with their experiment, ‘Water: more than just tension’.
Using milk, black pepper, cotton swabs, and water, the boys showed how soap separates colours and the pepper when they come into contact.
Kinghorn said the aim was to show the importance of frequent hand washing to keep COVID-19 away.
“When we keep our country clean by washing our hands frequently, we can repel the effects of COVID-19,” he said.
Budding scientist Yana Joven said she was excited to see fellow students’ experiments.
“They have all their information put together. They look like they’re doing well and succeeding,” she said.
First-time participant Luke Chestnut tested the theory that dark-coloured clothing keeps UV rays out better than light-coloured clothing.
He was inspired to conduct the experiment so he knows which of his swimwear to wear.
“I think it’s great that they’re doing this to raise money. And I think it’s really nice, just for everybody… I think it’s nice for them to… explore science,” he said.
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