Science was all around the circular-shaped cafeteria on April 11 as Edmund W. Miles Middle School hosted its annual science fair.

Students shared information about their projects with teachers, administrators, board of education trustees, family members and other visitors. Each seventh grader completed an experiment following the scientific method, and had to create a poster board presentation outlining the process and results.

Science Chairwoman Natasha Lim said that the goal was to have students gain an understanding of the different steps of the scientific method through a hands-on project, as well as collect their own data and determine whether it proved or disproved their hypotheses. 

There were a wide variety of topics as students explored scientific concepts such as air flow, electricity, gravity and pressure. Several students completed experiments analyzing food and other household products, while others conducted surveys and performed statistical analysis. No science fair would be complete without a volcano, and there was also a slime-making station.

Students in the STEAM classes, an elective for seventh, eighth and ninth graders that focuses on science, technology, engineering, the arts and math, displayed projects they have been working on throughout the year including boats, bridges, catapults, hydrogen cars and paper rollercoasters. 

Science research students also presented their projects, including their creation of ecosystems for betta splendens and leopard geckos, research on the vaping epidemic is schools and its nanoscribe 3D printing of a scaffold for dentinogenesis. They also showcased their mag lev vehicles which helped them earn first place in Brookhaven National Laboratory’s MAGLEV competition.