FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska - Soldiers from Fort Wainwright, along with members of the Fairbanks community have been lending a hand and encouraging would-be scientists at science fairs held over the last few weeks at local schools.
Soldiers from the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade were at Tanana Middle School recently for their science fair which was open to 7th and 8th graders and had 67 entries this year. After getting their instructions, Soldiers acting as judges visited the stations and talked to the students about their projects, which varied in topic and scope. The students presented their theories and gave results of their research and then judges had a chance to ask questions.
"My son attends Tanana Middle School and I came to his class while he was doing his presentation for his science project. The teacher asked if I could come be a judge," said Capt. Mohamed Massaquoi , commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade. "I was excited about that. I used to do science fairs when I was back in the 8th grade. This is a great opportunity, I couldn't miss it."
"These students know what they are talking about; they put in the time and effort. I am excited to share with them some pointers," Massaquoi said. "But that is it. I am just sharing pointers. They know their projects, they know the work they have put in.
Spc. Matthew Foradori enjoyed science fairs when he was in school so was happy for the opportunity to come out and judge. He found the different projects interesting, especially the ones involving energy drinks and how second-hand smoke affects animals.
Greg Platt, principal of Tanana Middle School, said the students enjoyed and appreciated the Soldiers' participation and that it made the process faster and simpler for all involved.
There were six categories for the entries at Tanana Middle School: experiment or investigation, scientific report, demonstration, science collection or original computer program.
Patrick, son of Theresa and Timothy Connors is an 8th grader at Tanana Middle School. His project was about computers.
"My main hobby is with computers and I want to make it my job when I grow up," he said. "I want to work at Microsoft, Dell or HP, one of the bigger corporations that specializes in computers."
He received a blue ribbon for his project and will be moving onto the district science fair which will be held at Pioneer Park later this month.
"It is great to see so much potential here," said Massaquoi. "I'm happy that they are sharing it with me."
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