Science Fair to Showcase Firefighting Drones, Mummified Sausages, Spider-Man

RIVERSIDE (CNS) – Elementary, junior high and high school students on Wednesday will showcase a host of simple and complex projects — from firefighting drones to mummified sausages — as part of a two-day Riverside County Science & Engineering Fair.

About 450 students from private and public schools throughout the county are slated to take part in the event, which concludes Thursday evening at the Bourns Technology Center on Columbia Avenue in Riverside. Top finishers will be eligible for spots at the California State Science Fair in Los Angeles on April 11.

According to the county Office of Education, a total of 347 projects will be presented, covering nearly 20 subject matters, including artificial intelligence, chemistry and fruit.

Eighth-grader Jenn Covington from Vista Heights Middle School in Moreno Valley came up with “Project Firefly,” which examines how drones might be effectively deployed to help knock down wildfires.

Sixth-graders Santiago Castillo, Alexis Cazares and Daniel Hurtado from Los Palmitas Elementary School in Thermal will present findings on their “Yummy Mummy” project, which delves into the process of mummification in ancient Egypt and how that might be applied to the preservation of sausages.

Fifth-graders Tatiana Garrido, Danica Moses and Isabella Smith from Starlight Elementary School in Beaumont are pitching a project called “How About Them Apples?” which tests theories on how to prevent apples from browning due to bruising.

Fifth-grader Dylan Burreson from Carter Elementary School in Palm Desert will share his “Spider-Man Web Shooter” project, explaining how he created web shooters to replicate the comic book hero’s talents, and which can shoot the farthest.

An awards ceremony recognizing students who scored highest for projects in each category will be held Thursday evening.

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