The World Health Organization estimates that 4.6 million people die every year from causes attributable to air pollution. Motorized vehicles are a large source of this problem. A seventh grader from Florida wondered if a car's age and model were determining factors in the toxins they emitted. She tested different cars of different ages using socks placed over their exhaust pipes to collect debris, weighing the socks before and after to measure the pollution captured. Her experiments found that newer cars release fewer emissions, a sign that emission-reducing technology is working. This project won a blue ribbon from EnergyWhiz, an annual science fair that recognizes students with outstanding projects in energy. Innovative students can adapt this project a number of ways to seek solutions for other forms of pollution.
Rapidly decomposing or biodegradable items are better for the environment because they break down easily. Most water bottles are made from PET, a plastic derived from crude oil. Buried plastic bottles can take 1,000 years to decompose and leach toxic additives like phthalates into soil and groundwater. Proponents of a new type of bottle made from corn contend that it breaks down faster than crude oil bottles. Two Kansas seventh graders compared the decomposition rates of both types of bottles and won a blue ribbon at their middle school science fair. Intrepid students can create similar experiments to test decomposition rates of other common landfill items like diapers, various types of cups and plates (paper, plastic, Styrofoam) and bags (paper bags, plastic bags, garbage bags, etc.).
Improving industrial materials to make them stronger, cheaper, safer or better for the environment is an important issue for governments and manufacturers. A seventh grader from Illinois won blue ribbons at her school science fair and in the City of Chicago Science Fair with a project designed to determine which additives produced asphalt able to hold the most weight. She experimented by adding several different additives to asphalt she created with help from her father, an asphalt engineer. Inquisitive young scientists can use principles from this project to test potential improvements to other common materials like cement, plaster, brick and concrete.
Protection from the sun’s cancer-causing ultraviolet rays is important for young and old. Skin cancer, the most common of all cancers, accounts for nearly half of all annual cancer cases in the United States. What’s the best way to protect skin from these ultraviolet rays? A Nevada seventh grader answered this question and won first place in his grade division in the 2011 Nevada Southern Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Alternative approaches to sun protection projects include which types of sunglasses provide the best eye protection and the effectiveness of different sunscreens at blocking UV radiation.