Abstracts from Winning Projects
The following abstracts are from projects that won best of fair awards at GNSEF in 2010.
Ballistic Vest with Composite Truama Plate Insert - A Prototype
Year in school: 11
Objectives
Modern combat calls for armor that is made for a fast, light, adaptable fighting force. This project is a study of how composite materials react to being struck repeatedly with a high speed projectile. It will measure the force of each impact and calculate the impact crater and energy absorbed by the trauma plate. The major goal of this project is to find a light composite material will be able to successfully absorb the energy impact of a projectile with realistic energies. A successful trauma plate will allow the human to survive the blunt force trauma.
Methods
I built an air canon that will fire a projectile at a composite material layered between two sheets of metal. Each composite trauma plate will have layered materials to best absorb and distribute the energy of the impact. A force meter will measure the repeated strikes of the projectile. I will also measure the deflection of the metal using clay.
Results
My hypothesis was supported by the data collected. The metal had a minimal effect on the composite and did a great job of holding the composite together. As I predicted, the layered composite materials were more successful and lighter than the control and were able to achieve survivability higher than that of the control.
Conclusion
The prototype vest and trauma plate insert is a great option to achieve survivability in a dangerous situation. These vests can be used outside the military. They can be used to provide protection for hunters as well our police officers and security forces.
Factors Affecting the Regeneration of Dugesia tigrina
Year in school: 12
To study the effects of various chemical factors that could either enhance or inhibit tissue growth during regeneration of brown planarian, a series of experiments were done. Planaria (Dugesia tigrina) were divided and immersed in solutions to observe rates of regeneration. Manipulated variables were chosen from materials found in humans’ everyday lives, i.e. aspirin, protein, multivitamins, and calcium carbonate. Testing the rate of regeneration for planarian may provide significant information about regeneration in soft human tissues.
Planaria were placed in individual petri dishes and photographed under a dissecting microscope. A horizontal cut was divided them into superior and inferior halves. Halves were placed into labeled Petri dishes containing various solution additives. Regeneration rate was measured by the number of days for the planaria to complete growth. Daily observations were recorded in a journal.
Aspirin significantly slowed the rate of regeneration in planarian, and was found to even be lethal in high dosages. Calcium carbonate significantly increased the rate of regeneration, and multivitamins were also found to improve the rate of regeneration. Soy protein was found to be harmful to planaria. Protein solutions caused a high mortality rate, possibly due to other additives in the commercially available protein product used. Additional experiments are currently being performed in lower concentrations of aspirin and soy protein. Other experiments of light versus dark and the effect of temperature on regeneration rate are also still ongoing.