Fueling interest in science

Students in Glenn, Tehama and Colusa counties will join others across the nation today in learning about biofuels, and reporting about their findings on the 4-H national Web site.

In Glenn County, the SPARK after-school programs will observe 4-H National Youth Science Day at 11 schools, while three schools in the Corning area of Tehama County will participate.

Additionally, students at Princeton Elementary in Colusa County, part of the Glenn school system, will be joining the experiment.

All come under the resource umbrella of the UC Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Program.

Glenn County's SPARK Coordinator Mary Davis said the 4-H program is providing the materials, and children of all ages will participate if they are enrolled in the after-school learning program.

They will work in groups of five or six students testing different grains mixed with yeast to see which combination produces the most energy, Davis said.

Students at Lake, Plaza, Capay, Hamilton Elementary, Elk Creek and Princeton schools will participate this week while those at Murdock, Willows Intermediate, C.K. Price, Fairview and Mill Street schools in Willows and Orland will meet next week after they return from fall break, she said.

In the Corning area, the participating schools are West Street, Richfield and Olive View, said Jeanne George, the 4-H Youth Development advisor for Glenn and Tehama counties.

The student will use plastic bottles with a balloon on the cap, Davis said, and watch to see if the balloon expands.

"Some balloons will not expand at all, others a little and some will get big," she said.

The bigger ones will have the highest energy levels.

"They will be reporting on our national Web site what their outcomes are," George said.

No matter what the results are from the experiment, officials are hoping the event will draw students toward science.

The United States is losing students interested in science and this event is designed to get them intrigued by it, Davis said.

Officials in the 4-H organization said 5 million youth participate in 4-H science, engineering and technology programs year round nationwide.

Its goal is to engage one million new youngsters or teens in science and technology programs by 2013 through the 4-H One Million New Students, One Million New Ideas campaign.

Locally, Deanna Rogers, 4-H representative in the Cooperative Extension office in Orland, said this is the second year 4-H has been involved with this after-school effort.

It is trying to push for a science-based curriculum in after-school programs, Rogers said, because so many school science classes have been cut. 4-H leaders also are working on it in their own programs, she said.

Last year, only a few schools participated, but this year all 11 Glenn County elementary and middle schools are scheduled to participate, Rogers said.

Students worked with baby diapers during last year's event taking them apart to examine the hydro-gel element that absorbs moisture, she said.

Contact Rick Longley at 934-6800 or rlongley@tcnpress.com