Second place was good enough for the two fifth-graders at Knox
Elementary School competing in their school science fair in
Chandler.

Isha Paode, 11, and Kristina Schmidt, 10, will advance to the
Hamilton Invitational Science and Engineering Fair next month
with their experiment about which type of mini rovers cause the
least amout of damage to three different planetary sufaces.

"I didn't expect to win second" place, Kristina said.

If ever there were a season for science in Chandler, now would
be it.

Elementary, junior high and high school students just wrapped
up their science projects for judging in HISEF and are
displaying their research posters at their school science
fairs. Up to the top six finishers in fifth grade and the top
six in sixth grade will advance to HISEF on Feb. 11.

Last year, more than 1,300 Chandler students competed in a wide
range of disciplines, including animal sciences, cellular and
molecular biology, chemistry, physics, and Earth and planetary
science. The fair is open to fifth- through 12th-grade students
whose projects were judged unique and scientifically sound by
judges at their individual schools.

First-place winners at HISEF advance to the Arizona Science and
Engineering Fair.

Science educators say science fairs get students jazzed about
science, technology, engineering and math at a time when the
U.S. needs to boost its competitiveness in a world increasingly
dependent on scientific expertise.

"Science and technology are literally in our backyard," said
Nicolle Karantinos, curriculum director of Chandler Unified
School District. "We are fortunate we have a good strong
relationship with high-tech companies in Chandler."

Intel Corp., SRP and others volunteer to judge and work at
HISEF.

For several years, industry leaders have bemoaned the state of
science literacy among U.S. students. They complain they can't
find qualified workers to operate machines or find engineering
solutions to problems.

"Every kid has to be science literate," Karantinos said.

At the Knox Elementary science fair, the emphasis was on
engineering projects this year, said Sladjana Larson, a
sixth-grade teacher who also coordinates the school fair.

The school includes typical and gifted students, some of whom
draw on their family's engineering backgrounds.

More interesting projects included the most efficient way to
pop popcorn, the best way to clean an oil spill and the most
efficient way to remove a stain, Larson said.

"I know that other districts have science projects, but
Chandler puts a lot of emphasis on going to HISEF," Larson
said.

The fair featured 150 projects. Among the first-place projects
in fourth grade was one that explored the relationship between
an animal's color and its ability to avoid predators.

"The more it blended it, the better it was," said Jacob
Gandara, 10.

Because he and his partner Ryan Bybee, 9, are fourth-graders,
they won't be competing at HISEF.

But the bragging rights were good enough.

"I was still really surprised and was jumping up and down,"
Ryan said.

And that's the point, said Jennifer Gutierrez, a CUSD
instructional specialist.

"The goal is to get as many of our kids competing as early as
possible," she said.