By Patti Cook, Director of Communication, Waimea Middle School
POSTED: December 9, 2008

What does ‘Sustainability’ really mean?  That’s the essential question and theme for this year’s Waimea Middle School Science Fair, which will culminate with a Family Science Night from 5:30-7 p.m., Thurs., Dec. 11, 2008 in Thelma Parker Memorial Gym.  WMS students are inviting their families and community friends to check out the 8th Grade science competition as well as projects by 6th and 7th Graders exploring various aspects of sustainability and what it means to be ‘Green.’  Also on display will be a variety of science projects including elaborate models of atoms – including some that are edible. 

Also among the more interesting scientific investigations conducted this year is an inquiry by WMS 7th Graders about how Jackson Chameleons – an alien species – are impacting Waimea’s ecosystems.  No Chameleons will be on exhibit – they get very nervous in crowded settings – but student research will be shared including the surprisingly high counts gathered in the Lakeland area.  Clearly, the environment there suits these critters. 

To make it a family-friendly affair, WMS Robotics Club will provide a free chili and rice dinner, and each grade level will host hands-on wonder-of-science activities and experiments, ranging from making slime to photo technology to a mysterious box.  Also, the new “WMS/News” student broadcast crew will be on hand to interview students and record “Shout Outs!” for the daily news program that is shown in classrooms.

Highlight of the evening will be man’s relationship to the universe, including the Gemini Starlab, which is an inflatable planetarium that re-creates all the mysteries of the universe, past and present.  Gemini staff will be on hand for two free presentations at 5:45 and 6:30 p.m. on a first-sign-up basis as capacity is limited.
Also presenting a hands-on demonstration will be astronomers from Canada-France-Hawai’i Telescope who will demonstrate the many wonders of dry ice, which is frozen carbon dioxide.  As dry ice changes from a solid to a gas, it will bubble, smoke and carbonate everyday items, providing a fascinating lesson in states of matter.