When Sarah Pierz of Clarkston recently traveled to Washington D.C. she didn’t know what challenges she would be facing; but she knew she would be working together with some of brightest young minds in her age group.
Pierz, 14, is the daughter of Michael and Kathleen Pierz. She was one of 40 finalists in the Discovery Channel’s Young Scientists Challenge. The annual competition for middle school students spanned five days starting Oct. 15 at the University of Maryland.
This year’s theme focused on natural disasters. Sarah said she and other students worked in teams to problem solve in disaster scenarios. For example, the students worked to clean up simulated medical waste in the wake of a disaster, using everyday items such as chip bags, duct tape and clothing hangers.
‘We had to figure out a way to contain all the stuff…and put it in a box without anything around the box being contaminated,? Pierz said.
Pierz said the trip was fun, but mentioned that everyday was an 18-hour day. Though exhausting, the days were filled with challenges and opportunities to meet other scientists. Sarah said she met people who worked on Boeing airplanes and Titan rockets.
As a reward for her placement in the top 40, the Discovery Channel named an asteroid after Sarah. Though the asteroid is literally the largest reward participants could receive, Sarah said the best part of the trip was interacting with the other young scientists.
‘It was really cool to meet the kids and it was fun to do all the challenges, and the dinner cruise was really nice,? Sarah said.
‘Discovery Channel took really good care of everybody,? mom Kathleen said. ‘They had activities for the parents, they had activities for students.?
Kathleen said the parents were not around during the competitions, so they spent their time touring our nation’s capital.
‘We told Sarah, ‘thanks for taking us on such a great trip,?? Kathleen said.
Over the summer, Sarah originally entered the competition through a series of essays and submitting a report on a science project she entered into Everest Academy’s science fair in January. Sarah tested the moisture retention levels of 12 commercial products.
Sarah said she had several women talk to her about her project because they wanted to know which product worked the best.
Overall, both Sarah and Kathleen really enjoyed meeting other finalists and seeing their projects.
‘There were some really impressive kids there,? Kathleen said. ‘They weren’t just smart, they were really nice and really interesting to talk to.?
Sarah recalled being very impressed by another student’s project that involved cloning potatoes. Kathleen said the most practical project she saw was by a student from a Navajo reservation in Arizona, who designed a water heater for his home from used car parts and recycled materials.
Kathleen said Sarah and several of the other students have already started e-mailing each other since returning home from the competition, and they’ll probably remain in contact from now on. Regardless, the competition was a big event for Sarah, and she encourages anyone who can to experience something similar. Sarah said if she had the chance, she would definitely go back and do it all over again.