Sigonella students' ventures
into real
world earn recognition at symposium
By Anthony Burgos, Sigonella bureau
Chris DaVault |
Laura Bowers |
NAVAL AIR
STATION SIGONELLA, Sicily — A high school education can be considered preparation for
life in the real world. But some students at Naval Air Station Sigonella’s Stephen
Decatur School already have begun to take big steps outside the classroom to make changes
in the world around them.
Two
students at the Sicily school are in Florida this week, meeting with representatives in
the education and science community to present their projects at the National Junior
Science and Humanities Symposium in Orlando.
"You
always hear people tell kids, ‘Wait until you are out of school and in the real
world,’ " said Ken DaVault, a science teacher at the Sicily school. "I say,
these kids are already in the real world. They are working on things the same way
experts in the field do."
As the
school’s designated science symposium sponsor, DaVault makes sure students stay on
track with their projects. In March, Sigonella students won five of the 11 awards
presented at Europe’s symposium held in Brussels, Belgium. Their middle-school team
won first place for a second year in a row, and two students placed high enough to head to
the national competition in Florida.
But
DaVault’s involvement doesn’t end in the classroom. One could say he gets the
whole family involved. His wife, Sherrie, will substitute for him at the school while he
and his son, Chris, head to the States.
The 16-year
old DaVault placed fourth in Brussels, earning a spot as a presenter in Florida. Chris
invented a car-inspecting device consisting of a modified remote-controlled car, wireless
video camera and database tracking system on a laptop computer.
"I
came up with the idea while waiting in line when the threat condition was high at the
base," the younger DaVault said. "When they were searching everyone’s car
at the gate, I thought there had to be a faster way."
The device
runs along a track under the vehicle and takes pictures of the undercarriage. While the
car is scanned, the operator can pull up the driver’s information, the car’s
registration information and see the digital scan of the undercarriage on a laptop
computer.
Once Chris
began ordering parts and making a prototype, he decided he should patent his invention. At
his father’s suggestion, he turned to an expert in the field, his grandfather,
Wendell Jenness.
"[Jenness]
has invented forms of Teflon that protect metals from corrosion and substitutes for
asbestos," Chris said. "He helped me start the process to apply for a
patent."
Chris even
had the opportunity to present his invention to the base’s security officer. "He
basically told me that I had to be careful with my research because anti-terrorism is a
touchy subject, especially during a high threat condition."
Both
DaVaults said that, although the feedback Chris received wasn’t exactly positive, he
plans to continue to build upon his prototype. "I am thinking about adding a sulfur
and fertilizer detector to it," Chris said. "That’s what most explosives
are made of."
Chris is
hoping that his invention will pay off in the long run: "I’d like to have a
company buy my idea and build it. Explosive detection is where the money is these
days."
Another
Sigonella superstar at the symposium, Laura Bowers, placed second in the seniors'
competition, the highest place for a DODDS student at this year’s contest. She
challenged a University of Chicago study that said sleep deprivation could be a
contributing factor to diabetes 2, the non-hereditary form of the disease.
"It
didn’t make sense to me because I figured, the longer someone is awake, the more
their body would process glucose," Bowers said. So she too decided to turn to her
family for some expert advice. Her grandfather, Paul Barthalomew, is a chemical engineer.
He also is afflicted with diabetes 2. Bowers asked her grandfather for guidance on how to
perform her own research.
She said
her grandfather helped her use scientific methods to set up a test to measure the effects
of sleep deprivation on the level of glucose in her blood.
"I
controlled my diet and exercise for three 10-day periods, with a 10-day control period in
between," she said.
During the
test periods, Bowers limited her sleep to four, six and 10 hours. During the control
period, she got eight-and-a-half hours of sleep.
She then
took blood samples at the base hospital and used their equipment to read her glucose
levels. "The lack of sleep made my levels drop," Bowers said. "It was just
as I thought: My results were contrary to the University of Chicago study."
Bowers
admitted that her test was not as thorough as it could have been. Symposium regulations
limited her to performing tests only on herself. But Lt. Anthony Silvetti, a family
practitioner at Sigonella’s hospital who treats a dozen diabetes 2 patients, said
that, although her study had some flaws, her approach was very sophisticated for a
17-year-old.
"Just
interpreting the study shows dedication," Silvetti said. "Even medical experts
have a hard time understanding some of those studies."
Both
students are presenting their projects in Florida this week. Although they’ll be
rubbing elbows with scientists and representatives from research laboratories, the trip is
more than just a conference for the science minded.
"We
get to have some fun at local amusement parks and hopefully make some contacts," said
the younger DaVault.
"And
their work is going to be published," said DaVault senior. "Imagine being
published in high school. These kids are not only ready for the real world, they are part
of it."
Back to April's stories
Page Two news roundup
Stories from March, 2001
Stories from February,2001
Stories from January, 2001
Stories from December, 2000
Stories from November, 2000
Stories from October, 2000
Stories from August and September, 2000
Stories from June and July, 2000
Home |
