Big Sandy students head to International Science Fair
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Senior Gabriella Blatt will be going to Los Angeles for International Science Fair.
Two Big Sandy students will be going to Los Angeles on May 14 through 19 to participate in the International Science Fair according to their science teacher, Melanie Schwarzbach.
Those students are Senior Gabriella Blatt and Sophomore Tyler Schwarzbach. They will be competing against 1600 students from 80 different countries.
This is the third year that Gabriella has qualified for the International Science Fair.
Gabriella has developed an eco-friendly method for converting the lignin in pine bark to a usable bio fuel.
Lignin is the complex carbohydrate found in pine bark.
One of the goals of this project was to find a use for the large number of pine trees that have been killed by the pine bark beetle.
Gabriella accomplished what she set out to do! She did most of her project at the Bio Fuel Center at MSU Northern.
"MSU Northern helped Gabriella a lot," added Schwarzbach.
Gabriella won the Regional Science Fair in Havre and that qualified her to go on to the International Science Fair.
Tyler Schwarzbach, a Big Sandy sophomore, studied glyphosate concentration in conventional vs. organic wheat.
Schwarzbach wondered and tested if conventional wheat would have more insecticides present than organic wheat.
Tyler found out that the insecticides are present in both types of wheat but in such tiny quantities that they do not make a difference in what turns into flour.
Tyler Schwarzbach, a sophomore, will also be going to Los Angeles for International Science Fair.
There were 23 parts per billion in regular wheat and 12 parts per billion in organic wheat.
The EPA has said that a safe level in all wheat is 30 parts per million.
"Basically Tyler learned there is not much getting into our food supply through wheat but it needs to have more testing," said Schwarzbach.
Tyler Schwarzbach went to MSU Bozeman to do his testing. He got a stipend from a Big Sandy alumni to pay for his testing expenses.
In Los Angeles at the International Science Fair both Big Sandy students will have booths where they will explain their projects to viewers.
It is an honor for Big Sandy to have those two representatives in the International Science Fair. Maybe they will bring back even more Bronze for Big Sandy high school!
