Whiz kids
Holloway science students experiment with success

Sixth grade science students Jared Raabe and Braden Robey will participate in the state science fair in April. The boys stand in front of Braden's experiment board, and he shows off his second-place trophy from the regional fair.

They may not look like little Einsteins (no fly-away hair, or eccentric mannerisms), but Braden Robey and Jared Raabe certainly talk like budding scientists.

The boys' intricate descriptions of their award-winning projects quickly surpassed the comprehension of their interviewer, leaving science instructor Jenny Wallace to remind them: "keep it simple."

The projects in question have earned the sixth-grade honors science students a trip to San Antonio in April to compete at the state science fair. Braden's entry is "The Effects of Caffeine on an Orb- Weaving Spider," which won second place at the East Texas Regional Science Fair in Kilgore on March 8; Jared placed fifth at the same competition with his project, "Built a Better Bat?"

Simply put, Braden's experiment seeks to determine if caffeine is good or bad for you. He observed two spiders, each in a separate container. One spider was given caffeine. Fifteen minutes after the spider was given caffeine, the webs of both spiders were torn down. Braden monitored both spiders' efforts to rebuild, noting the difference in the spider consuming the caffeine.

"By the end it was really weird," said Braden, who repeated the experiment five times over a period of 11 days. "His web was different, smaller, and he couldn't catch any bugs."

Braden's conclusion? "Caffeine affects the central nervous system of the spider," said Braden. "It's bad for you."

For Jared's experiment, he examined the effect of weight and velocity on a bat's swing. "Different coaches tell you different things," said the little leaguer. "Some favor a lighter bat, some heavier."

Jared chose six bats and built a device (utilizing mailbox post, garage door spring and a 2x4) that would let him swing the bats at a constant force. He then experimented with the weight of the bats and different points of contact, determining "sweet spots."

Using a ball on a "tee" and a radar gun, Jared also measured and averaged the speeds of the different bats, weights and contacts.

Ultimately, Jared determined that the deciding factor was determining the optimal moment of inertia, which brings us back to the point where he was asked to "keep it simple" for the confused interviewer.

This is the first year for the Holloway students to participate in the regional science fair, resulting in their first-ever state qualifiers.

"We just never had done it before," said Mrs. Wallace. "There just seemed to be more interest in taking it to the next level this year."

Both boys are looking forward to participating, and both say they enjoy science because it's "hands on."

The road to regionals (and state) began with the annual Holloway science fair, where all 98 honor science students entered projects. Beginning in the sixth grade, students can choose to take honors classes if they meet district criteria.

Mrs. Wallace judged all entries and chose 25 to advance to the district science fair at Tyler Junior College. A staff of judges, comprised of TJC faculty, considered these entries, with top placements qualifying for regional. At district, Jared earned second in physical science, Braden earned first in biology and classmate Brannon Beaton took second. Brannon joined Jared and Braden at regionals, but failed to qualify for state.

Braden is the son of Danny and Tamera Robey. Jared's parents are Vicki and Todd Raabe.