Base members judge science fair, give back to community

LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Although they may not have the experience of Bill Nye "the Science Guy" or Sir Isaac Newton, Laughlin members put their science skills to the test Jan. 24 during Del Rio High School's science fair.

More than ten Laughlin members from various squadrons volunteered to judge the school's annual science fair.

According to Alejandria Torres, a science teacher with DRHS, Laughlin members were selected because of the cordial relationship between the base and the local community and because the school authority trusted them to provide unbiased judgments.

"They are our kids; we know them very well, and it will be hard for us to judge them ourselves," Mrs. Torres said. "We believe Laughlin members will provide the accurate judgment we need, and we also knew we could count on them when they said they wanted to help."

DRHS students presented their projects in written, oral and graphical formats. Judges evaluated them based on the information and guidelines set forth in an initial briefing given by Mrs. Torres. During the fair, judges made comments and provided feedback to help the children on future projects.

"I volunteered as one of the judges for the project because I love science and have always found science fairs interesting," said Airman 1st Class Blandon Thomas, 47th Maintenance Squadron precision measurement equipment laboratory technician. "I did my best to provide very positive and constructive feedback. I wanted to give them ideas that might be helpful the next time around."

Airman Thomas, who judged the behavioral sciences and chemistry sections, said the students he judged were very creative and explored very interesting ideas.

With numerous projects on display, the judges had to critique a wide variety of research in various fields including engineering, animal science behavior, and energy and environmental science.

Some of the projects that stood out among the judges were the creation of a vehicle fender that will cause little or no damage to a vehicle after an accident and a research project showing whether or not expensive bullets are more efficient than their cheaper counterparts.

Renes Bormer Jr., a Del Rio native whose project was judged by Maj. Robert Frink of the 84th Flying Training Squadron, said Major Frink's comments and critiques were helpful.

"He gave me some very good advice," said Mr. Bormer, a senior with DRHS. "He recommended that I should take into consideration all bullet masses when doing my future calculations. That showed me he had a lot of knowledge regarding the field I researched, so I really appreciated his ideas."

Another experiment included the one carried out by Lauren Arthur; daughter of Lt. Col. Joseph Arthur, 47th Communications Squadron commander. Lauren's research showed her judges, Lt. Col. Kenneth Koontz, 96th FTS and 1st Lt. Paul Pappas, 84th FTS, that a red pepper actually contains more Vitamin C than oranges, grapefruits, tomatoes and broccoli.

Colonel Koontz said he volunteered as a judge for the science fair to observe the initiative and imagination the students might show through their projects.

"I was impressed with the students' attitude and the hard work they put into their projects," Colonel Koontz added. "I would be honored to participate as a judge in other events if called upon."

After seeing all of the different projects, the judges made their final recommendations to the teachers, who later decided the winning project.

The judges did not leave empty-handed after the fair; the school gave them a letter of appreciation along with a certificate.

"It was a great experience," said Airman Thomas. "Hopefully I'll get the opportunity to do it again in the future."