Grades 9-12
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Project Phosphogypsum: The Effect of Phosphogypsum on the Water-retaining Properties of St. Augustine Grass
All over the world, people are running into the problem of what to do with useless phosphogypsum stacks piling up, and the world could benefit from the use of the substance on outdoor lawns. For years, people across the globe have tried to find a use for this growing problem. I thought the answer might be using phosphogypsum on grass to help it retain water.
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Going for the Green
A golf course can be a beautiful sight for golfers and non-golfers, alike. But does the tremendous amount of manicuring, fertilizing, and pest control behind that beauty spell harm to the animals that dwell there?
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Ethology of Friendship Among Adult Male Bonnet Macaques, Macaca radiata, at Arunachala Hill, India
For this 13-year-old, a highlight of his family's annual visit to the Arunachala Mountain in southern India is watching and interacting with the bonnet macaques. Find out what he learned when he investigated the monkeys' social structure.
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Which Way Out--A Study of the Exit Tunnels Made by the Goldenrod Gall Fly, Eurosta solidaginis
Monarch butterflies have an internal magnetic compass that guides their migration. Is a similar force at work guiding the gall fly’s exit tunnels? See what this young naturalist discovered.
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Cleaning the Water
With an appreciation for the scarcity of fresh drinkable water, this young naturalist set out to test methods for filtering the contaminated poultry house water on his family’s farm.
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Marching Hazard
This young naturalist decided to test the field where she practiced with marching band after it was designated as an EPA site. See what she learned about the field’s safety.
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Feeding Habits of Aves of Northern Illinois
This young naturalist worked with a local nature center to help them collect data about which types of seeds and feeders best attracted birds.
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Night visitors: A Study of the Hourly Distribution of Moth Activity at a Light Station
Long fascinated with phototropism in night-flying insects, this young naturalist hypothesized that moths would be active in greater numbers at approximately 2:30 a.m. and then set out to test his hypothesis.
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A Behavioral Test to Examine the Evolution of Color Vision in Vertebrates
Did you know birds have better color vision than humans? But what about sheep? This young naturalist used a behavioral assay to compare the color vision of sheep with chickens.
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Fishing Pressure on Brown Trout Populations in Northern New Mexico Streams
This young naturalist hypothesized that limited fishing would decrease the average age of fish found in a stream and increase the overall health of the remaining fish. Find out if his hypothesis proved true.
