Science Fair Heads to Regionals

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Samantha Johnson, Guest Reporter

On Feb. 19, 64 students will be competing in the Austin Regional Science Fair for the chance to move on to state.

Freshman Siona Kowlessar reached her goal of moving on to regionals, and is excited to present her project to the judges.

“The topic I picked was the physics of the golf swing,” Kowlessar said. “I have already played golf, so testing it out was fun for me because testing experiments in general is always enjoyable. I already had a background knowledge in golf because I play it, so I was interested in why this worked. I was going along the lines of physics because I thought that’d be interesting, which is basically how I came up with my project.”

For Kowlessar’s project, she went to Golfsmith Range and Apparel store and swung several different clubs at a swing analyzer that judged distance and club head speed. She tested several different types of swings to find which swings worked the best. This experiment took about four hours over the course of three days, and then once she was finished she spent four hours writing and analyzing the data she had gathered.

“The experiment took a long time, so I learned to not procrastinate,” Kowlessar said. “If you do, you’ll get stuck doing your project at the last minute. I also learned how to time manage better.”

Kowlessar was not surprised when she found out she was advancing to regionals. After making fourth in the physics category, she was not very surprised.

“I did think I had placed because I got called back for prejudging, so I thought I’d placed pretty well,” Kowlessar said. “At first I didn’t know I’d made it, because it was something I’d never experienced before.  When I found out I’d made it I was super happy.”

With her project finished, she is now making improvements to her experiment in preparation for regionals. To make her project better, she is adding formulas and is designing a product that will help people have the best possible golf swing. With all the work Kowlessar is putting into science fair, it has become difficult to manage her time.

““It’s pretty hard to time manage with the rest of your school subjects,” Kowlessar said. “It is a long term project. If you procrastinate you’re probably going to get stuck doing it during winter break, which is stressful because a lot of teachers give you large projects.”

Now, Kowlessar is just waiting for Feb. 19. She will have to present to a new set of judges, who will judge her project much harsher since it will be at a higher level. However, to Kowlessar, that is the best part of science fair.

“I’ve always liked acting since I was little,” Kowlessar said. “I used to be in lots of plays and do lots of out of school acting, and so my favorite part is presenting my project and talking to the judges. I liked explaining the ‘why’ and my conclusions. I just loved presenting in general.”

While she does think her project is good, she will be surprised if her project moves on to state. Since her project is missing certain aspects it requires, she expects she will do mediocre.

“I am proud of myself because I honestly didn’t know at all what it would be like because I’ve never done a science fair before,” Kowlessar said. “I’m proud for being a freshman and making it this far.”

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