Jeff Hajny

    Middle school students from the Seward and Lincoln areas were given a chance to travel to Concordia University to show their scientific abilities.
     On Feb. 26, CU, along with the Southeast Nebraska Area Health Education Center (NAHEC) hosted its first annual science fair featuring projects from students in Seward Middle School, St. John's Lutheran School and Lincoln Lutheran.
     The event featured exhibits from 115 students. Each exhibit was judged and the winners qualified for an all-expenses paid trip to the state contest to be held at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in June.
     All participants received prizes such as certificates, pencils and t-shirts.
     "This is the first year we've tried this at Concordia," NAHEC Educational Director Donovan Roy said. "We had a good number for the first year. It's a pretty exciting thing to have this many students."
     NAHEC hosts 11 of these fairs throughout Nebraska yearly, including two in Scottsbluff, and one each in North Platte, Grand Island, Fremont, Ainsworth, Norfolk and Peru.
     The all-day event featured the exhibit displays along with scientific demonstrations from CU faculty and students, including a game of EMT Jeopardy, a nursing demonstration and a lab involving making "slime" in the morning.
     In the afternoon, students were shown demonstrations by CU professors John Jurchen and Rob Hermann, regarding electricity, chemistry and physics.
     The first year of the event was well-received by all who participated.
     "Hopefully this won't be the last year it's done," Roy said. "There were 115 students here this year, and it can only grow from here. The support from the college was great. They've done a lot to help us and the students."
     "It was great this year," Kent Einspahr, Concordia Natural Sciences Department Chairman, said. "What we've found with science fairs is it's a growing thing. Schools start and then word-of-mouth gets out. The numbers keep rising over time."
     "I thought it went really well," Middle School teacher Laura Goracke said. "Everyone at the college was really helpful. I heard they're thinking about doing it bigger and better next year so we're definitely going to do it again.
     "It was a good opportunity for students to look into different career opportunities for the future. AHEC gave us a lot for the students so they can start thinking about what they want to do."