Even though their official school science fairs were over weeks ago, junior high students from all across Deanery 10 once again presented their hypothesis, background research, data and conclusion for an evening of shared excellence in science. This was the second year that organizers invited top science fair placers to showcase their projects at the Deanery 10 Science Fair held again at St. Luke School in Temple City. Almost 100 students from 10 schools participated in the event that wasn’t organized for competition but rather as inspiration.“We are already planning for next year,” said St. Luke principal Erin Barisano. “This is a great turnout and we didn’t expect to get this many viewers. This really gets our younger students excited to do their projects next year.”“This is a great way to promote how STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) is being presented at our local Catholic schools,” said Mariana De La Rosa, principal at St. Thomas Aquinas School in Monterey Park. “This event also certainly builds a school’s excitement over science, especially for students to see all the other projects. It’s really fun for everyone.”Indeed, the myriad of projects and subjects presented reflected a wide range of interest. Sleep deprivation, glucose levels, DNA extraction, parachute shapes and “Does Fast Food Make You Fatter?” The articulate and well-mannered students were eager to talk to everyone about what they learned, what worked and why they chose their topics.While most of the students were presenting research using the tried-and-true tri-poster board, the contingency from St. Thomas Aquinas School was blazing a new technological trail — their projects were demonstrated on iPads and laptops.Seventh grader Kathleen Ngo’s project on “Swimming Raisins” described the affect that soda — homemade and store-bought — had on the fruit. She said she loves “showing it on Power Point because it’s fun to create.” Elsewhere, classmate Cristina De La Cruz was discussing her project, “Does Color Affect Heat?” with curious science-goers. “I haven’t been able to look around at the other projects, but I want to,” she said.The Torres family got involved in Sophia’s project, “Is Blood Pressure Affected by Food?” “My family ate no red meat and no sugar during the project,” said the St. Thomas Aquinas eighth grader who said she was inspired to do the topic after reading an article about more kids today are being diagnosed with high blood pressure. Sixth grader Avery Alyssa Arroyo from St. Therese School, Alhambra, was pleased to show off her project (“Iron Reactions”), but she was also thrilled to see friends from other schools. “I didn’t know they would be here and it’s nice,” she said.Likewise, sixth grader David Padron from San Gabriel Mission School was enjoying the spotlight for his project (“Weight and Gravity”), and he hopes to come back next year. “I think you can get some good ideas just walking around,” he said.{gallery width=100 height=100}gallery/2013/0308/sgscfair/{/gallery}