Ave Crux (In Partnership with Saint Francis High School)
October 2020 - May 2021
Opportunity X representatives: Pujita Tangirala, Katelyn McGuigan,
Stella Bronzini, Rohit Khorana, Sudeepthi Ravipati
Sponsoring Teacher: Sean O'Neill
Semester 2
Week 1 - Rate of Dissolving
Students explored the concept of surface area and chemical reactions through this project. By dropping alka seltzer tablets in water both as whole, half, and crushed, the students were able to see which tablet dissolved the fastest. Students also learned about the scientific method.
Week 2 - Potato Battery
Students learned about series and parallel circuits as well as Ohm’s law through this experiment. By using wires to connect an LED to a potato, students were able to make the LED light up! Students also learned how to write an effective research question.
Week 3 - Archimedes Squeeze
Students explored the concepts of buoyancy, density, mass, and volume. By compressing aluminum foil balls to different diameters, they were able to see how to make the ball float and sink. Students also learned how to research scientific principles.
Week 4 - pH testing
Students learned about acids and bases. By measuring different liquids on the pH scale, they were able to test their hypotheses. Students also learned about independent and dependent variables.
Week 5 - Elephant Toothpaste
Students learned about chemical reactions through a fun demonstration: a mixture of yeast, hydrogen peroxide, and soap that produced a small explosion. Students also learned how to write a hypothesis.
Week 6 - Straw Rockets
Students explored concepts of aerodynamics and air pressure. By experimenting with different sized straws, students learned about thrust, drag, lift, and push. They also learned how to write out an effective procedure. This week, students also chose their projects for the Opportunity X Science Fair and began working on them.
Week 7 - Fingerprint Analysis
Students analyzed patterns in their fingerprints and compared it with their peers. They also learned about how to collect data and the difference between quantitative and qualitative data.
Week 8 - Pepper’s Ghost Illusion
Students made their own hologram using principles of reflection and light.
Week 9 - Spectroscope
Students learned how astronomers analyze light. Using a diffraction grating, they were able to see a continuous spectrum from a light source.
Week 10 -Membranophone
Students learned about wavelength, amplitude, and frequency by making their own musical instrument out of a glove, straw, water bottle, and rubber bands.
Week 11, 12, & 13 - Science Fair Preparation
Students worked on their slides and did practice presentations in class to prepare for the Virtual Opportunity X Science Fair.
Semester 1
10/10/2020 Material Kit Distribution
Around 25 material kits were put together for the Ave Crux program. Pujita and Mr. O'Neill conducted a drive through material pickup at Saint Francis High School.
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10/11/2020 Graphite Circuits
This week, students learned about various types of conductors and insulators. They also learned how batteries work and the different types of circuits, like series and parallel. They were able to put this in action by drawing their own circuits using graphite, which is a strong conductor. These circuits were able to light up LEDs. This was a demonstration of Ohm’s law, which the students were able to see in action by varying the thickness and length of their circuits.
10/18/2020 Hoop Gliders
This week, students learned about the principles of flight, specifically how air resistance, gravity, lift, and thrust work together to make things fly. They were able to put this in action by building their own hoop gliders out of paper and straw. Students observed how their gliders flew and then made modifications to experiment with the flight path. Some students added extra hoops to increase lift while others added extra straws to improve on the structure.
10/25/2020 Dancing Ghosts
This week, students learned about static electricity and the charges of atoms. They were able to demonstrate this by creating “dancing ghosts”. Students cut out tissue paper and used the power of static electricity to connect the positively charged paper to a negatively charged balloon automatically.
11/1/2020 Non-Newtonian Fluids
This week, students learned about Newton’s law of viscosity and how it applies to certain objects. They observed how Newton’s law of viscosity was not present in our experiment. Students used cornstarch and water to create a substance that looked like a liquid, but acted as a solid.
11/8/2020 Balloon in a Bottle
This week, students learned about air pressure. By poking a hole in a water bottle, they were able to observe how air pressure can keep a balloon inflated even when it is not tied up! They also were able to inflate the balloon by deflating the bottle.
11/15/2020 Optical Illusions
This week, the students also learned about how neurons at the back of our eyes transmit information to our brain, and sometimes, this information is incorrect. Additionally, students learned about what optical illusions are, and why we are able to see optical illusions. They were able to put this in action by cutting out two squares of the same size, and drawing one part of a picture on one square, and the other part of the picture on the other square. After that, they put a pencil in between the two squares, and tapes the pencil to both the squares. Then, they spun the pencil as fast as they could and they witnessed both parts of the picture appearing as one.
11/22/2020 Kaleidescope
This week, the students learned about reflection and how the number and angles of mirrors impact how we see these reflections. They also learned about the two important laws of reflection. By creating a triangular kaleidoscope using cardboard and reflective beads, they were able to observe colorful reflections! The scientific principles that the students learned were applied in real life through discussions about reflective materials.
12/6/2020 Geodesic Dome
This week, students learned how triangles form the strongest structures. Then, using straws and tape, they built structures based off geometric tesselation.
