A lot happens at The New Century School in the month of March—no brackets needed—but perhaps no event is more anticipated than the annual Science Fair. This year’s projects by TNCS 4th- through 8th-graders were hand’s down the best yet, remarkable for their creativity and all-around innovation.

So, can a human kill a megalodon underwater?

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These March-Mad Scientists were clearly inspired by their inventive hypotheses and pursued answers to their problems with tenacity and vim! TNCS Science teacher Nameeta Sharma deemed “the budding scientists with their proud presentations” a success and thanked families for taking out time to attend the event on March 13th.

An important part of Science Fair at TNCS is that students must present their projects to any interested party who approaches. They must demonstrate a thorough understanding of the science underpinning the project as well as the process that got them to their conclusions—the Scientific Method.

Parents and family members were invited to join as well as Kindergarteners and TNCS faculty and administrators! Head of School Shara Khon Duncan said, “I loved the enthusiasm with which the students shared their projects with their parents and visitors. You could tell that they were proud of their work!” Mrs. Sharma also remarked on the enthusiasm she saw in her students.

As the ice melted, the balls bounced, the mixtures mixed, in addition to following the tenets of the Scientific Method, students also had to evaluate their work to determine how they could eliminate any confounders next time around.

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Of course all students worked diligently on their projects (and, thanks, TNCS—all work was done during school hours so they had no excuse not to!), but some projects stood out, whether for the idea itself, the artful presentation, or the enthusiasm of the budding scientist. Mrs. Sharma, who invoked Neil Degrasse Tyson, saying “The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it,” as the spirit of this year’s Science Fair, found these lines of inquiry to be quite interesting:

Does the rate of electrolysis increase with table salt or baking soda?
What is the specific heat of different liquids?
Which salt works best in melting snow (or ice)?
Which compound/salt would work well in an ice pack?
Which basketball (indoor or outdoor) bounces highest?
How does anxiety affect memory at different ages?
Does age of children affect the bacteria found in their hands?
Does music help in the growth of plants?
Does activated charcoal help in water filtration?
Which soap extracts the most DNA from a strawberry and a tomato?
Which vinegar dissolves eggshell fastest?

Topics ran the gamut of scientific disciplines, from chemistry, biochemistry, physics, and biology to psychology, ecology, and economics, to robotics and engineering. Immersed presents the visual highlights here, in alphabetical order.