Oceanside Middle School's science fair winners

Nicole Ayvas and Christina Moran, 8th graders at Oceanside Middle School, demonstrated their understanding of the scientific method with their project on the effect of coffee grounds on plant growth. Using control and experimental groups, the students tracked plant growth with and without coffee grounds and found that the plants that were grown without coffee did slightly better. The project earned the two young ladies 1st Place in the OMS Science Fair.

Alexa Weissman came in second with a study of happiness in extroverts and introverts, surveying 100 students for her data. Caleigh Hardecker won third place for her investigation of restaurant menus and bacteria. She is considering a follow-up project on ways to keep menus clean.

Some additional topics that students researched were best fabrics for insulation, music and reaction time, germs in cosmetics, the effect of garlic on e-coli and whether the five-second rule has any validity.