Zane State College Hosts District Nine Science Day

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Local students participated in District Nine Science Day at the Zane State College Advanced Science and Technology Center this morning.

120 students in total competed to qualify for the State Science Day in May, where they will have the opportunity to win scholarship money and other prizes for the work on their projects.

“We host kids in grades 5-12, they compete at local fairs in a six-county region. After they compete at their fair, if they earn a ‘Superior,’ they get to come and compete at district fair. If they earn a ‘Superior’ here, depending on their score, they can then move on to the Ohio State Fair,” said Elizabeth Kline, the Assistant Professor of Biology and Environmental Technologies. Kline is also the Department Chair of Math, Natural Sciences, and Engineering. She says that this year they will be able to send 32 students from the District competition to the State competition in May.

Students can start working on their projects as early as the beginning of the school year. They have to pick their topic and go through “The Scientific Method,” complete the experiment, and then write a research paper all on their own, while also creating a visual display for the competition.

Kline adds that its the critical thinking skills that kids learn going through this process as well as from their science courses that is imperative to their intellectual development.

“So when you take science in school and you say, ‘ugh why do I have to take this class? I don’t like this class, I just want to do business,’ the real reason that we take it is to teach you critical thinking. So the next time you go to the doctor, you know what questions to ask; the next time that you hear something in the news, you know what questions to ask. You know when you’re being told something wrong or when you don’t know something, that’s the process of critical thinking,” explains Kline.

Zane State wanted to especially thank The Energy Cooperative for sponsoring Science Day. Free lunch and t-shirts were provided to the students so that they can proudly display their accomplishment in reaching the District competition level.