BELLEVILLE – Hundreds of the region’s top young minds are being celebrated at this year’s Quinte Regional Science and Technology Fair.

Students in grades four to 10 showed off their homemade projects and research at the 57th annual fair, which was hosted at Loyalist College on Saturday.

Learning how to collect and save water in a drought, hydraulic catapults and growing gummy bears were just a few of the roughly 150 projects registered.

Far from the traditional baking soda and vinegar volcano, Loyalist College’s president Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan said she was thoroughly impressed by some of the projects she saw.  More than 90 judges evaluated the projects of the nearly 200 competing students from across Hastings and Prince Edward counties.

“What I find the most amazing is the problems of the world that these kids see that they want to be able to solve,” she said. “It’s truly inspiring to see the types of solutions they’re trying to find.”

Vaughan added that she hopes to see some of the students walk the halls of Loyalist College in the future as they continue their studies in science.

“Science and technology is very much linked to economic growth,” Vaughan said. “We need to be encouraging more kids to be active in science and technology.”

As for the level of creativity that she saw from all the students, she said it was a sure indicator that, “the future’s bright.”

Proudly showing off his fourth place ribbon in grade six physics, chemistry and mathematics was Brett Bashall, 11.

The St. Joseph Catholic School student based his project around static electricity and movement.

Bashall found that the atoms in wool contain positive charges and when they are rubbed on a Styrofoam plate, the charge can be transferred.

Once the charged Styrofoam plate is put in close proximity with a non-charged Styrofoam plate, the imbalance causes the plates to shift away from each other.

“I’m a big fan of science,” he said. “If we didn’t have scientists, we wouldn’t have cars and technology because they are the ones who invent stuff.”

As for the future of his science career, Bashall said he hopes to become a geologist one day.

“They get to explore and I’m fascinated by rocks and minerals.”

Up to three grand prizewinners get the opportunity to compete on a national level at the 57th Canada-wide Science Festival.  The students took home more than a collective $10,000 in awards.

They are:

Andreas Stein - Albert College – Grade 7 - Wipe Out

Felipe Martinez – from St. Paul Secondary School -Grade 8 - How To Be Beautiful

Meera Moorthy - Moira SS – Grade 10 -Shrubs on Drugs

Nationals will be held this May in Regina, Saskatchewan.

The best in grade winners this year were:

Grade 4: Hannah Parks, Sophia Saville- Fertilizer:Too Much, too little, just enough - St. Joseph Catholic School

Grade 5: Ethan Stasko - How Ivy Reacts to Different Liquids - St. Joseph Catholic School

Grade 6: Lily Woods, Shoshannah Spencer - Saving and Collecting water in Drought Conditions - Susanna Moodie E.S.

Grade 7: Abby Vieira - Earthquake Structures and Water - St. Joseph Catholic School

Grade 8: Jesse Rozic - To Grow Or Not To Grow - St. Paul Catholic Secondary School

Grades 9-12: Meera Moorthy - Shrubs on Drugs - Moira SS

For more information on winners, click here.