Cozad Community School

102  Effects of color on memory

Lola Bennett 

Cozad High School - Jacob Brummer

Hypothesis: If color is related to memory then objects presented in color will be remembered better than objects presented in grayscale.

abstract: Color is thought to increase effectiveness of memory in classrooms, work environments, and sports. In the experiment there were 12 participants that were shown 10 colored cards and asked to rearrange them in the order they first saw. The participants were then asked to do the same thing with 10 grayscale cards. The results of this experiment showed that color is important to memory. On average the participants scored a 9 on the colored cards and a 5 on the grayscale cards. In conclusion color is important to memory and that grayscale is harder to remember.

303  Effect of Electrode Placement in a Tens Unit Machine

Emalyn Geiger  

Cozad High School - Jacob Brummer

A TENS unit is a machine that uses little sticky pads called electrodes to transfer electricity. The electrodes are placed on the patient’s skin and the machine is started. The electricity is used to make muscle contractions which can help build muscle while a patient is currently going through an injury. Six participants were chosen from Cozad High School to be tested in the experiment. All six participants were female athletes that were fifteen or mainly sixteen years old. The patients were sat down and had electrodes placed on their right quadriceps three centimeters apart, five centimeters apart, and seven centimeters apart. The electrodes were placed and the TENS machine was turned on until a muscle contraction was visibly seen and the measurement on the machine was recorded. The numbers from the TENS machine were recorded in milliamperes and the electrode placements were measured in centimeters. The results showed that placing the electrodes closer provided for a faster quad contraction. Electrodes placed seven centimeters away from each other took longer for muscle contractions almost every time. These results can help patients recover from injuries faster and gain muscle quicker. This information is also helpful for physical therapists to know the standard and most effective electrode placements.

308  Effects of Different Teeth Bleaching Methods On Coffee-Stained Teeth

Whitney Regelin 

Cozad High School - Jacob Brummer

Teeth bleaching is a process in which the stains on human teeth get removed. Teeth bleaching can be done by whitening strips, whitening gel, professional whitening done by a dentist, and whitening gel with a blue light. Four extracted human teeth were stained in coffee for seven days. Each tooth was treated with a different whitening method for 45 minutes each. One tooth was treated with Pro-sys whitening strips. One tooth had KoRmax whitening gel applied, and then three sessions of 20 minutes whitened professionally at a dental office. One tooth had Guru Nanda whitening gel applied, and was sat under a blue light. One tooth had Opalescence whitening gel applied. This process was repeated two more times with two new sets of teeth. The progress of the color of the tooth was measured using a tooth shade chart. The number each tooth ended at was subtracted from the number each tooth started at. The tooth with the best results was the tooth that had Guru Nanda whitening gel applied and was sat under a blue light. It had the largest increase in color with an average change of 10.1. The tooth with the worst results was the tooth that had Pro-sys whitening strips applied. It had the smallest increase in color change with 6.7. Dentists and consumers can use this information to choose the most effective whitening method. It was proven that the Guru Nanda whitening gel with the blue light was most effective.

402  The Relationship Between Moles and Air Pressure

Miles German  

Cozad High School - Jacob Brummer

Air pressure is the force that air exerts over a given area.  Moles measure the amount of substance in a certain amount of area.  This experiment tests if air pressure directly affects temperature.  A cube was filled with a certain amount of moles, and then the PSI was recorded.  This was repeated seven times, with each trial increasing the amount of moles by 0.5 PSI.  The experiment showed that as the PSI increased, amount of moles also increased.  This proves that PSI and moles are directly proportional.  The data further supported my hypothesis.   The experiment also included the temperature in each cube as the PSI was increased.  The data from the experiment showed that as the PSI increased, the amount of moles decreased meaning that PSI and moles have a reciprocal relationship.  For future research, better, less poor materials could be used such as a better air compressor and a larger-scale experiment.

404  Effect of Velocity of a Swing on Distance of a Golf Ball

Julien Davis  

Cozad High School - Jacob Brummer

Golf has two important aspects of the game, distance and control. Your swing could be sped up, slowed down, or kept the same as you normally swing depending on how much distance you want. Faster swings may produce more distance but less control. Slower swings may produce less distance but more control. Regular swings are a mixture of both. For the experiment, 20 balls were hit with each different type of swing with the same club. They were then put into a google spreadsheet to keep the data that was collected. The results showed that the faster swings had the most distance, the regular swings had less distance but still close to the distance of the faster swings, and the slow swings had the least distance by quite a bit. The control however was the exact opposite with slow having the most control, the regular less control but still good control, and the fast with the least amount of control. These results supported the hypothesis. If golfers are wanting the most distance they can get without worrying about where it goes, then they should swing hard and fast. If they want to make sure it goes straight without worrying about distance, then they should swing softer and easier. If they want a happy medium of both, then they should swing not too soft, but not too hard. With this experiment, golfers could lower their scores which could help them to win tournaments and get a nice pay day.

406  Optimizing Bridge Efficiency for Specific Environmental Constraints

 Audrey Baker 

Cozad High School - Jacob Brummer

A bridge serves as a vital component of transportation, utilizing several main designs like the arch, beam/girder, truss, suspension, and cable-stayed, each varying in how the bridges distribute stress. Engineers consider numerous aspects such as material, location, and purpose to ensure a structure is durable and suffices for its intended use. A standard truss bridge and a custom design were constructed using consistent materials and allowed to dry completely before testing for efficiency. Efficiency was determined by measuring the maximum mass the bridge could hold at its center until failure, divided by the bridge's own mass, while following strict safety precautions against falling debris and spills. The average efficiency ratio for the standard truss bridge was 1.107, while the custom hybrid suspension-arch bridge demonstrated a superior average efficiency ratio of 1.228. These results indicate that the hybrid design was more efficient at bearing weight relative to its own mass. The data supports the hypothesis that the hybrid design is a more efficient engineering solution for the specific environmental constraints, outperforming the truss bridge in load-bearing capacity. The hybrid bridge successfully meets the requirements for greater vertical clearance and cost efficiency while providing an effective structural solution.

408  The effect of amps on welding puddles 

Katelynn Williamson   

Cozad High School - Jacob Brummer

There 4 different welding processes Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW)welding, Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) oxy-acetiline(OA) welding and tig ( tungsten insert gas) There are 4 different types of currents in welding Direct current (DC) or Alternating current (AC) Direct current (DC) is divided into direct-current electrode negative (DCEN) and direct-current electrode positive(DCEP). Amps will start on low and slowly be turned up. If metal is dirty, then it will need to be polished to remove rust stains or any other blemishes on the metal. There are many hazards in a welding shop, such as many saws and cords. Hot, sharp things. There are many safety precautions to take, too. If amps are related to electrodes, then the electrode puddle gets bigger as the amps go up . The biggest safety precautions in a welding shop are proper PPE, safety glasses, jeans, gauntlet gloves, welding helmet shade 10, close-toe shoes, and if you are a woman or have long hair, make sure your hair is tied up in a ponytail or a bun. I accept my hypothesis that if amps are related to electrodes, then electrode puddles get bigger as the amps go up. I accept my hypothesis since the amount of amps went up, and the size of my puddle increased.

502  The Effects Veterinary Exams have on Animals' Hormonal Stress

Abby Negley 

Cozad High School - Jacob Brummer

Animals can get very stressed in new environments, around new people, and around things that the animals have had bad experiences with, and In-clinic veterinary exams bring some or all of these factors. Experimenting with at-home veterinary exams is the most effective way to learn where the animal’s stress comes from and what situations are able to decrease or eliminate bad behavioral stress. To experiment with in-clinic and at-home veterinary exams, I tested four goats. Blood was drawn to measure the amount of Glucose and Cortisol. Elevated Glucose and Cortisol mean the goat is stressed. The results of this experiment show a dramatic rise in Cortisol levels from 1.4 ug/dL to 6.3 ug/dL, on average. The results also showed a dramatic increase in Glucose levels from 79.75 mg/dL to 132.5 mg/dL, on average. I accepted my hypothesis that if veterinary checkup location is related to an animal’s hormonal stress, then when animals go to the vet clinic for checkups, the animal’s stress will increase. I also learned that in order to see if these results are consistent in other large animal species, I need to expand the variety of animals I examine.

506  Does Regenerative Farming better the soil?

Mollie Spradlin  

Cozad High School - Jacob Brummer

This experiment compares regenerative farming practices and conventional farming practices and how it affects the soil health and yield. With the rapidly growing population of today's world, agriculture has been trying to find ways to meet these demands sustainably. Regenerative Agriculture is trying to find innovative systems to work with nature while being more sustainable. Regenerative agriculture works toward building up the soil to make its current state healthier. When regenerative farming is utilized then, over time, the soil health and crop yield will increase. This experiment found that the regenerative farmed field had a higher yield of 273 bushels per acre on a 2.7 acre plot, while the conventional field had 230 bushels per acre. There was an increase of organic matter, pH, CEC (cation exchange capacity) , nitrate, and phosphorus in the regeneratively farmed field region. This is a big step toward a cleaner, more sustainable farming system. It would help rebuild soil health and restore biodiversity that has been depleted over time because of conventional farming. This will benefit the future of agriculture because it will help feed the growing population sustainably. This could also bring more ROI to encourage young farmers to return or start more farms in the future.

509  The Effect a Full Moon on Parasites in Goats

Aleigha Negley  

Cozad High School - Jacob Brummer

There are other websites that were researched showing that Gnathiid isopod larvae, Protozoa, Helminths, Ectoparasites, and parasites in livestock herds are affected by the full moon. Also, the way to count the parasites were found such as blood tests, endoscopy/colonoscopy, and X-Rays. There were 4 goats that samples were collected from during a full moon and a new moon. The samples were then run under a microscope and the egg cells of coccidia and strongyle were counted. What was found was that there was a drop of parasites in the average of all the goats from a full moon to a new moon. The strongyle had a larger decrease than the coccidia. The research that was completed supported the idea that the full moon does have an effect on parasites. Other things that could have been done differently about this experiment for clearer data in the future are using a different method to count the parasites such as the Wisconsin fecal float technique and also could have taken a specific mass of fecal material rather than random amounts.