On Saturday October 3rd, the annual Celebrate Science event took place at the Blue Ribbon Pavilion in the Indiana State Fairgrounds. A day long science exhibition that gathered all of Indiana’s science based organizations, companies, educational departments, institutions, and even families to share their area of science. Exhibits introduced aspiring young scientists to a wide spectrum of scientific fields ranging from chemical bonding, mechanics, to scaly creatures.
CEES had the opportunity to present its exhibition on soil science! The exhibit educated scientists-in-training on the 3 important aspects of soil science: moisture, temperature, and pH. Everyone learned about clay like soil and dark soil, and had the chance to analyze data using Labquest devices, and to test the pH of water.
The soil types were examined and some were concealed separately in closed containers with O2 and CO2 sensors. Those who arrived on the right time were lucky to record data and learn why carbon dioxide levels are increasing while oxygen content is decreasing. Some future environmental scientists were also aware that microorganisms that live in the soil take up oxygen and emit carbon dioxide. Others had the chance to dig deeper in soil science by measuring temperature, moisture, the relative humidity of the atmosphere, and even examining the basicity and acidity of water using pH test strips. Everyone was excited to see their test strips change color and found out that microorganisms and other living things need to live in neutral to slightly alkaline environments because we never heard of a sea turtles thriving in vinegar like environment!
At the end, CEES was thrilled to meet so much aspiring researchers and investigators as we wrapped up a fun filled day of science.
