Page 23 - Demo SS Fall 2016

Jack Hubbard Wins science Champion award
Jack Hubbard with his award-winning science study project, ships through Fort Detrick’s “Fear: What are You Afraid Of?” Jack is an active member U.S. Army Medical Research of Renfrew Institute’s WaterStriders stream monitoring group. Institute of Infectious
Jack Hubbard of Waynesboro won the Champion Award at the 2016 Franklin Science and Technology Fair in Chambersburg, Pa.
Diseases (USAMRIID), where he extracted and studied insect DNA.
county’s championship competition.
Marine life in particular interests Jack. “There is much marine life that we know nothing about. For example, there is a jellyfish, called the immortal jellyfish, that cannot die from natural causes. The cells just revert back to stem cells. It would be amazing to study a species that has showed us that death is just an adaptation,” he said.
Jack, now age 15 and in grade nine, was an eighth- grader when he created his project. His fellow com- petitors included several high school students, and all had to defend their work to a panel of scientists.
Jack’s project was named Franklin County Champion (there was also a first-place Grand Champion). In Feb- ruary, Jack will compete at the state level at a three- day fair in Harrisburg.
“These jellyfish are taking over the oceans, so there is a plethora of them that we can study to see how they adapted and what sort of con- ditions made them adapt to their environment. WaterStriders gives me a great start by studying water and life in the creek.”
Science is an ongoing interest for Jack. He com- pleted two summer intern-
Congratulations to Jack on this huge accomplishment, and we wish him good luck at the state level competition!
The 33rd annual science fair was open to all Franklin and Fulton County students in grades K–12.
In addition, Jack is a recruit for Hagerstown Community College’s STEMM (science, technology, engi- neering, math, medical) Technical Middle College, and completed a course through that program over the summer. He is also a Star Scout with Boy Scout Troop 88.
Jack is a member of Renfrew In- stitute’s WaterStriders (student stream monitoring group).
His science fair project, “Fear: What Are You Afraid Of?” showed a correlation between how fear changes with age. Jack collected data from more than 450 people. The project won first place in its category at the science fair, earning a place at the
We asked Jack what he likes best about studying science. “I am most interested in marine biology,” he said. “I want to learn more about the oceans because we know more about outer space than about the deepest parts of the ocean.”
Jack won a trophy for earning the Champion prize in the Franklin Science and Technology Fair’s 2016 Championship Competition.
a Parent’s view of Waterstriders
In a note to WaterStrider instructor, Emma Lewis, Kirsten Hubbard wrote, “I can tell what Jack likes not by effusive enthusiasm, but by intense focus. And he likes WaterStriders! You are the ones
spending time with our kids and passing on your message to a new generation. Truly, I thank you! “
Kirsten continued, “This program has been instrumental in developing Jack’s interest in science...it gives him somewhere that honors, supports, and develops that interest.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! I simply could not have imagined a better program or instructors!” (See article above on Jack’s science award)
We asked Jack why he enjoys WaterStriders. “What I like about WaterStriders is that it meets what I love about science and marine biology. The testing of the water interests me. You can't do that anywhere else.”
WaterStriders is sponsored by John R. Hershey, III/RBC Wealth Management, and by Jay & Pat Heefner. 21