Project Information

Aaron Hakim

Grade Category: 7-9

Team Size: 1

Subject Area: Health / Life Sciences

Project Type: Experimental

Language: English

Project Summary: In several trials, bean or radish seeds were germinated in a hostile, artificial environment containing H202 as a source of free radicals. Vitamin A, C and E were added to these seeds to study their protective effects as antioxidants. Vitamin A was the Vitamin which best promoted seed germination. See Detailed Project Summary

Software used: MS Excel, MS Word, MS Front Page, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat, MS Digital Image Suite, Microsoft Paint and Coffee Cup HTML Editor.

Hardware used: Scanner, Digital Camera
Special Skills: An understanding of "html" and "dhtml" languages

Source of the Idea for the project: It is quite difficult to find a medical journal or newspaper that does not mention the Free Radical Theory of Aging. Beginning in the summer of 2004, I was researching potential topic ideas for a science fair project. Eventually coming across free radical research, I attempted to formulate an experimental design which could test the protective effects of different vitamins against this biological stress.

Awards won for the project:

(1) At the Bay Area Science and Engineering Fair
            - The BASEF Pinnacle for 3^rd Best in Fair and the Dofasco Prize
            - The Roy Middleton Best Junior Project Award
            - Canada-Wide Science Fair Trip Award, Vancouver May 2005
            - Gold Merit Award
            - Science Teachers Association of Ontario Award
            - The Dr. M. Doyle Best Biology Project Award

(2) At the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Vancouver
- Junior Life Sciences Gold Medal Award
- University of Western Ontario Scholarship

Back to the Canada Wide Virtual Science Fair

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