Mackenzie Wilson, 14, didn’t plan on doing a science fair project initially. However, she became intrigued when one of her dogs developed a persistent rash that she suspected was linked to its food. She wanted to investigate the chemicals that people were feeding their pets. In her research, Mackenzie came across studies indicating that a preservative called BHT could be harmful. This led her to focus on this particular chemical compound.
She ground up three popular dry dog food brands used by many of her friends and family. Then she soaked the powder in alcohol to extract the BHT. She utilized various techniques to analyze the BHT content in the food, including spectroscopic analysis and high-performance liquid chromatography. All three brands – Acana, Wilderness, and Wellness – were found to contain around 0.1 percent BHT, despite none of the nutritional labels mentioning it.
Mackenzie, who aspires to be a veterinarian, conducted this project while in eighth grade at Eastern Middle School in Riverside, Connecticut. Her research landed her as a finalist in the 2024 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge. She also Received 2nd place science award in contest. This competition is organized by the Society for Science, aimed at promoting science education and awareness.
In a reflection on her science fair experience, Mackenzie shared her thoughts:
What did you like most about this project?
“We definitely use all the machines,” McKenzie said. To conduct her research, she enrolled in a program in which students in her district visit high school labs early every week. “It was really fun working with all the instruments and learning how they work,” she says. “Another really fun part was explaining the research to the people who got the dog food brands.”
What was it like the first time you went to a science fair?
“I was very nervous,” Mackenzie said. “I had never done anything like that before.” Despite the nerves, she found the fair experience enjoyable and fulfilling. “I made a lot of friends,” she says. “You meet a lot of new people with different ideas…You learn more about science by just going to a science fair and not winning anything, just going there and experiencing it.”
What was the most difficult part of the project?
“What was difficult was having to work on the weekends.” [and] I had to wake up really early,” Mackenzie said. Balancing science fair projects with schoolwork and extracurricular activities was challenging. “There was a national field hockey tournament one weekend, so I had to go to work right before I left for Pennsylvania to practice my entire science presentation.”
Tips for balancing science fairs with other activities?
Organization is key. “I use Google Calendar,” McKenzie says. “This really helps with juggling everything and being in control,” she added, and if anyone is wondering whether to try a science project, give it a try. . “It might end up being very good for you, but even if it doesn’t, you’ll learn. And you can always try it next year.”
Source: www.snexplores.org
