ALBANY, GA -
Young scientists from 17 counties in Southwest Georgia showed off their knowledge on Friday.
They're competing in the 40th annual Darton College Regional Science Fair.
And a few of them have some ideas that could revolutionize the way that we get our energy in the future.
Dylan Globerman is one of them. He's always had an interest in science.
The Colquitt County High School Senior said, "i've always really been interested in engineering as a whole and how things work."
Ijermon Cheatham - a Senior at Americus-Sumter High School - has had a lifelong love with science too.
"Sometimes I would watch science fiction TV shows and movies and I always thought to myself that someday this is something that could actually happen," she said.
While we all remember our science fair projects, the topics that these two are tackling is so much more than the usual exploding volcano.
Globerman said, "my entire project was designed to construct an energy generation project using a very low budget. So it could be used in Third World countries where energy is not readily available."
As for Cheatham: "I thought about it as a way of expanding the uses of magnetism. You know how it's been used so far in things like water purification, which separates any metals in water."
And they're not alone in tackling the big issues of the day.
Doug Wyatt is a Professor of Biology at Darton College. He said, "these students are really pushing forward to try to keep up with the technology that's out there these days."
With the final touches on their projects in place, the waiting began.
The dozens of judges from around the community spent about an hour looking over the projects. They looked at how the students presented their arguments and what kind of conclusions that they've drawn.
The students then filed their way back into the gymnasium and waited patiently for the judges to make their rounds. The students then defended their work for the dozens of judges who looked at the 200 or so projects.
They had plenty of questions.
For Ijermon: "what my project was about and how it was used. How it could be used."
And for Dylan? "She asked me about how I got the idea for this project, basically what I did. So I went through the thermodynamic cycle of the engine itself."
The students answer the best that they can. Globerman even had cell phone video to show his experiment. The judges seemed impressed with what they saw.
The interaction between the two - while nerve-wracking for the students - is important.
"These students are looking for them for advice," said Professor Wyatt.
Events like today's are important for the future of the nation. This is where tomorrow's scientists often get started.
Professor Wyatt said, "some of this research will be built upon, just like all science is built upon."
If more students do work like these two have done, then the future for American science looks bright indeed.
Copyright 2012 WALB. All rights reserved.
It literally IS rocket science at the 40th Darton College Science and Engineering Fair.
Westover High School students wait for the judges to look at their presentations.
A topical project at the Science Fair - and one that will become more important in the years ahead as water will become an increasingly precious commodity.
Dylan Globerman of Colquitt County High School in Moultrie explains his project to one of the judges.
Now its Ijermon Cheatham's turn. His project was on possible future energy uses of magnets.
