Palmetto Chapter AMS volunteers for Science and Engineering Fair

The Palmetto chapter of the AMS assisted in judging projects at the Central South Carolina 50th Annual Region II Science and Engineering Fair, held in Columbia, South Carolina on March 31, 2006. Participating as judges this year were Robert Buckley (head judge) of the Savannah River National Laboratory, Leonard Vaughan of the National Weather Service (Columbia), 2^nd Lt. Ryan Barnes, Capt. Amy Phillips, and Capt. Steve Phillips of Shaw Air Force Base, 28th Operational Weather Squadron. In a special category involving the atmospheric sciences, the Palmetto chapter awarded prizes to the top individual in each of two age categories: junior division (grades 5 to 8), and senior division (grades 9 to 12).

In addition to a certificate of acknowledgement from the American Meteorological Society, the Palmetto chapter provided the winners a National Audubon Society Handbook of North American Meteorology.

Braden Reese, an 8^th grader at Hopkins Middle School, won the junior division award with an earth and space sciences category project discussing comparisons of weather predictions using homemade instruments (barometer, hygrometer, anemometer) with common folklore predictions. The senior division prize went to Daniel Dye, a 10^th grade student at Covenant Christian School. His project (under the category of environmental sciences) discussed the affects of acid rain on different types of building materials and incorporated average rainfall estimates in the area.