"Throughout its history, the R&D Forum has given students of all ages the opportunity to showcase their work and gain recognition for their effort and creativity."

Dr. Kaplan, Superintendent

According to the district's newsletter Inside, 2002, volume 10, issue 3, in 2001/02 school year the district had 43 National Merit Finalists (compared to 47 previous year) and 23 Kansas Governor Scholars. According to Dr. Kaplan's published letter, the theme of the Forum is "Showcasing Student Excellence." As in recent years, many immigrants were among the winners of top-level prizes.

The fact that the SMSD did not sink with other local districts to the level of Kansas City, Missouri public schools is one of the many achievements of Superintendent Dr. Kaplan, who in the early 90's convinced politicians to convert the then temporary Local Option Budget included in 1991 school law to a permanent feature.

In spite of the financial battle, the district even included new student performance events to the Forum named "Live at the Forum!" with a "Science Festival" at the "Science and Health" section.

The Pawnee Science Club prepared a demonstration of 8 electricity experiments for the "Science Festival" with the purpose of illustrating how elementary school children can participate in real scientific engineering projects almost as researchers with college degrees! When invited for a demonstration, the district's Curriculum Director Mrs. Betsy Degen did not show any interest and left the scene after two experiments. Later, it was a challenge to convince her that all the demonstrated experiments did not exceed elementary school curriculum in science and were taken from elementary school textbooks.

Junk science from a trashcan at the Forum

While using junk from a trashcan is common for scientists with limited funds, they produce great inventions. Morse, for instance, used parts of a broken chair for his first model of the telegraph; Edison used bamboo from old broom for his first electric bulb, etc. However, many Shawnee Mission students produce junk science from a trashcan that was exhibited at the Forum on its 40th anniversary. Some samples are listed bellow to illustrate the point.

1. Balls on an inclined plane

Hypothesis: If the sphere's mass is larger, then the sphere will go faster.

Conclusion: The largest one of the group, the Basketball, came out the fastest on the incline plane.

Correct answer: The speed and acceleration of a sphere do not at all depend on its mass.

2. Pendulum

Problem: Does the amount of mass on the end of a string affect how many times it will swing back and forth like a pendulum?

Hypothesis: If objects with a greater mass have more gravitational pull, then heavier objects attached to the end of the string will exert more force and swing back and forth like a pendulum more than lighter objects because inertia is dependent of how much mass an object has and objects with greater mass have greater inertia.

Conclusion: The screw had more mass than the control group and less than the world ball, but had had the same amount of oscillations as the world ball. The screw's mass was 10.5g and the world ball was 32.5g, but each had an average of 115 oscillations. It can be concluded that this was because of the different sizes of the variables. The world ball was big and round, and the screw was small and thin, therefore, the word ball would have more friction and air resistance working against it. This was the only variable that had results like this though. Therefore, the hypothesis was accepted.

Correct answer: The period of oscillation of a pendulum does not depend on its mass.

3. Faster than light

Title: Faster than light.

Correct answer: Nothing can be faster than light.

4. Loud music

Hypothesis: If loud music is played while a person is trying to do math problems, then the music will effect the accuracy of the answers of the math problems.

Comment: Equivalent statement: it will be painful if somebody will hit your head with a bat.

5. Vegetable electricity 1

Correct answer: What in the numerous projects is called "vegetable electricity" or "vegetable voltage" is actually a battery constructed from two metal electrodes inserted in vegetables. The vegetables themselves are used only as containers of some kind of acid. The output voltage depends on the kind of metal electrodes used (usually it is a zinc/copper pair), the kind of acid, and its concentration.

6. Vegetable electricity 2

Statement: Fruits and vegetables contain electricity. The purpose of this experiment is to see which fruits and vegetables give off more electricity. Which fruits or vegetables give off more electrical current?

Results: The average volts for the potato were 13.5 volt. The average volts for the lemon were 14.8 volts. See chart 1.

Correct answer: Potato and lemon batteries do not give the voltage of car battery; they produce voltages under 1 volt and very weak current.

7. Battery's capacity vs. size

Problem: If the smaller batteries equaled the same voltage as the bigger battery, does it still give off the same amount of energy?

Conclusion: The given information tells that the size of the battery does not influence the energy. The voltage is what really matters.

Correct answer: The brightness of the light bulb depends on current through it. Current depends on the applied voltage, which is the same for all sizes of batteries of the same brand when they are new and were stored for same amount of time after being manufactured. However, larger size batteries can produce higher current or serve longer if the current is the same. The bigger batteries provide more energy.

8. Battery's power vs. price

Statement of the problem: Does the price of a battery affect the power it has?

Hypothesis: When an expensive battery and a generic battery are tested as an electromagnet, the Duracell and Eveready battery will pick up the same amount of strait pins. Price will not effect the strength of an electromagnet.

Conclusion: The data shows that the Duracell battery was a better electromagnet, picking up more straight pins. We believe that Duracell battery was stronger because it is more expensive, so it is possible that it contains better materials. Therefore, the hypothesis that stated the expensive and generic brands would perform at the same rate was not supported, and the expensive brand was a stronger electromagnet.

Correct answer: A battery cannot be used as electromagnet. A battery can only provide power for an electromagnet. If the project results are real, they only mean that Duracell batteries have a higher voltage. What is called "power" in the project is actually the battery's capacity, i.e. how long a particular battery can work at given current.

9. Magnetic nails

Comment: Nails are not magnetic; they can be only attracted by magnets

10. Perpetum Mobile (Latin. Means Perpetual Engine)

This project won an award of distinguish. In the paper it was stated that the author invented a TV set static generator and electrostatic motor. Actually, a TV set static generator was invented by .Dr. Krinke at SPU in Seattle, and the electrostatic motor was described in Popular Science by Dr. Oleg Jefimenko in 1971, April and May issues! Without any doubt, the project is an intended plagiarism because all information was used from a single source without mentioning it in the paper though source was listed in the bibliography.

In the conclusion section of the paper it was stated that after turning on the TV set just once, the invented motor runs for up to 25 second. According to the source where the "inventor" got the description of the motor, it can spin only one-two turns at each TV set turn on even if all measures are taken to provide a free spinning of the rotor bottle. The motor demonstrated at the Forum did not spin at all due to high friction. This means that the project is a falsification. Falsification and intended plagiarism.

When Mrs. Degen was asked how it happened that so many projects demonstrated illiteracy and ignorance of sponsors and mentors, she stated that "It [projects] is not open for scrutiny and examination by anybody other than the prejudges, and when you chose to take pictures of these projects and when you chose to do your analysis, you were stepping into an area that was not appropriate and if you will continue down this line, I been advised that we need to refer this matter to our district attorney because we believe that you are violating these children's rights."

What rights? The Forum was open to the public and anyone, any newspaper has the right to express their opinion. Many visitors took pictures. There were not any signs that taking pictures is prohibited.

This case has nothing to do with children. It is about sponsors, mentors, and judges. All of the discussed projects were prejudged by schoolteachers and recommended for blue ribbons. How could teachers give the highest scores for projects that should be graded an "F" and not tell students that they did them incorrectly? Or does this show their own ignorance? How could judges see these projects and award them blue ribbons? Or does this show their own ignorance? And finally, why did the district administration prohibit the presence of a Science Club sponsor, project mentor, and newspaper publisher to be present during judging? Why did the district's Curriculum Director Mrs. Degen refuse to see a demonstration of 8 experiments during the Forum when she was invited and started to examine the student with a clear purpose to demonstrate that the student does not know anything about the project? Why did she not question the student whom she gave an Award of Distinguish, whose project turned out to be plagiarism and falsification? Yet, it turned out that his mother is one of two leading activists of the movement that can be called "More money, more money!" What rights have been violated? Children's right for plagiarism and falsification? Where were the district's high school science, chemistry, and physics teachers? Why did they not speak up about the project's level at the Forum? Maybe they are ignorant too? No, not to this degree. Maybe they were afraid to raise their voice? If so, what were they afraid off?

Unfortunately, in the State of Kansas, students' plagiarism not only does not punished, but is even encouraged. Anybody who fights against it is punished (see Reader's Digest, July 2002, page 39, plagiarism case at Piper High School in Piper, Kansas).

If you will disqualify a project that was plagiarism and falsification, you do not punish anybody. If you do not disqualify a project that was plagiarism and falsification, you will punish students who deserve an Award of Distinguish. Other students that submitted ignorant projects are not guilty. Their sponsors and prejudges are guilty. The Forum judges are guilty. However, students should be informed about their mistakes. Would they be informed that next year their projects would be disqualified?

Morse used a broken chair to build his first telegraph. It was a great job from trash. Thomas Edison used a bamboo straw from an old broom for his first electric bulb. It was a great job from trash. It is great to use trash, but not to make junk science. If elementary schoolteachers and administrators are illiterate in elementary science knowledge, this does not mean that elementary school students should suck pacifiers. If they can have babies at age of 12-13, sure, they can develop real electric cars of the future, large flat TV screens, anti-hijacking system, and many other real inventions under the guidance of qualified mentors if the district's officials would not prohibit Science Clubs and would not tolerate plagiarism and falsifications at the Forum. Our motto is: "Any child can do what Thomas Edison did at his age."

While the Forum is part of the district's curriculum, Mr. Regnier and his foundation provide $15,000 each year for the Forum, according to Mrs. Degen, who is in charge of the Forum. In the past, she was a 4th, 5th, and 6th grade teacher, high school math teacher, and principal. She stated that she is the spokesperson for Mr. Regnier and his foundation. Why does she refuse to show a letter of authorization? Why does she refuse to give the phone number of the Regnier foundation? Why is it secret? Because any business is kept in secret, because everything was decided secretly by secret judges who were selected in secrecy. In the former Soviet Union, secrecy was very popular, but not to this degree. At least in schools, honesty and justice was taught not only in theory, but in practice too. In all competitions in math, physics, chemistry in which I competed, I got first places if I deserved them.

This year Pawnee Elementary School held their annual Invention Convention, in which all 6th grade students participated. Inventions prepared by students were judged according to tradition by secretly-selected judges. A distaste for the secrecy of judgment could not be exemplified better than at the mentioned convention: the only real invention at this convention, which is patent pending with the U.S. Patent Office, got only 74% of available points, or a grade of C. There is no hope that this only real and extremely important invention will go to the SM R&D Forum. There are not enough points for this. It does not matter that the inventor got a personal letter of gratitude from President Bush and that both Kansas Senators replied with letters that recognize the great importance of the problem. The invention is related to national security.

To be continued