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Genna Greenberger, a 15-year-old student at Portage Central High School, will receive a $500 scholarship from MichiganScience for her winning submission to our "Scientific or Not?" essay contest. Her essay, titled "Under the Sea," describes why the Disney animated feature "The Little Mermaid" defies the laws of science.
The contest required students in grades 6 through 12 to analyze in 500 words a scientific fact or fallacy from a book, movie, song or other pop-culture medium. The contest was sponsored by MichiganScience and Edmund Scientifics®, a premier supplier of science kits and other educational materials.
"At the bottom of the ocean, mermaids should implode from water pressure, making the movie ‘The Little Mermaid’ scientifically impossible," Greenberger concluded. "Sebastian the Crab couldn’t live on the bottom of the sea, either. Sebastian’s crustaceous exoskeleton would snap and be crushed under the pressure that far underwater."
Greenberger learned of the contest from Cheryl Hach, a teacher at the Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center. Greenberger relied on the Internet for most of her research.
"I found a good school-use Web site that had a lot of diagrams and helpful information to understand the differences between air pressure and water pressure," she said. "I had no idea that water pressure is so enormous."
Science likely will figure in Greenberger’s future. "Science really is interesting," she said. "There are so many little things you need to learn in order to understand the Big Ideas … to learn just how complex and perfect things need to be in order to work [such as] the human body and the Earth."
Greenberger is considering a career in either neonatology or meteorology. "Both interest me a lot," she said. "I would really like to do something with the human body that could help people." The desire to help also motivates her interest in meteorology. "A meteorologist informs people and helps them to prepare for things."
Two other students from Portage Central High School also were named as contest winners. Second place was awarded to Alisha Kamboj for her essay on the scientific errors in the film "The Day After Tomorrow," which depicted the supposed cataclysmic consequences of global climate change. Third place was awarded to Phoebe Huberty, who analyzed why the Fizzy Lifting Drink featured in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" could not have lifted the young Charlie and his grandfather into the air. Kamboj and Huberty will receive gift certificates redeemable for science kits and games through Edmund Scientifics®.
A new essay contest will be announced in the next issue of MichiganScience.
First Place Winner
Under the Sea
By Genna Greenberger
Second Place Winner
“The Day after Tomorrow” Ignores Scientific Principles
By Alisha Kamboj
Third Place Winner
Full of Hot Air
Willie Wonka’s Fizzy Lifting Drink Scientifically Unworkable
By Phoebe Huberty
|
Student |
School/Teacher |
Essay Topic |
|
Chelsea Angel Grade 9 |
Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center Teacher: Cheryl Hach |
Fevers and “Mother Knows Best” |
|
Amelia Atkinson |
Portage Central High School/Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center Teacher: Cheryl Hach |
The Day After Tomorrow |
|
Harry Bauer Grade 9 |
Marshall High School Teacher: Mrs. Demorest |
The Unreality of the Halo Series |
|
Christy Billings Grade 6 |
C.W. Otto Middle School, Lansing Teacher: Stephanie Chandel |
Star Wars |
|
Hayley Braun Grade 9 |
Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center Teacher: Cheryl Hach |
Kyle XY |
|
Gina Calco Grade 9 |
Portage High School/ Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center Teacher: Cheryl Hach |
The Day After Tomorrow |
|
Ashley Connors Grade 11 |
Gladstone Area High School, Gladstone |
Optical Blasts in the X-Men |
|
Matthew Cross Grade 11 |
Lake Orion High School, Lake Orion |
Multiverses on Television |
|
Nick Drake Grade 9 |
Harper Woods High School |
Star Trek’s Orientation Problem |
|
Nika Duan Grade 8 |
Frost Middle School, Livonia Teacher: Carim Calkins |
Infrared Dots in Rap Music |
|
Sarah Erdman Grade 9 |
Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center Teacher: Cheryl Hach |
Scurvy in Pirates of the Caribbean |
|
Patric Germay |
Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center Teacher: Cheryl Hach |
Superman |
|
|
|
|
|
Jing Guo Grade 12 |
Troy High School Teacher: Rebecca Johns |
Laser Beams |
|
Sidney Helmer Grade 9 |
Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center Teacher: Cheryl Hach |
Light Sabers in Star Wars |
|
Robert Hsu Grade 8 |
Hillsdale Middle School, Hillsdale Teacher: Dwight Sieggreen |
Global Warming |
|
Wendy Impellizzeri Grade 9 |
Home School, Caledonia |
Star Wars, Episode IV |
|
Joseph Kim Grade 11 |
Troy Athens High School, Troy Teacher: Deanna Fakhouri |
The Core |
|
Chelsea Litton Grade 8 |
Wilson Middle School, Wyandotte Teacher: Mrs. Martin |
The Day After Tomorrow |
|
John Liu Grade 12 |
Troy High School, Troy Teacher: Rebecca Johns |
Using 10 Percent of Our Brains |
|
Kurt Manuel Grade 11 |
Hazel Park High School Teacher: Amy Zitzelberger |
The Atom |
|
Eric McCarthy Grade 8 |
Southfield Christian, Southfield |
Star Trek and Warp Speed |
|
Meaghan McCowey Grade 9 |
Portage Northern High School/Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center Teacher: Cheryl Hach |
Star Trek and Sounds in Space |
|
Ben Mehne Grade 9 |
Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center Teacher: Cheryl Hach |
Giant Ants in the Film Them |
|
Aima Mori Grade 9 |
Troy Athens High School, Troy Teacher: Deanna Fakhouri |
Dragons in Christopher Paolini’s The Inheritance Trilogy |
|
Andrew Pan Grade 8 |
Pierce Middle School, Waterford |
Star Wars |
|
Mariam Zunnu Rain Grade 6 |
Huda School, Franklin Village |
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
|
Joe Rauen Grade 7 |
Frost Middle School, Livonia Teacher: Carim Calkins |
Metropolis |
|
Christina Rissman Grade 6 |
Carter Middle School, Warren |
Is There Sound in Outer Space? |
|
Gagandeep Singh Sanhu Grade 9 |
Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center Teacher: Cheryl Hach |
Star Wars |
|
Debbie Scheller Grade 9 |
Luke M. Powers Catholic High School, Flint |
Stargate SG-1 |
|
Sanjay Sharma Grade 9 |
Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center Teacher: Cheryl Hach |
Journey to the Center of the Earth |
|
Devin Sharp |
Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center Teacher: Cheryl Hach |
Spider Man and DNA Transformation |
|
Hali Shepherd Grade 9 |
Marshall High School Teacher: Mrs. Demorest |
Tornado Fallacies in the Film Twister |
|
Anthony Spalvieri-Kruse Grade 9 |
Portage High School/ Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center |
Back to the Future and Time Travel |
|
Liam Starr Grade 11 |
Troy Athens High School, Troy Teacher: Deanna Fakhouri |
Morality of Stem Cell Research |
|
Casey Lynn Sunden Grade 9 |
Gull Lake High School/ Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center Teacher: Cheryl Hach |
Kyle XY |
|
Jeanne Van Gilder Grade 10 |
Webberville Community Schools, Webberville Teacher: Ken Keyes |
Shape Shifters and the Law of Conservation of Mass |
|
Megan Walsh Grade 9 |
Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center |
King Kong |
|
Samantha Winter Grade 10 |
Marshall High School Teacher: Mrs. Demorest |
Stars |
|
Isabella Wu Grade 9 |
Portage Central High School/ Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center Teacher: Cheryl Hach |
Fallacies in Undersea Films |
|
Helen Yang Grade 11 |
Troy High School, Troy Teacher: Rebecca Johns |
Jaws |
