How do different temperatures affect honey? Does white bread, wheat bread or sourdough bread grow the most mold? Which brand of popcorn leaves the fewest un-popped kernels?

More than 50 Joint Base Lewis-McChord airmen spent part of Wednesday morning pondering the answers to those science questions as part of their volunteer judging responsibilities at a science fair at Carter Lake Elementary.

Seventy-seven fourth- and fifth-graders created poster boards detailing their chosen science questions and answers for a class project. Airmen were given a judging criteria worksheet and worked their way around the gymnasium at JBLM-McChord Field's Youth Center making notes and rating the projects in a variety of grading categories.

"Creativity is definitely a plus, but as long as they have all the information that they are supposed to that is really what matters," said Airman 1st Class Christina Masulit, a member of the 62nd Force Support Squadron.

Masulit studied intently the poster board in front of her before jotting down notes on a project attempting to answer a question about the effects of acetic acid vinegar on bones, eggs and seashells.

"Being a fourth- and fifth-grader, I probably wouldn't have thought of half of these questions," she said. "I want to see why they came up with some of these."

Across the gym, fifth-grader Emily Ross was receiving feedback on her project detailing the "Magic of Mold."

"I wish the cutting was a little smoother," she said of some pieces of paper she glued onto her board, carefully scrutinizing the small details. "(The feedback) is nice. It's interesting and (the judges) like it. I haven't heard any negative feedback."

Master Sgt. Brian Baker, an advisor in the 62nd Airlift Wing's equal opportunity office, participated in the event last year as a judge and decided to return this year.

"It's well worth the time so I wanted to come out and do it again," he said. "It was really interesting to talk with the students and see how they come up with the project."

And while the more creative and thought-provoking questions received slightly higher marks in certain categories, judges were thoroughly impressed with everything they saw.

"Of the three I've graded so far, I like this one so far the best," Baker said of the project detailing the affects of acetic acid vinegar on certain items. "It's a little bit more time-intensive and more thought-provoking of the three I've seen."
Awards were handed out for the top three projects in each grade.