6 Power Up!

CHAPTER SIX Power Up! Biodegradation (noun). A chemical process where matter is broken down by microorganisms like fungi. Fungi is the plural of fungus. This gives a whole new meaning to "there's a fungus among us." ON MONDAY AFTERNOON, Ms. Daly stood in the front of the science lab. It was after lunch, and everyone in my class was working on their STEM projects. "I'm going to give you"—she glanced at her watch—"a few more minutes to get organized. And then I want everyone to show off your materials and how you plan to use them with group members." Oh, I couldn't wait to do that! The class had been split into five groups. Ms. Daly put me with Jeremy, Memito, and Phoenix. The idea was that we were supposed to think through our projects together. And help each other, if we needed it. At the next table, Birdie was with Elijah, Avery, and Rory. I waved at her. And she waved back. I wished I could be with her. "When one of you is demonstrating your project," said Ms. Daly, holding up a pencil, "the rest of you will write down observations. For

example, you could write, 'I see a clear liquid.' When everyone is finished, hand in your notes. That means even when it's not your turn to present, you'll be actively learning and participating." "Will we be tested on this?" asked Avery in a worried voice. She's pretty competitive when it comes to grades. I guess I am, too. "Nope, no quiz," said Ms. Daly. "But I will give everyone participation points." Lots of kids sighed with relief. While we set up our materials, everyone in my group started talking about what they'd do with the money if they won on STEM night. Which wasn't actually that far away, just eleven days. "I'd use the prize money to get new soccer goals for the school," said Jeremy. "Soccer is great," said Phoenix. "But we already have cones. They work fine. I think we need to buy some big composting bins for the garden." "Actually, we need to get more raised garden beds, to supply veggies for the cooking club," said Memito. "Which we'll definitely need to start." "Kate, what are you going to do with your money, if you win?" asked Jeremy. "I don't know." I flipped through my binder. "I'm still trying to figure it out."

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Ms. Gottfried, our librarian, stroll into the lab. A black camera with a maroon strap hung around her neck. "Don't mind me, everyone," she said. "I'm taking photos and video for our school website." Soon enough, I was scribbling furious notes while I listened to Phoenix. She held up a 2-liter soda bottle that had been cut in half so the bottom could serve as a stand for the top half turned upside down. Dirt, orange peels, and shredded napkins filled the inside. Memito held his nose. "That's stinky." "It's kind of awesome," said Jeremy. "I agree!" I wrote: awesome way to recycle a bottle. "I want to dump that bottle on my brother's pillow," said Jeremy with a sly smile. "It's not something to just throw away," sniffed Phoenix. "Everything comes from the earth. And most of it can be recycled, reused, or composted. If you throw it into a landfill, it just sits there." As Phoenix stirred the dirt with a spoon, I studied the criteria judges would be using to evaluate our projects. They would be looking at 1) scientific thought, 2) thoroughness, 3) demonstrated skills, and 4) our ability to communicate our project and make STEM connections. There was no doubt that Phoenix

would be able to do all of that. I couldn't get jealous. Scientists need to support each other. I pointed at the compost pail. "Hey, that's cool chemistry!" I motioned over to Ms. Gottfried. "You should get a photo of this." Ms. Gottfried glided closer. Pushing up her aqua-colored glasses on her nose, she grinned. "Good idea." Then I could hear her camera going click, click, click. "Kate's right," said Phoenix. "Composting is chemistry. According to my research, biodegradation is a chemical process where stuff is broken down by microorganisms like bacteria. But only some things break down that way." She pointed to pieces of plastic in the pail. "That's why I cut up lids from yogurt cartons. I predict they won't get broken down." Memito winced and wrote down in giant letters: can be stinky. "Sure you're not talking about your socks?" teased Phoenix. "My socks and your dirt," said Memito. During his turn, he held up a bag of dried fruit, and my stomach tightened. His project looked so far along. "Did you already finish your project?" asked Jeremy, who had been reading my thoughts.

"Yup," said Memito. "I was so excited to get started." While he talked about the science of drying fruit, I tried to contain my worry about being behind. Instead, I focused on the fact that Ms. Gottfried was now filming Birdie. Yay Birdie! She was talking about her chromatography project. I wanted to clap when Birdie held up her project, which almost looked like a tie-dye cloth, with splashes of sea blue, plum, and hot pink. She had just as many colors as Avery, who sat next to her with jars of DIY lip gloss. "Ahem," grumbled Memito, poking me in the shoulder. "Oh, sorry!" I whirled back around. Memito waved a baggie of dried mangos. "Don't you want some?" "Sure!" I grabbed a morsel of fruit leather. "Mmm, this tastes so perfect." "Thanks," said Memito. "Which means I'm not going to put it anywhere near that bottle of dirt." "Compost," corrected Phoenix. "Okay, everyone, it's fruit-powered battery time." I waved my arms. "Hey, Ms. Gottfried. Do you want to see the true power of a lemon?" I pointed to the one on the table. "Get ready!"

该页暂无翻译