A2N.aheiatet'FarinlAg, Saturday, March 122, 1987 Ag Science (Continued from Page A 22) worked only to 3 weeks, when mold started to form. Sarah indicated that textbooks would show that the pH of the albumin would rise to 8 when molding. She found out the pH actually dropped to 6.4. Sarah is considering choosing a degree in food science and study ing the biological sciences in a four-year college. She is enrolled in honors biology at Hempfield. Her adviser at Hempfield is Robert H. Hertzler. A future ppjeet for her school will involve looking at the vari ables involved in preserving eggs without refrigeration. Charity Irvine Charity Irvine, 17, daughter of Keith and Rebecca Irvine, Ephrata, is a senior at Ephrata High School. Charity won third place in the biology division of the fair with her project, “Molting Away the Bacteria.”. Charity was inspired by an arti cle her adviser, Patricia Wee, handed her regarding research into how bacteria could promote degra dation of keratin in bird feathers from Wesleyan University. The article in the university’s magazine reviewed some of the research about how the bacteria was degrading the feathers and looked at the environmental conditions present to cause the degradation. After Charityxontaclcd the uni versity, they'Sent her jars contain ing feathers from White Leghorn chickens. Charity looked at the effects of high humidity, moisture, and other conditions compared to control studies using two strains of the same bacteria, called Bacillus lichenformis : Strains 1388 and 1888. What she found was that the 1888 strain worked better when the jar was shaken and contained 100 percent humidity. She found the 1388 strain to create high test weight differences because of a combination of the bacteria with the medium used, bonding with feathers to cause feather weight gain. Charity and the uni versity are looking into some of the reasons why birds “molt” or lose their fathers. Could it be the bacteria alone? Could it be the interac tion of the bacteria and hormones? Researchers still don’t know. One of the practical uses of this research would be to make the feathers useful as lives tock feed. The research could help find a way to allow the bacteria to break down the keratin, which impedes diges tion of the feathers for feed. Charity said there are 225,000 pounds of waste feathers gener ated in the industry every year, which could translate someday into a lot of feed. Charity plans to attend either Harvard or Cornell to study the sciences with •plans for „ graduate school. She enjoys two of her advanced place ment courses: European History and Composi tion Language, in addi tion to Chemistry II and Prominent This year she enjoys advanced placement literature and psychology. JanellC Hoover Janelle Hoover, IS. is the daughter of Marty and Lois Hoov er, Schoeneck. She is a sophomore at Ephrata High School and won an honorable mention with her pro ject, "The Effects of Feed Protein Content On Growth Rate and Lit ter Size of Mice.” Janelle is enrolled in Ag Science II at Ephrata. Janelle, who lives on a 2Vi acre farmetle, said the idea of looking into the effects of protein feed on mice Came about because she already was raising 2,000 mice upstairs in the bam and looking at the effects of feed on their growth. The enterprise came about as a result of a church project which challenged the family to take $5 and multiply it. They purchased the mice from a pet store. The mice were placed in plastic storage con tainers with wire covers and a place for feed and water bottles. At her farm, a total of 180 con tainers hold the mice. She brought 96 mice to school to further study the effects of feed. Janelle looked into three methods to cut feed costs. One feed plan used a control feed (pel lets with 16 percent protein), one plain com, and the other plain soybeans. Her results with com, there was little gain but the mice looked good. With soybeans, the rate of gain was improved but the mice lacked energy. With the control feed, the mice tripled in weight Janelle split the entire mouse population into two separate groups, control and test. The groups woe separated into two divisions; breeders and growers. She looked at the reproduction rate of the growers on the different feed and looked at the gain of the growers. Of the growers, there woe three groups: of each group, two were fed the control, two were fed the com, and two woe fed soybeans. The same happened with the breeders. The results? With all the groups, the mice on com “looked nicer” Janelle said, but the rate of gain and other factors improved with the ice on soybeans. Janelle, who enjoys World Cul tures, Biology, and English at Ephrata, plans to study large ani mal veterinary medicine at Penn State. She is enrolled in advanced placement biology at Ephrata. Project adviser at Ephrata is ag science instructor Jodi L. Brown. Joanne Zimmerman Joanne Zimmerman, who is enrolled in Ag Science m and Plant Science I at Ephrata, won first place for her unique physics project, “The Effects of the Invisi ble on the Visible.” Joanne, 17, is the daughter of David and Joyce Zimmerman, Reinholds. The Ephrata High School junior’s project involved studying air resistance (the invisible factor) on a bullet (the visible) and how Produce Auction Season Begins EPHRATA (Lancaster Co.) More than daffodils are blooming now that spring’s officially arrived. Spring has signalled the start not only of backyard flowers, but also produce auctions. As a result, Lancaster Farming has contacted the regional produce auction managers and compiled this list of starting dates and times for many auctions. Some auctions already kicked off the local produce season but most feature only bedding plant and related materials. Cumberland Valley began March 13 and Kutztown and Ship pensburg began March 18. Snyd er’s began March 21. Following is a list of auction starting dates and times and mater ials going on the block: # Buffalo Valley Produce Auction, Mifflin burg. Season begins April 29 and is held every Tuesday and Thursday. • Cumberland Valley Produce, Shippensburg. Season opened March 13 and runs every Tuesday and Thursday at 9:30 a.m. The auc tion is selling bedding plants and different bullet shapes effect speed and targeting. Joanne got the idea from a sug gestion from one of her family members. She studied two diffe rent bullets: round-nose and spitzer-(pointed) nose, both hol low points. The bullets were 7 mm caliber fired from an XP-100 Remington pistol. She spent a lot of time research ing the project and read about 18 books on ballistics, trajectories, air resistance, and other factors. She used equipment to determine the exact velocity of the bullets. What Joanne found was that the aerodynamics determined how much air resistance was a factor in slowing the bullet down. The spit zer bullet was more accurate because it was delivered to the target quicker the round-nose slowed down and was less accu- some fruits and vegetables. • Kutztown Produce Auction, Fleetwood. Began Tuesday, March 18 and operates every Tues day and Thursday at 11 a.m. for produce, nursery stock, and flowers. • Lebanon Produce Auction, Reistville. Auction begins Friday, May 2, to start, featuring bedding plants and flowers. • Leinbach’s Shippensburg Pro duce Auction, Shippensburg, Auc tion began March 18 from 11 a.m. with flowers, hi April, auction is rate. The more air resistance there is, the more time the bullet has to fall down and away from the target. The research methodology Joanne used, she believes, can be “applied to any area of science.*' Joanne used Publisher software on her home computer to put together a brochure on her project She made use of a digital camera and scanner at the school, along with other software, to compile the extensive graphics and charts for her project Her project adviser at Ephrata is Larry E. Hess. Joanne has looked into a couple of two-year and four-year colleges and may pursue a career in graphics. She is enrolled in Ag Sci ence 111 and Plant Science I. Her favorite course is Communica tions n. every Tuesday and Thursday at 11 a.m. • Leola Produce Auction, Leo la. First sale is Tuesday, April 1,10 a.m. • Snyder County Produce Auc tion, Port Trevorton. Began Fri day, March 21, at noon with Easter flowers. Beginning April 18, bed ding plants and shrubbery will be sold at noon. • The Windmill Produce Auc tion, Penn Van, N.Y. Auction begins Friday, May 2, from 10 a.m. until mid-June with strawberries.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers