Project Garners Win For Local Student
When Barbara Slothower, Garden Spot Village (GSV) resident and retired Havertown science teacher, learned that fellow St. Stephen Reformed Church attendee and Hinkletown Mennonite School (HMS) student Jordis Patterson had an interest in aeroponics, she invited the youngster to visit the GSV aeroponic greenhouse, which had opened in spring 2016.
Fast forward three years to February 2019 when Patterson was mulling over possible science projects to complete for the HMS Academic Fair. "I wanted to compare and contrast seeds grown in potting soil versus seeds grown aeroponically," said Patterson, who had been reading up on the subject. The problem was that the apparatus needed for the experiment was cost prohibitive.
When Slothower heard about the situation, she enlisted Scott Weaver, GSV director of campus services, to ask if there might be a way Patterson could use the GSV aeroponic equipment to complete her project. Slothower explained that the GSV greenhouse located along Kinzer Avenue grows Swiss chard, lettuce, kale, and more vegetables to be used in the GSV kitchens. Extra vegetables are sold or donated to the CrossNet Food and Nutrition Center. Because the aeroponic greenhouse has limited hours, Weaver offered to move several of the portable pods to the GSV conservatory, where Patterson could monitor their growth on a daily basis at a time convenient to her.
By March 12, Patterson's science teacher, Michael Lichty, had approved her project, and the pods were in place. Patterson planted Rex butterhead lettuce seeds from the same seed packets into pots. Some seeds were planted in potting soil, and some were planted in the pods in rockwool that had been soaked in water. For the first three days after the seeds were planted, Slothower visited and recorded information so that Patterson could attend a school trip. Once Patterson returned, she juggled checking the plants with playing defense on the HMS soccer team. Because of the location of the seeds in the conservatory, she could check them daily until well into the evening, often arriving after 5:30 p.m. to measure the height and width of the plants, count the number of leaves, and take photos. She also checked temperature, humidity, and weather, and every three days, she turned the pods. She often met up with Slothower during these visits.
Patterson's hypothesis proposed that seeds planted at the same time exposed to the same conditions should grow to the same size at approximately the same rate, but the data she was gathering was proving her suppositions wrong. "In 48 hours the aeroponics were up, but it took days for the (seeds) in potting soil," recalled Slothower.
"I proved my hypothesis wrong because there was a big difference in size (of the plants)," said Patterson, who added that she also wanted to see if aeroponic vegetables could be grown economically in small spaces like apartments. "I proved that right," said a smiling Patterson. "Aeroponics are faster and low maintenance."
Patterson presented the results of her project in a display that included her hypothesis, purpose, necessary materials, variables, procedure, research, and conclusion. She also included a special thanks to Slothower, Weaver, and GSV. In addition to her display, she gave a three-to-five-minute oral presentation to the impartial HMS judges.
After hearing her teacher praise her project, Patterson had a suspicion she might do well in the judging. On April 25, she was awarded first place in the Academic Fair competition, beating out her 18 classmates' submissions. One of her proudest moments came when she recalled her science teacher mentioning one judge who never gave high scores to the projects. The judge had given Patterson's project all top scores.
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