Middle School

Biodiesel & Algal Studies Group – Castle Park High School

Since 2009 Castle Park High students, under the guidance of Dr. Robert Pomeroy of UCSD, have learned to produce biodiesel from vegetable oil. Established students from our BASG group are now teaching our new members how to complete the process of biodiesel synthesis. In addition to the synthesis of biodiesel, students use a particle counter to determine how many particles are produced during the combustion of various fuels. These data indicate how “clean” the fuel burns and how particulate impacts our global climate.

The Raptor Institute

Our booth will feature our live, non-releasable raptors. These are all local birds of prey that can be found here in San Diego and will include several different species of hawks, falcons, and owls. Guest will be given the opportunities to meet these birds in a close, personal setting while learning about their importance in the San Diego ecosystem. We will teach guests about these wonderful animals natural history, biology, and importance of conservation.

Juice from Juice

Our booth, supported by the NSF Center for Chemical Innovation in Solar Fuels, is all about solar energy and renewable fuels. We will have physical demos of solar powered fuel cells and silicon solar panels that attendees can interact with and ask questions of scientists doing research on the topics. Most importantly though, our booth will be a station where kids (and adults!) can make their own dye-sensitized solar cells using blackberry juice and other common household materials. Up to 5 people can be making a cell at once and it only takes 5 min to complete.

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