Ozz, Ivo, Kip and Oliver scooped the top prize.
Budding researchers, who investigated the five-second rule for food hygiene, scooped the top prize in the third annual Monmouth Science Fair at the Blake Theatre.
Monmouth School Boys’ Prep pupils Ivo, Ozz, Kip and Oliver impressed the judges with their project, The five-second rule: fact or fiction?
The boys dropped a variety of foods, including ham, on different surfaces at home and in the garden, and then analysed the growth of bacteria.
Kip said: “I am never going to eat food off the floor again because some of the food we analysed looks disgusting. I think the five-second rule must be a myth.”
More than 30 projects from children at Monmouth School Boys’ Prep, Monmouth School Girls’ Prep and Raglan Primary School, who took part for the first time, filled the theatre.
Raglan school’s Holly and Hannah were awarded second place for their Float or Sink? project on the densities of different fruits.
Raglan’s Holly and Hannah finished runners-up.
Third place went to Monmouth School Girls’ Prep duo Sienna-May and Alice, who carried out research into how conditions influence the growth of mould on food.
The science behind layered drinks, colour blindness, creating batteries from loose change and optical illusions were just some of the fascinating projects put together by the children.
The fair was organised by Dr Sion Wall, the Science and Technology teacher and co-ordinator at Monmouth School Boys’ Prep.
He said: “The children at all three schools were excellent and carried out their own independent research.
“All the children took an idea they were interested in, did everything they could to investigate it, and then produced incredible experiments and posters.
“The boys and girls worked incredibly hard on their projects and did an amazing job planning, conducting and presenting their experiments.”
Climate Scientist Dr Helen Rogers, Education Officer, Ms Petra Mitchard, Marine Biologist Dr Vicki Howe and Dr Simone Cuff, Research Fellow at Cardiff University School of Medicine, judged the entries and were very impressed with the standard.
Boys’ Prep pupils Rudy, Frankie and Ojas, who looked into the shape of rocket fins, were highly commended along with Rufus, George, James and Joe, who researched the affect of different surfaces on friction.
Dr Wall added: “The standard of the entries went up yet again this year and the judges were incredibly impressed with all the projects, posters and presentations by the children.”
Monmouth School Girls’ Prep pupils Sienna-May and Alice were third.
