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Middle school science-fair project on apple browning helped steer speaker toward science
Summary
A commenter described a seventh-grade science-fair project in Florida that tested fruit juices to prevent apple browning; the speaker said the experience sparked a lasting interest in science and led them to pursue a science degree.
A commenter said that as a seventh-grade student in Florida, a science-fair project about preventing apples from turning brown convinced them that they could pursue science academically.
The speaker described choosing the project because they did not connect with the teacher-provided options. "I didn't wanna test which tennis ball was the bounciest, or which bubble gum could blow the biggest bubble," the commenter said. Instead they tested whether fruit juices with different vitamin C content would slow apple oxidation.
The speaker said the project — which they titled "Aging Apples" — gave them ownership of the work. "It was mine. I created it. No one told me this is exactly what you have to do," the commenter said, adding that the project produced both a methodology and results that they could explain at presentations.
At the school level most participants received participation recognition, the speaker said, and about 20 projects were ranked above that pool: "They gave 80% of us, say, like, honorable mention. And then they ranked, like, the top 20 projects," the commenter said. The speaker said they received an honorable mention at school, then won the county botany award and advanced to the state science fair.
The commenter said the validation from advancing influenced their future studies: "It's the first time I got validation that I could be good at science, and ultimately, science is the degree I chose to pursue when I went to college."
