By Staff
A TASTE FOR SCIENCE Karissa, left, Henk and Pieter Both of Meridian all placed in their science fair at Poplar Springs Elementary School. Photo by Paula Merritt / The Meridian Star
By Steve Gillespie/staff writer
Feb. 17, 2002
Homes across Meridian were temporarily transformed over the past few weeks into labs as students completed projects entered in the Meridian School District's science fairs.
In one home, there was more activity than most.
Three children of Karin and Chris Both of Meridian  all students at Poplar Springs Elementary where more than 150 children conducted experiments in a science fair for grades kindergarten through fifth  walked away with first, second and third place awards.
Pieter, 7, a second grader, used a planter he received as a Christmas gift to experiment with the growth of seeds. His hypothesis was that all seeds grow at the same speed.
His experiment showed that radishes grow faster than onions and onions grow faster than carrots. His experiment placed second in the botany and microbiology category.
When Pieter grows up, he said he wants to be a policeman and a scientist.
Pieter's favorite subject is math, but he appreciates the importance of science.
Pieter's sister, Karissa, a third grader, is a 9-year-old who enjoys science and math, but especially math because she said it's a class in which it is easy for a lot of people to make a 100.
With her science project she sought to show which type of paper was truly the brightest  copy paper, sketching paper and construction paper. She used a neon light to find her results and placed third in the category of physics and engineering.
She said she was up late the night before the science fair, putting her project together while her brothers had their's done in advance.
Henk, 10, is a fifth-grader who tied for first place with Candace Ball in the school's physics and engineering category. He used a battery, compass and coils of wire to show that electric forces define the currents of magnetic forces.
Henk has aspirations of becoming a scientist, either in the field of physics or mathematics.