Eighth-graders are the scientists in first-ever District U46 challenge

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

ELGIN — If the temperature is measured at 30 degrees Celsius, what is that same temperature in Kelvin? Which unit is used to measure weight: a liter, a kilogram, a newton or a pascal?

How about, “Who’s going to take chemistry when they get to high school?”

All were questions asked at the start of the You Be the Chemist Challenge, a nationally recognized chemistry competition held Wednesday night for the first time in Elgin School District U46, at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way.

About two dozen eighth-grade students from each of U46’s eight middle schools vied for Top Junior Scientist in the question-and-answer competition, sponsored by the Virginia-based Chemical Educational Foundation and Universal Oil Products of Des Plaines.

The first-, second- and third-place winners in that Kane County Regional each won a Kindle book reader and will advance with winners of six other regionals to the Illinois State Challenge April 1 in Des Plaines for a shot at the national competition June 20 in Philadelphia.

The winners from U46 are Alex Moreno of Eastview Middle School in Bartlett, Matt Gedritis of Tefft Middle School in Streamwood and Chelsea Lenart, also of Tefft.

“Nobody was going to beat Alex Moreno,” said Jennifer McDonnell, U46’s math, science, planetarium and instructional technology coordinator.

“He would have beat some scientists. He was really good. It was like, ‘You’re only 13?’ We’re going to be reading about him in 10 years.”

It took more than a year to bring You Be the Chemist to U46, according to McDonnell. She came to the Elgin district from Chicago Public Schools, the state’s biggest participant in the competition.

And she said she wanted to get U46 involved in the challenge because of “the enthusiasm. It really gets them interested in science.”

Such as Alex’s Eastview teammate, Sabrina Murray of Bartlett.

“I overall like school. I’m somewhat nerdy, I suppose,” Sabrina said. “I’m in the gifted program at my school, so it’s what we do.”

She likes science — especially psychology — as well as cheerleading and music, she said. Her favorite invention is the iPod. And she was the only contestant in the alternate round at the start of You Be The Chemist who knew 30 degrees Celsius converts to 303 Kelvin.

And at Tefft, McDonnell said, team members practiced for the challenge before school. The middle school even held an assembly to pump up its students before the competition, and many teachers and students turned out at The Hemmens.

Eighth-graders stayed after school to take an optional test to be selected for the You Be the Chemist teams at each middle school, she said.

“Everybody likes a little competition,” McDonnell said. “It’s really cool how the kids get so excited. This was serious business.”

“We know what will help them be successful, and science is where it’s at.”

For more information about You Be the Chemist, visit www.chemed.org.