Contest recognizes student's invention

Sisters Christian Academy students honored the achievements of one of their own at a special chapel last Wednesday morning. Fourth grader Bethany Bachmeier is a winner in the Inventerprise 2007 competition.

Steven Parks, a research chemist for Bend Research, Inc., presented a first place certificate and tee shirt to a very surprised Bethany at the ceremony. Bachmeier, along with this year's other winners, will be invited to a special science night in January.

"We'll stay late, and we'll have lots of experiments that kids enjoy," said Parks. "Some of them involve things on fire."

Principal Peggy Miller was impressed with her student's initiative.

"It's a big honor," she said. "I think Bethany took a very important risk. I heard that she didn't just go: 'Oh, I think I'll enter' and just throw something together. She really researched.

The contest, which is in its 16th year, challenges the imaginations of area students interested in science with a question that requires inventive solutions to pressing problems.

"This year our problem involved finding something you can invent by learning from bugs, finding out what they do," said Parks. "Some bugs can carry more than their own weight. Some bugs can find people, like mosquitoes."

Bachmeier's project involved designing beetle diving gear.

"It's kind of like a swimming suit. I was looking through a book in the library, and I found this cool beetle swimming around. What I really noticed was the fringed edges," said Bachmeier.

Bachmeier designed a full-body swimming suit with fringed edges at about ankle level. Her idea is that the suit will protect deep sea divers from predators or maybe help Olympic swimmers swim faster.

In explaining her concept, Bachmeier wrote: "What would make the world a better place for scientists all across the country would be beetle diving gear. ... Scientists give their lives for us every day when they step into the unknown, the deep, the dangerous water of the unknown oceans, unknown no longer with diving beetle gear...."

According to Bethany's mother Wendy, the untimely death of crocodile stunt artist Steve Irwin, who was last year killed by a stingray while filming a documentary, inspired Bethany to design the diving gear.

"She hit on this idea and developed it herself. I didn't help her at all," said Wendy.

The creative science contest is sponsored by Bend Research, Inc., with the help of the Bend-La Pine School District and Central Oregon Community College (COCC). The contest is open to all Central Oregon students in grades K-12. This year about 500 entered.

Certificates and tee shirts are awarded to winners at each grade level. The first place middle school winner is given the choice of an iPod, a digital camera, a mountain bike or a season pass at Mt. Bachelor; and the first place high school winner receives $1,000.