7th Grade STEM Girls Wow President Obama at White House Science Fair
By Lydia Liebman
Julianna Jones and President Obama
This past April, the Blockheads of Troop #1484 from Girl Scouts of Easten Missouri were invited to present their innovative projects Ecobin and EcoGlOo at the 2016 White House Science Fair to President Obama. Education Update spoke with 13-year-old Julianna Jones, one of the six 7th grade members of the Blockheads, about Ecobin and EcoGlOo, meeting president Obama and her plans for the future.
Lydia Liebman (LL): When did you first become interested in science?
Julianna Jones (JJ): I first became interested in science when I was very young. When I was two, my dad started taking me to the science center, so many times in fact, that the people who worked there knew us well.
LL: What were the projects you presented at the White House Science Fair?
JJ: People told us there was no solution for recycling styrofoam. But, we put our heads together, and we did it. We created two useful, effective products, the Ecobin and EcoGlOo. The Ecobin is a metal container with nontoxic d-limonene that dissolves styrofoam when mixed with water. Once we dissolved the styrofoam, the end product ended up being a very sticky adhesive which actually works better than our leading school glue. We called this EcoGlOo.
LL: What was the most memorable part of your visit to the White House?
JJ: Some memorable moments at the White House were the overwhelming feeling of meeting people who are important and famous, and being asked questions and filmed by the press. Definitely the most memorable was meeting the president.
LL: Who do you look up to?
JJ: I look up to anyone who tries to make a difference in the world for the better, and who respects all human beings no matter what.
LL: What do you do in your free time?
JJ: In my free time, I usually watch television, read a book, listen to music, or practice my instrument, the trombone.
LL: What are your plans for the future?
JJ: I love science and the idea of engineering, but math is not my strongsuit. I would like to go into a profession that is more on the arts side like music or journalism.#
