Easy Science Project Ideas

The policy on research with human subjects does not allow any kind of research that would bring any known psychological or physical risk to any of those involved in the experiment, said Phil Gay, a science and math administrator for the San Diego Unified School District and the director of the science fair Easy Science Projects

This week, however, Andy was honored by the group Mothers Against Drunk Driving for his research and focus on the growing problem of alcohol abuse among teen-agers as part of Easy Science Projects, said Cindy Roark, president of the San Diego chapter of MADD.

"We felt that he was right on, and he's going to be our future advocate. It's more education for young people," Roark said.

Gay said the committee concluded that the use of alcohol in the experiment endangered both Andy and his subjects, even though they were adults. He cited research showing that alcohol creates long-term psychological and physical effects, particularly the destruction of brain cells.

Gay noted that there had been no medical supervision of the experiment and that the amount of alcohol "seemed to be beyond any reasonable likely level of consumption."

"It could send a message to students that we might be condoning this type of (dangerous) research, and that we weren't abiding by the rules that we stated ourselves," Gay said.

Sally Todd, who is in charge of the Diocesan Science Fair, said that, if Andy had conducted the experiment with "some type of medical supervisor that understood laboratory situations, clinical procedures in this particular area" of study, his experiment might have been allowed to be part of the fair.

But Heidi Rock, Andy's mother, said a sober adult was present throughout the experiment and no more than four adults were tested at any one time. She noted that, even though previous research has shown the ill effects of alcohol, it is a basic tenet of science that every conclusion must be rigorously retested.

"If you assume their premise, then you have to say it's ridiculous to retest any scientific theory because it's been tested already, and you don't have to retest it," Rock said.

When Andy's experiment was disqualified, she said, the screening committee told her that "it was entirely inappropriate for a 13-year-old to be exposed to adults drinking alcohol."

"I don't think that (the committee) is willing to face the fact that our children are living in a world so different than they're used to, they haven't caught up with the world," Rock said.