Interview

SCIENCE
Antibiotics: One Innovation that
CHANGED THE WORLD!
By: Brianna Gangjii
7th grade
Lake Orion Schools
Some innovations have definitely been a
breakthrough in the medical industry.
Perhaps a giant step in the field of
medicine, antibiotics saved millions of lives
by killing and preventing the growth of
harmful bacteria. Scientists like Louis Pasteur
and Joseph Lister were the first to recognize
and attempt to combat bacteria, but it was
Alexander Fleming who made the first
jump in antibiotics, when he accidentally
discovered the bacteria-inhibiting mold,
known as penicillin, in 1928.
Antibiotics proved to be a major improvement
in antiseptics—which killed human
cells along with bacteria—and their use
spread rapidly throughout the 20th century.
Nowhere was their effect more obvious than
on the battlefield: While nearly 20 percent
of soldiers who contracted bacterial pneumonia
died in World War I, with antibiotics
that number dropped to only 1 percent
during World War II. Antibiotics have gone
on to fight nearly every known form of
infection, including simple ear infection,
influenza, malaria, meningitis, tuberculosis,
and most transmitted diseases.
After a lot of use, however, many people
have been developing immunity toward
antibiotics, which means the antibiotic is not
effective any longer. Now there are more research
and discoveries at work to make sure
scientists can still be able to have a catalyst
to stop deadly diseases.
The Clarkston
Haunted House
Design Challenge
By Kylie Kalinowski, 10th Grade
Clarkston Schools
In a small section of Sashabaw Middle
School’s hallways, utilizing Science,
Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM),
students from sixth to twelfth grades will
use their imagination and creative thinking
to design a haunted house. At the final
public showing of the hallways, students
will perform as actors, completely outfitted
in frightening costumes, to show off their
talents in haunted house magic, full with
realistic props, scary sound effects, and
much more!
There will be many notorious giants of
the haunted world helping out with the
project, including the infamous Edward
Terebus - the man who co-created the
world renowned haunted house Erebus.
Also attending are members of professional
makeup companies and of the
Society of Women Engineers, who are
helping create animated props. There is a
lot of learning that comes from hands-on
experience while creating many elements
of an incredible haunted house: the engineering
behind drop panels, the scientific
research behind the creation of realistic
monster makeup, and the chemistry that
goes into rolling fog machines.
To acquire the skills, students will be
learning from professionals after school
one day a week, in seminars with handson
projects. This is an incredible opportunity
to learn the essence of teamwork,
to discover a whole new world of STEM,
and to apply science and technology to an
exciting common goal.
12 www.KidsStandard.org
Publication INC.