Noricks garner top state science fair awards

They say that great minds think alike. In this case, those minds are Colter and Colin Norick. The Columbia Falls brothers recently won the state science fair in their age categories.

Colter, a freshman at Columbia Falls High School, devised a genetic algorithm that created a schedule for teachers at Deer Park School. A genetic algorithm, Colter explained, simulates nature by evolving as time passes, going through a reproductive process.

He wrote the mathematical equation in the computer language C++ and put in certain values. Head teacher Dan Block, for example, could only teach math and could only teach in the morning. His availability and time constraints could be defined by a mathematical equation. Other teachers had different values.

The algorithm worked, although the school didn’t use it because a teacher retired. Colter said he plans to study computer science in college. He received $450 in prize money and said he plans on buying a Google tablet when they become available.

Colin, a seventh-grader at Deer Park School, studied the efficiencies of different catalysts used to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.

When an electric current passes through water, it splits the molecules into the two elements. The hydrogen can be used as a clean burning fuel, but the process requires more energy than it produces.

Colin tested several different catalysts that help the reaction become more efficient, including nickel nitrate, copper nitrate and ferric nitrate, but found that cobalt nitrate worked best. Unfortunately, cobalt nitrate is also poisonous and is only a little more than 60 percent efficient, Colin noted.

Colin received $100 for winning his age group and received an expenses paid trip to Yellowstone National Park to work with scientists there.

In addition to the state titles, the boys won several awards for their science projects this year.

Colter won the grand champion award at the Flathead County Science Fair, the Intel Excellence in Computer Science Award at the regional and state level, and the Mu Alpha Theta Award for most challenging, original, thorough and creative investigation of a problem involving mathematics.

Colin won a gold medal at the regional science fair, a top-10 award as one of the best projects at the regional fair, a gold medal at state for a physical project, and the Peterson grand award for the top middle school project.