Every student has a favorite subject, even a favorite class. For Karin Sather, it's all about science. Her love of the subject goes beyond working on a physics lab.
"I've just kind of grown up loving science," said Karin, a junior at Champlin Park High School.
On her own time Karin took on her own research project. She collected hundreds of samples from Elm Creek to find out how land use affects the water quality. Long before Elm Creek Park was established, the land was used for farming. Sather found out it had adverse effects on the creek.
"The water quality in Elm Creek is horrible," Karin said. "Any changes for the better that happen when Elm Creek Park Reserve was established were not significant because the water quality was so poor in the first place."
Karin studied the samples at a lab at the University of Minnesota and then turned her findings into a 32–page paper that she quietly entered into the district science fair.
"I kind of kept it on the down low," she said. "I didn't think it was that big of a deal."
It wouldn't be kept quiet for long. Karin won the district science fair and then won the regional science fair. Now her work will compete at the International Science and Engineering Fair in May in San Jose, Calif.
While Karin is humble about her success so far, her advisor, Kevin Molohon, will tell you this isn't a small accomplishment.
"It's an incredible feat of time management," Molohon said.
Aside from this project, Sather is also on the school's alpine skiing team and volunteers with her church. Whether her project wins at the international level, Molohon says this standout student is setting herself up for success.
"Its been an honor teaching her," he said. "Students like Karin are the reason teachers get into the profession."
Lisa Furgsion, reporting
lfurgison@twelve.tv
Thursday, March 04, 2010