​KDSS student qualifies for Canada-Wide Science Fair in New Brunswick

Jade Lowry, 16, of Kincardine District Senior School (KDSS) is all about clean hands, so her science fair project was focused on which hand-dryer is the cleanest.

That project won the Grade 10 student a gold medal at the Bluewater Regional Science and Technology Fair in Owen Sound, and she has qualified for the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Fredericton, New Brunswick, set for May 31 to June 7.

Jade’s science project is called, “Which Method of Hand-Drying is Cleanest? A Post-COVID Investigation.” It investigated four methods of hand-drying commonly found in public facilities: air-drying, paper towels, and sterilized and unsterilized hand dryers.

“This project really started because I was skeptical about how effective the so-called sterilized hand dryer was at KDSS, and whether it actually had a real impact on cleanliness compared to the unsterilized one,” says Jade.

“I much prefer using the unsterilized one since it’s a lot quieter, but I didn’t want to potentially be creating more bacteria by favouring it. I had heard that automatic dryers cause bacteria, but wanted to know for sure if the sterilized dryer had overcome that somehow.”

She tried researching on-line, but unfortunately, the Internet was very divided on the topic, with some sources saying the unsterilized units were more hygienic than other methods, while other sources said they fostered bacteria growth.

“I decided the best way to get a conclusive answer was to do it myself with the help of my wonderful science teacher, Emily Bryan,” says Jade.

“Since the pandemic, we’ve all become very familiar with the importance of hand-washing,” she says. “I found that in education and research, we tend to put a heavy emphasis on the washing part and forget how drying your hands can have just as big an impact on how clean your hands really are.”

Her findings ended up showing that none of the hand-drying methods would guarantee no bacteria.

“So far, the worst bacteria comes from the sterilized dryer with the regular dryer coming in second worst,” she says. “Air-drying is the most hygienic but the least practical, so I recommend paper towels.

"I will be conducting more research between now and the Canada-Wide Science Fair in hopes of finding more conclusive results.”



Jade Lowry, a Grade 10 student at KDSS, with her science project, "Which Hand-Drying Method is Cleanest?"; photo courtesy of Jade Lowry

Jade says that she was pleased, but not surprised, to be chosen to go to the regional science fair in Owen Sound. Currently, KDSS does not have a high school science fair program and she was the only high school student who participated.

“So I was already a winner,” she jokes. “This meant I was guaranteed to go to regionals in Owen Sound, but I did not expect to be moving on. I really just wanted to go because I had such a fun time meeting other science fanatics and seeing their respective projects when I attended in Grade 7. It’s so cool to see so many people who share your interests all in one room, and I figured I’d be much better equipped to represent my school this year.”

When her name was called as a gold-medal winner, she was surprised.

“It took me a few seconds of just sitting there before it sunk in,” she said. “Originally, I wasn't selected for nationals, but another participant, unfortunately, had to decline so I was the runner-up. The poor science fair staff had to track me down a week later through my aunt, so I got the news on a random Friday night. It was a real shock and I was so happy, I just couldn’t believe it!”

She is very excited to go to the national science fair in New Brunswick.

“I don’t believe it’s fully sunk in yet,” she says. “It’s a really wonderful opportunity that not many other students get to experience, and I can’t wait to meet kids from all over Canada. It’s going to be a busy week with two days of judging and two days of being open to the public, but there’s lots to see, on and off the university campus.”

While science isn’t Jade’s favourite school subject, she has always been really interested in science.

“I used to love watching science-related shows as a kid, but my favourites were always about biology or social sciences,” she says. “This project is mostly about microbiology, but it does factor in a lot of human behaviours to draw an accurate conclusion.”

Does she want to become a scientist?

“While I really enjoy conducting experiments and analyzing data, I think I’d be better suited to a social science, such as sociology,” she says. “I usually prefer studying human behaviour and thought patterns, but I think this project has taught me a lot about the scientific process. I haven't quite decided what I want to do, but this opportunity has opened me up to lots of other science-related careers.”

Outside of academics, Jade enjoys reading, going for walks with her dog, Juniper, listening to music, participating in the musical at KDSS, and working at the Bruce County Library in Kincardine.

She is the daughter of Kim and Dwain Lowry, and lives just outside of Kincardine.