The Boston Globe
A project on BB guns is rejected in Amherst
8th-graders told idea is dangerous
By Associated Press | June 12, 2005
AMHERST -- Two middle-school students who spent months working on a science project to prove how dangerous BB guns can be were disqualified from the state middle school science fair -- because BB guns are too dangerous.
The two Amherst Regional Middle School eighth-graders, Nathan C. Woodard and Nathaniel A. Gorlin-Crenshaw, spent seven months researching and testing their hypothesis that BB guns can be deadly, and that children should not use them. Minors cannot purchase BB guns, but they can receive them as gifts.
The students said they proved that BB guns can penetrate a human to cause a fatal injury; pellets can penetrate farther than BBs; and clothing affects how far a BB and pellet will penetrate.
The boys spent about $200 on ballistics gelatin, which has the density and consistency of human flesh, to use during their tests.
The tests were done under the supervision of a science teacher, Jennifer D. Welborn, and Woodard's mother, Sharon L. Downs.
''We put a lot of time into this -- every Monday and Thursday since November," Gorlin-Crenshaw was quoted as saying in The Republican of Springfield. ''We devoted a weekend to the testing."
Ten days before the event June 4 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, they were told not to attend.
''We had everything ready except gluing the poster," Woodard said. ''We got an e-mail that the project was hazardous and it couldn't be shown, because they didn't want to encourage kids to use ballistics."
Nancy G. Degon, vice president of Massachusetts State Science Fair Inc. and cochairwoman of the middle school fair, said fair rules prohibit hazardous substances and devices.
She said that she had not received a research plan from the boys, and that if she had, their project would have been rejected immediately.
The students and Welborn said they had sent in the plan.
''The scientific review committee does not consider science projects involving firearms to be safe for middle school students," Degon said. ''We've never considered guns before. We've rejected BB guns in the past."
They boys were invited to present their findings to some judges and to receive a certificate of accomplishment, but they rejected the offer because they had not been allowed to compete.
Woodard and Gorlin-Crenshaw said they were insulted by the invitation.
''I see their point of view. I don't agree with it," said Woodard, who used his father's BB gun for the testing. ''I was really disappointed. We had a good point to prove."
The pupils said they would send their findings to the Amherst Police Department for review, which has had to deal with the use of BB guns frequently in crimes.
© Copyright 2005 Globe Newspaper Company.
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A project on BB guns is rejected in Amherst
8th-graders told idea is dangerous
By Associated Press | June 12, 2005
AMHERST -- Two middle-school students who spent months working on a science project to prove how dangerous BB guns can be were disqualified from the state middle school science fair -- because BB guns are too dangerous.
The two Amherst Regional Middle School eighth-graders, Nathan C. Woodard and Nathaniel A. Gorlin-Crenshaw, spent seven months researching and testing their hypothesis that BB guns can be deadly, and that children should not use them. Minors cannot purchase BB guns, but they can receive them as gifts.
The students said they proved that BB guns can penetrate a human to cause a fatal injury; pellets can penetrate farther than BBs; and clothing affects how far a BB and pellet will penetrate.
The boys spent about $200 on ballistics gelatin, which has the density and consistency of human flesh, to use during their tests.
The tests were done under the supervision of a science teacher, Jennifer D. Welborn, and Woodard's mother, Sharon L. Downs.
''We put a lot of time into this -- every Monday and Thursday since November," Gorlin-Crenshaw was quoted as saying in The Republican of Springfield. ''We devoted a weekend to the testing."
Ten days before the event June 4 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, they were told not to attend.
''We had everything ready except gluing the poster," Woodard said. ''We got an e-mail that the project was hazardous and it couldn't be shown, because they didn't want to encourage kids to use ballistics."
Nancy G. Degon, vice president of Massachusetts State Science Fair Inc. and cochairwoman of the middle school fair, said fair rules prohibit hazardous substances and devices.
She said that she had not received a research plan from the boys, and that if she had, their project would have been rejected immediately.
The students and Welborn said they had sent in the plan.
''The scientific review committee does not consider science projects involving firearms to be safe for middle school students," Degon said. ''We've never considered guns before. We've rejected BB guns in the past."
They boys were invited to present their findings to some judges and to receive a certificate of accomplishment, but they rejected the offer because they had not been allowed to compete.
Woodard and Gorlin-Crenshaw said they were insulted by the invitation.
''I see their point of view. I don't agree with it," said Woodard, who used his father's BB gun for the testing. ''I was really disappointed. We had a good point to prove."
The pupils said they would send their findings to the Amherst Police Department for review, which has had to deal with the use of BB guns frequently in crimes.
© Copyright 2005 Globe Newspaper Company.
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