photo by: Joselyn King

Hunter Waldron, left, and Levi Johnston, both seventh-grade students at Bridge Street Middle School, discuss their project testing which type of fishing bait was most effective at attracting bluegill during the Ohio County Science Fair Monday at West Liberty University.

WHEELING — Students in Ohio County spent the last few months seeking to answer some great scientific questions like: What bait do bluegills like best? What detergent pod works the best? And does the five-second rule really apply when food is dropped on the floor?

Spoiler alert — here are the quick answers. Food is contaminated after just two seconds on the floor. Bluegills like hot dogs, and the popular Tide actually loses to Great Value brand detergent pods in cleaning tests, according to the research done by the youths.

The Ohio County Science Fair took place Monday at West Liberty University, with more than 150 students participating, according to organizers. Additional tables had to be brought into the gymnasium to accommodate the number.

Holly Vopal, assistant professor of biology at WLU, served as director of the science fair.

“This was one of the best groups we ever had. They worked very hard, and I was impressed,” she said.

“They did a wonderful job with the projects they were able to do considering the weather, and so did the teachers figuring out how to get their projects here.”

photo by: Joselyn King

Jacklyn Shaw, left, and McKenzie Freeman, both seventh-grade students at Bridge Street Middle School, discuss their entry in the Ohio County Science Fair to determine what food is best for the digestion of a bearded dragon. They took first place in the junior animal science division.

McKenzie Freeman and Jacklyn Shaw won first place in the junior division for animal science with a project inspired by Freeman’s pet – a bearded dragon.

They fed the bearded dragon chicken, crickets and dried mealworms, then recorded the amount of bowel movements by the reptile each week. They did this “over a couple of months,” the two said.

“We found out that (the dried mealworms) were the best for his digestive system,” Freeman said.

The learning was a little more encompassing for Shaw.

“I learned everything, because he is not my pet,” she said.

Bluegill, however, prefer hot dogs to worms, their classmates Hunter Waldron and Levi Johnston discovered. The pair did research that was inspired by one of their favorite hobbies – fishing, and they hoped to discover what was the most effective bait to attract bluegill. They tried corn, bread, Slim Jims and hot dogs, and it was the hot dogs that won out.

Another project tested human reaction to photos generated by artificial intelligence versus actual photos. They found subjects were only getting the answers right 50% of the time, which was determined as equal to what would happen if they were only guessing.

Winners of the Ohio County Science Fair are as follows, and those receiving top awards will participate in the regional science fair Feb. 15 at The Highlands Event Center:

∫ Animal Science (elementary) — 1) Andie Cook, 2) Brenna Richards, 3) Ireland Edge and Aaliyah McCormick.

∫ Animal Science (junior) — 1) McKenzie Freeman and Jacklyn Shaw, 2) Wiley Kerns, 3) Andy Ginting.

∫ Behavioral and Social Science (elementary) — 1) Madison McCutcheon, 3) Cole Brown and Ethan Sparks

∫ Chemistry (elementary) — 1) Eleni Karnoupakis and Willa Collins, 2) Julianna Farrow, 3) Jacoby Doyle and Mico Muscar.

∫ Chemistry (junior) — Ma’ Lia Shia

∫ Earth and Environmental Science (elementary) — 1) Emma Trabert, 2) Oliver Dann, 3) Josephine Duhe

∫ Earth and Environmental Science (junior) — 3) Rylan Hockenberry

∫ Energy (elementary) — 1) Miles Frye, 2) Reed Glatzer, 3) Nikolas Ritner

∫ Energy (junior) — 2) Brooklyn Vilani

∫ Math and Data (elementary) — 1) Brody Cooper, 2) Ellie Lief, 3) Derrick Delcid-Lewton

∫ Math and Data (junior) — 2) Emma Polen

∫ Engineering (elementary) — 1) Prithvi Prasain, 2) Logan McKenzie, 3) Parker Luko

∫ Engineering (junior) — 1) Abigail Lewis and Ellie West, 2) Ezra Terrett and Eric Layman

∫ Technology (elementary) — 1) Teegan Racine

∫ Medical Sciences (elementary) — 1) Ella Schrebe and Lucy Doyle, 2) Brody Hengler, and 3) Aiden Brown, Cooper Maquire and Charlie Hicks.

∫ Medical Sciences (junior) — 1) Mallory Connelly, Avery Frye and Emma Goldbaugh; 2) Kennedy Cook, Caydynce Stachura and Abegayle Weitzel; 3) Keigan Kovalski and Katie Lewis

∫ Physics and Astronomy (elementary) — 1) Melody Blum, 2) Carson Miller and Maverick Flanegin, 3) Isaiah Schmitt

∫ Physics and Astronomy (junior) — 2) Aidan Dorman, 3) Brooke Rowe

∫ Physics and Astronomy (senior) — 1) Jaxon Milam

∫ Plant Science (elementary) — 1) Macie Lewis, 2) Harper Porter, 3) Brooks Archer and Eliana Pentino

∫ Biomedical and Health Sciences (senior) — 1) Briele Dobson

∫ Microbiology (senior) — Riley Chiazza and Morgan Kandis