Those are just some of the questions explored by teams of elementary, middle and high school student scientists from throughout California whose research appears in "Journal of Student Research Abstracts, Vol. VIII," recently edited by Cal State Northridge biology professor Steve Oppenheimer.

The journal, believed to be the only one of its kind for K-12 students in the nation, contains abstracts (a summary of an experiment) from experiments conducted by nearly 600 students from schools in the San Fernando Valley all the way up to Berkeley.

Oppenheimer, who heads a program designed to improve the teaching of science in elementary, middle and high schools, said the journal offers young scientists an opportunity to see their work published and perhaps spark a lifelong interest in science.

"The security, health and welfare of the people of the state of California and the United States are dependent on producing outstanding and creative scientists and a scientifically literate public," Oppenheimer said. "Our programs train K-12 teachers in the laboratories of university scientists so that they can go back to their classes to mentor the research projects of their students. The abstracts in the journal represent a bottom-line assessment of our programs, as they display student work for the world to see."

Oppenheimer said that for many of the students, the research projects are their first real exposure to how fun science can be, "and in many ways it is just the start of their journey into creative research science."

San Fernando High School student Esmeralda Alvarez, under the direction of teacher Oryla Wiedoeft, bred drosophila flies with recessive genes for white eyes with flies with recessive genes for apterous wings. The results were offspring with a variety of mutations, including three white-eyed flies with wild type wings; three apterous with wild type eyes; and one with white eyes and apterous.

Students in Nandita Pal's class at Fulton Middle School in Van Nuys conducted a series of experiments that concluded Tabasco Sauce was the best bug killer, while still being safe for most plants.

The students in Linda Slater's second grade class at 24th Street Elementary School in Los Angeles, with the assistance of CSUN biology professor Maria Elena Zavala, decided to find out if popcorn would grow if it were popped.

The second graders wrote in the abstract that they really love popcorn "so we would like it if we could grow our own. But we have questions about where it will grow (the kind right from the bag of popcorn). We are also not sure if popped popcorn will grow. Most of us think it will. Only one student does not think that popped corn will grow."

After conducting experiments, the students concluded: "Unpopped popcorn plants will grow if they have water and air. Popped corn will not grow. It will get soggy and grow mold."

K-12 science teachers whose student abstracts are in the book can obtain a free copy of the journal by contacting Oppenheimer at (818) 677-3336 or e-mail him at steven.oppenheimer@csun.edu. All other individuals can purchase a copy by sending a check for $25 payable to CSUN Foundation, Cancer Center, to Steve Oppenheimer, Biology Department, California State University, Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, CA 91330-8303.

CSUN's College of Science and Mathematics is home to several nationally recognized programs where students gain valuable experience through hands-on work using the latest technologies and equipment. Students also have an opportunity to co-author publications with faculty members, present their research results at national and international meetings, and prepare for teaching careers.