Willow Glen Resident

Education

Photograph courtesy of Gail Cahn

Life Links: Willow Glen Middle School student Tzvia Cahn submitted a biochemistry project to the Synopsis Silicon Valley Science and Technology Championship Fair. Her project looked at the effect of different alcohols on DNA extraction.

Budding scientist recognized for project in Synopsis competition

By Mayra Flores De Marcotte

Willow Glen Middle School sixth-grader Tzvia Cahn received honorable mention for her biochemistry project in the 2006 Synopsis Silicon Valley Science and Technology Championship Fair.

Tzvia's project, "The Effect of Different Alcohols on DNA Extraction" was her second completed project on DNA. Her first project, which she completed last year, was determining which fruit had more DNA.

Her findings on her first project determined it was the banana, and she used the fruit to do her next experiment. In this experiment she analyzed what type of alcohol--isopropyl, ethyl or methyl--could be used to extract the most DNA from the banana.

"Learning science through science fair projects is more fun because I don't really think about it as much," Tzvia said. "It's more enjoyable."

Synopsis is an annual science fair open to all students from sixth through 12th grade. Projects can be completed in the areas of biology, chemistry and genetics. Tzvia is the only student from her school to participate in the competition and was only one of four students in the biochemistry category.

At the middle school, science is offered only one semester a year, which Tzvia wasn't taking until the spring. So to meet the Synopsis science fair deadline, she began her project in the fall of 2005. Tzvia wanted to make sure that her project abstract and report were ready for her science teacher to review before the Jan. 10 deadline.

"Her parents came to back to school night, and Gail [Cahn] told me about Tzvia's project," said sixth-grade science teacher and Tzvia's sponsor Maryam Raymond.

Raymond said Synopsis is considered a standout competition, and students are required to complete projects on their own time. They have to be dedicated to it and work hard because no one will be making sure they're on track.

"The project that Tzvia chose to do takes time," she said. "You need to read about it and have some background in it, and for a sixth-grader, it's challenging."

But Raymond had no doubts about Tzvia's potential.

"She's a very motivated and hard-working student," she said. "She's very curious and interested in science and shows this in class through her responses and participation."

The fact that Tzvia has science in her blood doesn't hurt, either. Her parents, Mark and Gail Cahn, are biology and chemistry teachers at Kehillah Jewish High School in Palo Alto.

"She's been around scientists all her life, and we have encouraged her to explore the world," Gail Cahn said.

Although Tzvia was the only student from her school to participate in the competition this year, her success has inspired her friends to participate in the next competition.

"We are all natural-born scientists, but somewhere along the way, we learned not to ask questions anymore," Mark Cahn said. "Hopefully, projects like this keep the fire burning."