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Oak Creek — A tornado ripped through seventh-grader Brandon Gorney's living room recently, yet his family's home sustained absolutely no damage.

That's because Brandon's tornado was confined to an enclosed box, with the funnel cloud generated by the swirling action of a bathroom ceiling fan and the cloud formed from the reaction of warm water on dry ice.

Brandon's tornado was just one of hundreds of science projects on display last week during Steamboat Springs Middle School's annual science fair.

For two days, the school's gymnasium was filled with moldy foods, dying plants, bacteria-filled jars and stained undershirts -- and visitors couldn't get enough of it.

More than 200 parents walked among the project-filled tables Wednesday night, and the school's sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders perused the projects throughout the day Thursday.

Science projects have been a part of public education for decades, and they continue to serve their purpose well, eighth-grade science teacher Brad Kindred said.

"Middle school is where (students) learn about the scientific process," Kindred said. "This is the culmination of the scientific method. You can approach any problem in life with that process. Hopefully, they can internalize it and use it later on."

The scientific method involves posing a question, formulating a hypothesis, collecting data, experimenting, interpreting and analyzing the data and forming a conclusion.

School science teachers encouraged students to choose a project with particular interest to the individual student.

One walkthrough of the projects and it's clear how varied those interests are.

Hig Roberts has a twin sister with a better short-term memory than he has.

For his project, Hig wondered if gender differences affect short-term memory.

He administered memory tests to 30 males and 30 females.

His results indicated that females do in fact have better short-term memories.

Andrea Simon set out to prove that ice on airplane wings prevents takeoff and affects flight aerodynamics.

She built a small wind tunnel and using paper model airplanes tested her theory.

To simulate ice, Andrea applied paper cement to the wings of one of the planes. Her tests proved what she said are well-known facts about the effect of ice on airplanes.

"The experiment was a fun learning experience," Andrea wrote in her project's conclusion. "I am amazed at how planes can lift off the ground at all. I have a better understanding of one of the things that can go tragically wrong to cause a plane to crash."

This year, the science teachers diversified the science fair by allowing students to do research-based projects, too.

A brain tumor project by Sydney Burkett was a perfect example of the projects, Kindred said.

"This is not a traditional science project," he said. "This is an awesome display of a research-based project. There's no experiment, but she's still using the scientific method."

By all accounts, this year's fair was an alarming success.

"There are some really great projects, some well-thought out ideas that have been executed well," seventh-grade science teacher Lisa Lorenz said.

"Science is fun," she said. "It should be fun. We want to foster their curiosity."

"Every year they do a really good nice job," Assistant Principal Jerry Buelter said. "I feel really good about the ownership that kids feel for their projects."