While many students were on spring break, UW faculty members were enriching the lives of young students at Hollywood Hills Elementary in Woodinville.

On March 18, the elementary school held a science fair that included a wide variety of events, such as a medical helicopter takeoff and a speech on aviation by UW professor James Ha.

“We’re going to talk about flight tonight,” Ha said shortly before stepping in front of the audience. “It’s a presentation I’ve given many times before for different audiences, but I’ll adjust it for the age group … show off some of the bird wings we’ve brought from the Burke Museum and add in some “gee whiz” material.”

UW professor Kim Grant, a parent of one of the students, helped organize the event and was responsible for many of the activities.

The Burke Museum hosted its own booth in the gymnasium, with a display that featured a variety of wing specimens from birds around the world. UW lecturer Renee Robinette Ha answered questions and aided as kids gawked at the wide variety of wings set before them.

Following an open house showcase of the science projects, patrons made their way outside to the playground to get a firsthand look at practical aviation. Local aviation enthusiasts brought miniature airplanes, which flew around the field and performed stunts.

A medical helicopter was dispatched to Hollywood Hills to perform a drill, allowing kids to look at the technology being used by today’s professionals. Shortly before the crowd was ushered back into the gymnasium, the students watched as the helicopter took off and performed a fly-over before returning home.

Students, parents and faculty arrived in droves, crowding an already cramped gymnasium filled with student science project presentations. Each project had a hypothesis, followed by evidence of research and a scientific conclusion drawn from the time spent on the projects.

There were several notable highlights, including “Pegasus Pony Gumdropville” by one kindergartner at the science fair.

Lee Navarre, a fifth grader at Hollywood Hills, explored the range of his dog’s responses in “Will My Dog Respond Faster to My Voice or My Hand Signal?” and fourth grader Christian Bisbais asked the question, “Does Music Affect the Growth of Plants?”

Fifth grader Bryan Miller received notable attention for his project, “Burning Fabrics.”

“Nylon burns the fastest. … It’s pretty thin,” Bryan said. “Silk burns fast, too. I guess I like burning stuff, so this seemed fun to me. … I really like burning the nylon, but it started dripping and burned me.”

Grant said that UW professors contributed to the success of the events.

“UW faculty and staff have … played a critical role in making [this] happen,” she said in a press release.

[Reach reporter Guy Keltner at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]