Tri-fold display boards lined the gym at Beechwood Elementary School as students, parents and teachers waited anxiously for the winner of the 2015 Vicksburg Warren School District Science Fair to be announced.

Third and fourth-graders from the public schools and St. Francis Xavier competed for a trophy and bragging rights. A total of 118 entries were submitted. Entries were categorized into Behavioral and Social Sciences; Biochemistry; Botany; Chemistry; Earth, Space, and Environmental Sciences; Engineering, Computers, and Mathematics; Medicine and Health; Microbiology; Physics and Zoology.

Austin Norwood, 9, a third-grader from St. Francis Xavier Elementary took home the plaque as the first-place winner in the Psychics category and the trophy for Best of Fair. Norwood’s project was titled “Effects of Temperature on Magnets.” Norwood is the son of Greg and Erin Norwood.

“I came up with the idea all by myself of testing how temperature would effect a magnets strength,” Norwood said. “I used a ceramic magnet to move a steel nut and measured the distance it took to move the steel not.”

“I thought using one magnet would be best to test my hypothesis because if I only used one magnet the results wouldn’t change because of each magnets strength,” he said.

Norwood took a baseline reading of the magnet at room temperature, and then placed the magnet in boiling water, removed it and took a measurement. He allowed the magnet to return to room temperature and took a baseline reading again.

He then placed the magnet in a freezer overnight and again took a measurement. After allowing the magnet to return to room temperature overnight, he took another baseline measurement.

“I did 10 experiments per temperature and then averaged those measurements to get my results,” he said. “Electrons in the magnet align when cooled and work together, they are chaotic when heated and don’t work together.”

Norwood likes science and is a fan of the TV show Mythbusters. “My favorite episode is the one where they try to make the log cannon,” he said. “I also like the one were they try to run the boat with those cranes.”

“Hey Austin, can I use your board next year,” a student shouted to Norwood. “Maybe, maybe not. I might actually use it next year,” Norwood shouted back.