Neili Loupe and Ebonee Spencer

Loupe and Spencer’s winning project, “Sugar-Coating Chemistry,” will expose students to sugarcane and its properties through literature and videos, including exploring its physical and chemical composition in a lab setting. Sugarcane is one of Louisiana’s most abundant natural resources. Because of its local ties, incorporating sugarcane and its products into the chemistry curriculum will improve students’ internalization of chemistry concepts. As part of the project, students will tour a sugarcane processing plant. Bringing in real-life applications will allow students to make connections and master difficult chemistry concepts. Researching sugarcane, a product close to home will encourage student interest. Having the equipment and means for researching readily available will allow the critical thinking process to be continuous. Both students and teachers will benefit from embracing real-world and literacy based instruction.