Team: 49
School: Melrose Middle
Area of Science: Biology/Ecology
Proposal: We are interested in doing a research project over cattails designed to determine what uses of this plant can be feasibly promoted for increased usage. When our teacher told us about this opportunity, my first thought was “Hey, I know about this already!!! My grandmother taught me traditional uses that our Native American tribes have known for thousands of years.†So I jumped at the chance, and have gotten some of my friends to help as well. As we talked it over, we found there are several things that we would like to investigate:
- The usage of cattails and its various products as foods, including their corms, pollen spikes, leaf stalks, and root starches; (This will be research.)
- A detailed analysis of a cattail plant during several portions of its growth and lifecycle. This would involve measuring and weighing the various components of the plant at different stages, documenting the changes, and determining how much ‘usable product’ was available at each stage.
This would culminate with a computer model that estimates potential yields per plant and projections on a per acre basis during different portions of the year. Relying upon our families’ agricultural background, we know that our final reports should show the feasibility and potential profitability of cattail usage in a production operation.
We know we have lots to learn, but we’re also looking forward to the possibility of ADDING to the world’s knowledge about this amazing plant that has such a long history of helping mankind.
Mentor/Teacher: Alan Daugherty- MHS
Team Members:
Sponsoring Teacher: Alan Daugherty