Kaitlyn Rumohr shows off a petri dish with bacteria from a dog toy that she tested against several herbal remedies. (Supplied)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

eureka!

Grade 7 student’s love for science takes her to national fair

May 27, 2021 | 4:17 PM

Kaitlyn Rumohr is just 13-years-old, but she’s already blazing a trail toward a career in medicine.

Rumohr, a grade seven student at Glendale School in Red Deer, recently participated in the Canada-Wide Science Fair hosted by Youth Science Canada.

The event was virtual of course, for a second straight year, but Rumohr, who received a gold medal at the regional level to qualify, says it was still a great experience.

“I’ve always had an interest in science, mostly in biology and how the human body works, and I’ve always wanted to be a surgeon,” she says. “I really find in interesting learning about how medications work to kill bacteria, and how the immune system works.”

Rumohr’s project this year was dubbed Testing the Effectiveness of Herbal Remedies.

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“I took some bacteria from my dog’s toy and swabbed it across petri dishes,” she explains. “I then incubated it with the herbal remedies to see which one did the best in protecting against bacteria growth.”

There was a control dish, while the others were applied with cinnamon oil, garlic oil and curry oil. As it turned out, cinnamon worked the best at reducing bacteria, while the curry was least effective.

Kaitlyn Rumohr of Red Deer says science is an important part of her life. (Supplied)

Rumohr shares that when she was three, she spent some time in hospital being treated for Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (HSP, or IgA vasculitis), a disorder which causes small blood vessels throughout the body to become inflamed and bleed. It’s most common in kids ages two to six.

That experience is why she wants to one day be a pediatric cardiothoracic (heart) surgeon.

“I decided then that’s what I want to do when I’m older,” she says. “I want to help people like the doctors helped me.”

In grade five, Rumohr earned a regional bronze medal for her project which tested which charges a cell phone better, solar panels or a regular electrical outlet. Last year, she did research on how or if plant growth can be affected by different types of music.

Learn more about her latest science project here.