Dozens of people piled into the University Ballroom on Friday to admire experiments completed by students at the Sciencefest.

The event displayed 18 different experiments in all, addressing such diverse topics as soy cookie testing and learning abilities.

One student, Jackie Aleck, a sophomore sociology major, was especially interested in the psychology experiment dealing with behaviors and student learning.

“It was interesting to see how different people learn,” Jackie said.

The fest usually attracts about 120 people in all, which includes the dinner that’s held later in the night, Alan Baharlou, the chair of the geology department, said. He said that all the projects are going to Springfield on March 21 for EIU Day as well.

“We are proud of them all,” Baharlou stated.

Many people found this fair to be quite interesting, especially those studying some area of science. First year grad student, Patrick Forsythe, a biological science major, attended Sciencefest to see what other students are researching in the science field. He is partial to any experiment dealing with animal behavior because that’s what he’s interested in and has been studying.

The many projects that filled the room varied in their own unique ways. Nicholas Wright, a senior chemistry major, tested freeze-tolerant fish to see what chemicals they contain in order to keep them living in such extreme conditions.

Another student, Sarah Zumbahlen, a senior communication disorders and sciences major, reached out to speech language pathologists with a chart of child development “milestones” in order to find out if they were accurate enough to judge child development. She chose the experiment because she’s interested in early intervention.

“When I finish college, I’d like to get credentials in that area,” Zumbahlen said.

Melissa Bailey, a senior family and consumer sciences major, also presented a project. She decided to test soy flour on chocolate chip cookies. She learned of the health benefits that soy offers in a food sciences class. She decided to try this experiment in order to encourage “consumers to get more soy products in their diet.”