(pp. 4 - 7)
Frank Musica
Notre Dame University
Notre Dame, Indiana
Abstract
Two major planning schemes are proposed for the betterment of urban areas. One group is characterized by the theory that cities cannot be replaced but must be renewed. Proponents of this concept would redevelop the urban centers to rid them of the defects which are apparently detracting from their suitability as healthful environments for their inhabitants. This would include slum clearance, reduction of pollution, addition of parks and open space, and methods to mitigate the congestion and disorder of present traffic systems. Although this seems more practical from an economic standpoint, supporters of an opposing theory would alleviate, the problem of overcrowding present cities and lessening the complexity and increased sectionalism of modern city life by building new cities. Unlike the present urban areas, the new cities would have an advantage, the rational application of technical knowledge in accordance with known psychological necessities. Numerous contrivances for the advancement of urban living have been formulated. They vary from the ultramodern tetrahedronal city of R. Buckminster Fuller; a mile-high craft floating in Tokyo Bay and accommodating a million people,1 to the seventy year-old proposal of Ebenezer Howard. In the latter plan the new urban areas would not be the conventional mixture of commercial centers and suburban housing developments but garden cities with townhouses and large open spaces. By present standards this is the most feasible design suggested and therefore should be examined.
(pp. 7 - 8)
Gaye B. Johnson
Stetson Junior High School
Abstract
A handsome, graying man appears on my screen. He begins to speak, "And now, a word from our sponsors, Cave Dwellings, Incorporated. Homeowners, are you tired of your present home? Then I have a proposition for you." Three years ago, several enterprising young men joined together to form a corporation known as Cave Dwellings, Incorporated. Their aim was simple: to create an entirely new type of housing. Actually, they utilized one of the oldest types of shelter known to man; caves. We have several models for your inspection. There are many theories concerning the formation of caves. We have arranged our models according to their supposed origins.
PROBLEMS RELATED TO SURFACE AND STRIP MINING
(pp. 8 - 10)
Michael Scheponik and Robert Harris
Carrol Junior High School
Abstract
Surface and strip mining modifies man's environment in many ways. The most important environmental factors are air, land, and water. Hence, a list of related problems to them follows.
(pp. 10 - 11)
Anita Kamihira
Stetson Junior High School
Abstract
Air and water pollution are two of the main problems facing the world today. In America, where the city is gradually overtaking the country, where more and more people are living, and where more and more factories are being built, the point has been reached where everyone
should become aware of these problems before it is too late.
(pp. 11 - 12)
Heidi Cherkin
Carrol Junior High School
Abstract
Donora, Pennsylvania, once a vibrant, booming, industrialized steel center, finds itself a poor, depressing, decaying little town. What made these changes? What led Donora to its downfall? What is being done to lead to its recovery?
THE PROBLEM OF WATER POLLUTION AND WHAT WE ARE DOING ABOUT IT
(pp. 12 - 13)
Cathy Sweda
Carrol Junior High School
Abstract
The first question people mostly ask is, "What causes water pollution? There are three good answers to this question:
(1.) Factories having no place to put their waste materials used the rivers as they were the only convenient disposals at hand.
(2.) People dump their waste materials into the rivers or on the hillsides nearby. These hillsides erode and cause the wastes to reach the streams which flow into rivers, eventually causing pollution.
(3.) Synthetic detergents are dumped by the billions of pounds into rivers causing them to become polluted.
The questioners, not being satisfied asked: "What is being done about it?" The government has passed a few laws but the one that has done the best job which copes with water pollution is the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. This act gave construction grants to cities, but provides for court action should certain policies not be observed. Cities must clean up their pollution.
(pp. 13 - 15)
Donna Gould
Stetson Junior High School
Abstract
The sign says "Unsafe for Swimming undefined Michigan Department of Health." Oil slicks cover the water, its waves listlessly lap the shore. Dead fish rot on otherwise vacant beaches. Piers stand deserted. Rocks are coated with slimy, green algae. Splotches of rust, red and pea green appear on the water's surface, as if it were diseased. Appearing rabid, it "foams at the mouth." Though seemingly unreal, this is the picture of one of our huge bodies of water in the northern United States - Lake Erie in the Great Lakes system. And She is dying, slowly and silently being choked to death by the hands of man.
(pp. 15 - 17)
Fritz Snyder
Meadville High School
Abstract
Lake Erie, eleventh in size of freshwater lakes in the world, is said to be the most polluted of the Great Lakes of North America. A hazard for swimmers along most of its shore and devoid of game fish because of the lack of oxygen in its waters, Erie is the main battleground in the nation's stepped up war on water pollution. Its basins are all subject to pollution.
(pp. 18 - 20)
Lori Rech
Stetson Junior High School
Abstract
Peat is an important product in the lives of many people since it is a source, of fuel, fertilizer, and livestock feed. This study is based on how peat is formed, where some important deposits are located, some of its many uses, and how to purchase it.
(pp. 20 - 21)
Steven McSorley
Youngwood Junior High School
Abstract
Antarctica is the double-continent surrounding the South Pole. It is the coldest region on earth. Most of Antarctica's land lies buried beneath mile thick masses of ice and snow. Rugged mountains protrude through the icecap in the interior of Antarctica and along much of the coast. Great rivers of ice, glaciers, move slowly down to the sea from valleys high up in the mountain peaks. Along the shores of the continent the seas are stormy and full of ice. Strong winds blow across these freezing waters and at times swirl hundreds of miles inland. Millions of square miles of lifeless interior region are only partially explored.
(pp. 21 - 23)
Linda Hartenstein
Beaty Junior High School
Abstract
The Lesser Antilles are an arc of small, but strategically placed islands in the West Indies. The major groups and independent islands are: the Virgin Islands, the Windward and Leeward Islands, the French West Indies, Barbados, and Trinidad-Tobago. (See Figure 1.)
(pp. 23 - 24)
Sue Klinger
Stetson Junior High School
Abstract
The mushroom growing industry in the United States was not started until the latter 19th century. France and England had it many years before. The first American mushroom growing effort began in New York City. The largest part of this industry is still concentrated in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New York. During the past quarter century rapid strides have been made in the mushroom industry. Crop failures were frequent at first. An average production of one-half pound per square foot was considered good. According to estimates over 90,000,-000 sq. feet of bed space is at present being used for mushrooms. The estimated total of the annual production is 160,000,000 pounds. Materials for making artificial- and horse-manure is costing several millions of dollars. Most of the American growers have been using mechanical equipment to facilitate production.