Cork-pulling invention earns Noxon student high honors at science fair

It is simple, says Noxon sixth grader Tracker Scarlett.

“I all about the science of levers,” he said as he demonstrated his cork-pulling invention that earned him second place among 3,000 science students from across Montana.

Scarlett received the honor last month as a result of his “Cork Opener” gadget he unveiled at the Montana Science Fair held at the University of Montana.

And because of a medical situation, Scarlett was forced to submit his entry via a video taped presentation on Zoom.

His invention impressed the judges even in his absence.

The device, which looks something like an aluminum can crusher, works by pulling up instead of pushing down. In a demonstration at the school the mild-mannered sixth grader easily uncorked a bottle, a move which brought a look of satisfaction to his face.

“I’ve always liked to fiddle around with things like this,” he said. “This was just something that came to my mind and I wanted to see if I could make it work”.

Scarlett said the project took about a month to go from thought to working invention. Along the way he welded several of the pieces of the puller, a trade he has been learning from his Dad.

Scartlett’s teacher at Noxon, Vanessa Ramsey, said the project was part of the STEAM concept, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math.

“Students can submit a project for any of those categories and we had pretty strong participation in this event,” Ramsey said. “There are some pretty amazing projects we see”.

Scarlett advanced to the State finals in Missoula after first doing well in the school-wide competition, then a regional meet before making it to this year’s state finals in Missoula.

“There were around 3,000 entrants at the state level this year,” said Ramsey, who is the Noxon Schools science teacher.

Scarlett said he is hoping his interest in science and math will open doors for him in the future. He said he would like to become a mechanical engineer or something similar in the years ahead.

“I’ve never done anything like this before,” he said. “My Dad helped me a lot, he’s been teaching me how to weld. I’ve always been like that I guess. I’ve always liked trying to make stuff”.

This year’s state Science Fair was the 68th annual event. The Fair is affiliated with the International Science and Engineering Fair and is open to all Montana middle school students (grades 6-8) and to an upper division category for students grades nine through 12.