Alexander Godsey
8th Grade, Punahou School
Honolulu, HI
Alex has always deeply loved the outdoors. As a resident of Hawaii, he was horrified by the 2023 fires on nearby Maui and heard that non-native grasses might have played a role in its spread. 鈥淣on-native grasses were the reason that the fire was able to ravage the town, spreading and consuming,鈥� Alex says. He feels a strong 鈥渒uleana鈥� (responsibility in Hawaiian) to serve his community, and responsibility for 鈥渁ina鈥� (land in Hawaiian). So, Alex decided to compare the flammability of native and non-native grasses.
The Flammability of Native vs. Non-Native Grasses in Hawaii
Project Background
Alex started with six types of plant. He tested native pili grass, (Heteropogon contortus), oahu sedge, (Carex wahuensis), and mau鈥檜鈥檃ki鈥檃ki grass (Fimbristylis cymosa). He also tested non-native natal grass (Melinis repens), witchgrass (Panicum capillare), and five-finger grass (Digitaria eriantha).
He then needed to set them on fire with an epiradiator 鈥� a chamber that can heat things to combustion. Alex made his own with a hot plate and a pot. He heated each grass, both dry and fresh, to 500 degree Celsius to mimic a fire, and measured how long it took to see sparks, and how long each grass burned. He showed that the native grasses were less flammable than non-native grasses. They took 38.6 seconds longer to ignite. The native grasses also burned for 74.1 seconds less on average than non-native grasses.
Beyond the Project
Alex adores the outdoors. 鈥淭hrough hiking, skiing and fishing, among others, I have grown to love everything about nature and have been lucky enough to experience its splendor,鈥� he says. He鈥檚 even done a 19-day backpacking trip on the John Muir Trail in California. Alex also loves basketball, video games and movies. He鈥檚 interested in pursuing biochemistry. 鈥淏iochemistry is a field where you develop drugs, etc. to help cure people,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 think that it is interesting to see how STEM can be applied to saving lives.鈥�
