Fourth-grade students filled two science labs Thursday afternoon at Riverland Community College’s Austin campus, as they experimented with water and germs.

Sumner Elementary School held its science fair mentorship kick-off event Thursday afternoon.

“We’re experimenting with water and they said that water acts kind of like a magnet,” Aleyda Martinez, 9, said.

The students worked to fill a penny surface with water, to find out more about the water cycle. Although Aleyda didn’t know if she wanted to sign up for the science fair yet, she thought it might be a good experience.

“Because my mom said that it would be fun to enter the science fair,” she said.

During Sumner’s kickoff, students visited the Riverland’s laboratories, learned about the scientific method, and completed an experiment with guidance from Riverland faculty.

Logan Oelkers, 9, was excited to learn about what scientists do and how they can make a difference in the world.

“I want to tell a scientist that when I grow up I want to be a scientist,” he said.

He enjoyed learning about how scientists help cure people of diseases through the different experiments they do, and finding out more about how solids, liquids and gases form. If he enters the science fair this year, he said he may delve further into that question.

“I would probably try to figure out more about solids, liquids and gases,” he said.

As some students filled pennies with water, others looked at how many germs they had on their hands under a backlight.

“We’re looking at germs and learning about viruses,” Aliew Alyab, 9, said. “That they’re mostly in our nails.”

She had fun learning about germs and doing the experiments. If she enters the science fair this year, she said she might do a project on germs.

Catherine Haslag, Peggy Benzkofer, Carolyn and Fred Bogott, and Richard Lemons are working together on the mentorship project, to remove barriers so more students can successfully participate in the science fair. Haslag hoped this trip would help students find out what they might want to do for the science fair.

“The idea is to get them engaged in the science activities,” she said. “Get them fired up for the science fair.”

She added, “They’re loving it, they’re excited to be here.”

Both Sumner and Neveln Elementary School leaders hope to give the students extra help with science fair projects this school year through a program intended to pair students with an adult mentor to assist the students with their projects. The mentors will help students create an experiment and develop a display for the Austin Public Schools Science Fair next March (formally known as the STEAM Expo).

As a chemistry professor at Riverland, Haslag spoke with administrators to bring the students into the college and work with some of the experiments.

“To get the kids in and do something they normally wouldn’t do,” she said. “It’s like they’re college students for a day. What fourth-grader wouldn’t love that?”

After the kickoff, students will work with mentors on their projects in the months leading up to the science fair, which is scheduled for March. Mentor sessions will be between 2:30 and 4 p.m. at the schools on either Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays, and will start Nov. 12. Neveln’s kickoff event is planned for December. Haslag said they also plan to bring professional scientists into the classroom for the students to talk to and get ideas about projects.

Haslag said there are currently about 30 to 35 mentors, but organizers hope for more. She said there are about 90 students signed up for the fair from Sumner alone, and organizers hope to get as close to a one-on-one ratio with students and mentors as possible. The program is open to anyone, regardless of science experience. Mentorship hours can be used toward clinical hours for elementary education majors at Riverland.

“We have had an incredible amount of positive outcry in the community,” Haslag said.

She is excited about the volunteers that have come forward, and hopes to see more. She said some mentors are just people who have children and want to help others, and some are students who need volunteer hours for National Honor Society or other organizations, among others. The program is open to anyone willing to help.

Mentors can volunteer through February and are not required to go to every scheduled mentoring event, though organizers need to know in advance if mentors will make it to events.

Mentors must complete orientation and pass a background check. The orientation will include a lesson on the scientific method and information on cultural sensitivity and working with students. For more information or to volunteer, contact Haslag at sciencefairmentormn@gmail.com.

Haslag hopes to eventually expand the mentorship program to all four Austin elementary schools, but for this first year, organizers wanted to start small to ensure the program worked well.