Elementary students explore science with help from New College

SARASOTA — As a general rule, which fruit is the best conductor of electricity — orange, lime or lemon? Does adding salt to ice water cool it off or warm it up? Black, white, green or red — which of these colors is the most efficient at heat absorption?
Under the guidance of half a dozen New College students, fifth-graders at Sarasota’s Lakeview Elementary School subjected these and three other questions to experimental scrutiny on Thursday. And it may pay off in the long run with better Statewide Science Assessment scores in Florida’s push to engage more students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics studies.