Bryce plays the violin in the school orchestra, is involved in archery, enjoys camping with his Boy Scout troop, and likes relaxing with video games and science fiction books. Someday Bryce would like to become an engineer or a computer software designer. He likes to play video games and has written programs for some simple games. "It would be great to do what I really like and get paid for it," he says.
Bryce cites his mother as his science hero. "I'll never forget the Thanksgiving Day that I asked how the white meat and dark meat were different. She let me make slides of the turkey meat and look at it under a microscope."
Watching his grandfather apply a thick layer of sunscreen led Bryce to question whether the sun protection factor (SPF) of the sunscreen or the amount applied was most important in providing protection from the sun. To prepare for the test, Bryce determined the amount of sunscreen most people use as well as the standard amount the Food and Drug Administration uses for testing.
Bryce took three clear-plastic sheet protectors and divided them into four sections each. He applied four sunscreen lotions—SPF 8, SPF 15, SPF 30, and SPF 45—to each quadrant, varying the thickness of the application per sheet by 0.5 milligrams per square centimeter, 1.0 milligrams per square centimeter, and 2.0 milligrams per square centimeter. Then he placed photographic paper in the plastic sheet protector and exposed it to black light for one second to duplicate the harmful effect of the sun. Finally, after developing the film in a home darkroom, he had a professional printer take color readings in 10 predetermined places including a control area where no sunscreen had been applied. After conducting statistical analysis, Bryce concluded that sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher at a thickness of 1.0 milligrams per square centimeter or more provides the best protection.
