NORMAL - Students in a University High School biotechnology class agree that their latest project "really stunk." Brad Dearing's students also agree that it was an educational, hand-on activity - but it still smelled bad. The reason: chicken poop.

Students made microbial fuel cells, and one of the ingredients was chicken manure from Dearing's organic farm near Bloomington. They did final tests on their project Tuesday.

"I'm surprised it's working so well," said junior Connor Cross of Normal as he examined his fuel cell. While most of the students worked with Gatorade bottles, he and his team rigged up an aquarium which Cross brought from home.

"They thought bigger was better," said Dearing.

That theory wasn't true this time. The unit that produced the most energy was a bottle-sized one created by senior Jake Tordino of Downs and junior Nathen Schweitzer of Bloomington, both of whom are aiming for engineering careers.

Their project produced 240 milliwatts of energy. A milliwatt is a unit of power equal to one thousandth of a watt.

"I'm the brains and he's the brawn," Tordino joked about their successful teamwork.

All the fuel cells had some things in common: Sealed off on one side was distilled water and salt; a middle section or bridge had a copper wire and carbon fiber cloth; and the third section contained a bacteria-growing environment of water, manure and agar (a gel for growing microorganisms).

Unfortunately the seals between the three chambers on Cross' aquarium didn't work perfectly and the clean, salt water was somewhat murky. Still, it produced 105 milliwatts of energy.

"It kind of smelled," said Cross of the manure. "No one really wanted to do that (add it to the mix)," he joked.

Dearing admitted to being pleasantly surprised to how successful all the students were.

"I didn't know a lot about this project when we started," he said.

This project was part of the alternative energy section in the hands-on biotechnology class that Dearing is offering for the second year. He's still tweaking the curriculum, which includes forensics and agriculture this spring.

Students made biodiesel fuel earlier this year with vegetable oil, lye and methanol. Dearing said he wished they had a working diesel motor at U-High so they could have tested their biodiesel.

The class visited Illinois State University, of which U-High is a part, to learn more alternative energy from the experts.

Dearing's students will move on to medicine and pharmaceuticals next. Among the topics will be the possible connection between vaccines and autism, he said.

Teresa Wenning, a senior from Normal and the only girl in the class of 13, said the medical portion of the course is something that interests her.

She said she hopes to work in a medical lab or as a nurse eventually. She is looking forward to "shadowing" workers at BroMenn Healthcare as part of the class.

"I really enjoy hands-on (projects)," she said.