Diapers may tell you everything you need to know about solving the drought.

Or at least that’s what University 4-Hers were trying to discover Wednesday.

Members ripped stuffing from diapers and added water to them to learn about water absorption.

“The material mixed in diapers is called polymers,” said Laura Warren, a sophomore 4-Her from Camilla. “Polymers can absorb up to 500 times its weight. They’re nontoxic so I’m sure polymers could be used in food some day.”

The experiment is in the development stage, but members hope their results will go farther.

“This experiment could be used to help out with droughts,” said Steven Dasher, a senior from Glennville. “Adding polymers for water absorption in plants would help.”

To celebrate 4-H National Sciences Day, students across the country participated in this first national science experiment.

Emphasis is on science, engineering and technology for the annual 4-H week, said Stephanie Schupska, public relations coordinator in the College of Agricultural and Environments.

“We [club members] are trying to get more students interested in these subjects,” she said.

“It’s neat to apply an experiment with water and a diaper to other projects like keeping water in soil.”

“It is great to have all these students doing the same thing at the same time. They are invited to blog about their results and have a national chat on the 4-H Web site.”

College of Agricultural and Environmental Science Dean Scott Angle and Georgia 4-H Director Bo Ryles got their hands wet for the experiment, held at Conner Hall.

“We (4-H) hope to launch the Science, Engineering, Technology initiative,” said Ryles. “Our goal is to reach 1,000,000 new ideas and scientists in the next five years.”

Participants hope to promote the importance of discussing water and post results on the organization’s Web site, Schupska said.

The University’s 4-H club spreads awareness to all age groups of the importance of science.

“Keep science a part of your life,” she said. “Just experiment with daily life, even if you’re an English major. Science is so interconnected with everything. We all use science and technology regularly but we don’t realize it.”