Posted on Mar 12, 2015 in "Events"
Regional
Science and Engineering Fair brings brightest high schoolers to WPI
Science,
engineering, and the contemporary world have a symbiotic, evolving
relationship, with influence flowing in both directions – need
prompts study, study propels innovation.
This
process is evident down to one of the disciplines’ essential,
age-old building blocks: The science fair.
“The
progress of science can be tracked by the projects students choose to
do,” said Nancy G. Degon, retired educator and chair of the
upcoming annual Worcester Regional Science and Engineering Fair.
“Over our 60-year history, you can track interest in space projects
when the moon landing occurred, biology projects when DNA was
discovered, computer programming projects when the first computers
were available to the public. Today students are designing apps and
robots, and many projects also involve some aspect that intends to
help solve global problems.”
Ingenuity
of all types will be on display at this year’s high school division
fair, to be held this Friday at the Campus Center Odeum. (The middle
school division, meanwhile, will take place on May 4.)
Judging
will begin at 9 a.m., and a final awards ceremony will be held at 5
p.m. in Alden Hall. The competition is open to students in 9th
to 12th
grades from numerous public, private, parochial, charter, and home
schools in central Massachusetts.
According
to Degon, 175 students from 25 schools have signed up so far, and
their projects encompass a wide swath of ideas. A few examples: the
inhibition effect of garlic extract on colon cancer; generating
electricity with a backpack; practical alternatives to persistent
pesticides in Haiti; and (particularly timely after this
record-setting winter), the effects of road salting on plant
germination and growth.
Judges
will score all projects based on a number of criteria, including
originality, consideration of feasibility, application of
quantitative and statistical tests, clarity of oral presentation, and
effectiveness of visual display.
The
benefits of the fair, a nonprofit that has encouraged innovation and
experimentation since 1956, are multifold, Degon notes: Students have
the opportunity to explain their projects and research and receive
feedback from professionals, and they may also meet with like-minded
peers.
Teachers
have the privilege to contribute and go “above and beyond” their
normal duties, while the professionals who serve as judges get a
chance to see the ingenuity and interests of the up-and-coming
generation of scientists.
“I
am passionate about encouraging students to design and implement STEM
inquiry projects,” says Degon, a retired chemistry teacher from
Auburn High School, where she introduced the school’s first science
fair in 1987. She has served as chair of the fair since 1997.
“After
all, that is what actual research scientists do, isn’t it?”
The
top five scorers in the fair will qualify for entry in the
International Science and Engineering Fair, which will welcome
roughly 1,500 students from more than 70 countries to Pittsburgh on
May 10. Meanwhile, the 40 top-scored projects will qualify for entry
in the Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair, to be held
May 1 and 2 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In
both cases, Degon explains, students will have access to
scholarships, significant monetary awards, and research
opportunities.
The
2014 high school winners were from the Massachusetts Academy of Math
and Science at WPI; Akshayaa Chittibabu was awarded for her study on
the hidden hazards of infant formula, while Jesse Michel was
recognized for his math project, “Base 1.5: Analysis of Properties
and Relation to the Collatz Conjecture.”
Ultimately,
the hope is that the majority of students will go on to make their
marks on the world, however big or small.
“Many
will continue their journey through science,” said Degon, “thinking
outside the box, and providing answers to so many of the scientific
questions that may affect all of our lives.”
For
more information, visit http://www.wrsef.org/high-school-fair.
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BY TARYN PLUMB
Original post.
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