ORGANIZATION:
The Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair will celebrate its 65th year of open competition of research projects in the fields of science, mathematics, and engineering on April 2 and April 3, 2004, hosted by Heinz Field. This competition is open to all students in grades 6-12 from the 25 counties within Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The Science Fair has been a Pittsburgh tradition since 1940. It is also the third oldest science fair in the United States under the affiliation of Science Service, Inc. which facilitates the International Science and Engineering Fair. In 2003, 680 participants competed from 80 schools in 12 counties including Allegheny, Beaver, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Centre, Fayette, Indiana, Jefferson, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland in Pennsylvania. The 2003 Science Fair was co-sponsored by PA Stay Invent the Future, The Buhl Foundation, The Heinz Endowments, Richard King Mellon Foundation, Bayer Corporation, Comcast, Society of Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh, Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh, WQED Multimedia and various foundations, universities, colleges, industries, corporations, and professional societies.
MISSION:
The Science Fair will facilitate workforce readiness and career awareness by providing an opportunity for students to:
- apply math and science content while igniting a desire for advanced learning in these areas
- assist schools in meeting the State and National Standards
- communicate their research to an audience; and
- connect students with professionals from the various fields of science and engineering.
VISION:
The Science Fair will become the venue to connect bright and motivated young scientists with this region's industry, academia, and professional organizations to promote economic development within Western Pennsylvania. Introducing students to the science and technology opportunities within our region will facilitate the cultivation and retention of a tremendous resource-our youth.
GOALS:
The Science Fair will ...
- facilitate partnerships between state and regional science competitions to better serve the students.
- implement education programs to assist students and teachers in the Science Fair process
- · foster community awareness of regional opportunities in science and technology; and
- partner students with industry and academia through mentorships, internships, and scholarships.
COMPETITION:
Months before the Science Fair, the students develop a project by utilizing the scientific method. At the Science Fair, they exhibit their research on a presentation board and are interviewed by judges who consist of the area's most distinguished scientists and engineers. The next day, an award ceremony is held honoring the participants and winners of the Science Fair.
AWARDS/HONORS:
Category Awards: First, second, third, and honorable mentions are awarded in each category in the Senior (9th-12th), Intermediate (7th-8th) and Junior (6th) Divisions. The Senior and Intermediate Division categories are Behavorial & Social Sciences, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computers/Math, Earth/Space/Environment, Engineering/Robotics, and Medicine/Health/Microbiology. The Intermediate Division also includes Consumer Science category. The Junior Division categories are Physical Science, Life Science and Consumer Science. The Senior Division Students are eligible to receive an all-expense-paid trip to the International Science and Engineering Fair which will be held in May, 2004 in Portland, OR. The top three Junior and Intermediate Division Students in each category are nominated to advance to the Discovery Young Scientist Challenge (DYSC) competition.
Scholarship Awards: Awards, which include of full/half/partial tuition scholarships, pre-college program scholarships, are determined by the awarding colleges and universities.
Sponsor Awards: An organizations may send a representative to the Science Fair to select the winning science fair project(s) in its fields of interest. A cash award is given to the student in the name of the organization. Some organizations invite students to an official awards dinner and/or report this story in their newsletter. These awards are created in collaboration with the Director of the Science Fair.
Merit Awards: The Junior Division Category Judges select the students who exhibit excellence in Creativity, Presentation or Scientific Method. Those students are awarded certificates.
Participant Awards: Each participant receives a certificate.
Perseverance Awards:
Honorary Scientist - Seniors or juniors with five or more years of active participation.
Associate Scientist - Seniors or juniors with three or four years of active participation.
Junior Scientist - Eighth, ninth and tenth grade students with three years of active participation.
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