This year’s Tri-State Science and Engineering Fair, held annually at the University of Southern Indiana, will be the largest to date, with over 600 projects on display in the Recreation, Fitness, and Wellness Center (RFWC) on March 8-9. The fair provides opportunities for K-12th grade students to showcase their interest in scientific research and receive community recognition for their achievements and is open to students from within a 75-mile radius of Evansville. Last year, more than 600 students presented over 500 projects.
“USI’s Tri-State Science and Engineering fair gathers an assembly of students who are compelled to fortify their educational experience with a research or engineering design project,†said Allison Grabert, SwISTEM interim director. “USI’s mission for the science and engineering fair is to celebrate the innovation and STEM successes of our region’s youth. With over 600 student exhibitors this year, we have a lot to celebrate.â€
Categories include animal sciences, behavioral and social sciences, chemistry and biochemistry, earth and space sciences, engineering, environmental sciences, mathematical and computer sciences, medicine and health sciences, microbiology and molecular biology, physics, and plant sciences.
New this year is the cMoe Invention category for students in kindergarten through third grade. The Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville (cMoe) will sponsor a special invention award for students K-3 who design and present invention projects. This marks the first time the fair will be open to students in grades K-3. Winners of the cMoe Invention Special Award will win a certificate, cMoe passes, and the opportunity to display their inventions at cMoe. They will be judged at the same time as the Jr. and Sr. Divisions. The overall K-3 Invention winner also will win $50.
Grand Award Winners in the senior division will receive an iPad. Honorable Mention Winners in the senior division will receive $100.
Grand Award Winners in the junior division will also receive an iPad. Honorable Mention Winners in the junior division will receive $100.
Juniors and seniors exhibiting at the Tri-State Science and Engineering Fair will have the opportunity to compete via an interview process for several four-year $1,500 renewable USI scholarships.
Elementary Division Winners will receive an iPod.
Students will set their projects up in the RFWC from noon to 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 8. Judging will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. that evening. The fair will be open for the public to view from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, March 9. The awards ceremony will be held at 6:30 p.m. that evening in Mitchell Auditorium in the Health Professions Center.
Grand Award Winners and Honorable Mention Winners in both the senior and junior divisions will advance to the Hoosier Science and Engineering Fair (HSEF). HSEF exhibitors will compete to join the delegation to represent Indiana at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The fair has been held at USI since 2007.
