On March 7, Bellevue College will be hosting the sixth annual Central Sound Regional Science and Engineering Fair, or CSRSEF, for high school students in King and Snohomish counties. High school students who participate in the CSRSEF will have a chance to win an all-expense paid trip to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, ISEF, held in Pittsburgh in May. Additionally, there will be several other prizes awarded to participants in each category.
Sponsored by the Science and Math Institute of Bellevue College, participants are encouraged to prepare “innovative student research” and will get a chance to “interact with professional scientists and engineers.”
Applications for the science fair have closed, however, running start students at BC should be able to apply for next year’s competition. According to Science and Math Institute Director Jennifer Pang, “The science fair is for high school students in King and Snohomish Counties. I don’t see why running start students can’t participate.”
This year, there are nine different subject categories and there are three prizes for each category. Some of the categories are organismal science, biochemistry, micro and molecular biology, behavioral and social sciences, overall engineering, physics, math and astronomy, environmental science and energy and transportation.
The first, second and third place prizes were donated by sponsors of the science fair. For example, Amazon donated Kindle Fires and other sponsors donated $50 for a second place prize.
Students who plan on competing at the science fair should be motivated by their research. “Students to be passionate and have a mentor who can give an idea about what would be novel or useful,” said Pang.
According to Assistant Dean of the science division Kent Short, a student’s project should have creativity, completeness and a clear poster. “Students also need to show a very thorough understanding of the scientific method,” said Short.
Currently, there are about 200 students and 250 projects being prepared for the science fair. The Science and Math Institute have invited 90 judges from the community who will be given a set of certain criteria, such as creativity and testability of the hypothesis, to grade the various projects.
There are also opportunities for BC students to volunteer during the science fair. According to Pang, the Science and Math Institute needs about 50 students to help check the participants in and set up their projects. “They will also make sure that the projects are safe and within ISEF regulations,” said Pang.
There will be a public viewing time from 1-3 p.m. when anyone from the community can come and view the projects. Student can also find more science opportunities at the fair from the outreach tables.