Fair day and Awards ceremony photos are now available – click the following links to view and download pictures from the 70th Mid-Columbia Regional Science and Engineering Fair.
Thank you to our photographers: Vaithi Shutthanandan, Daylin Olsen, Preston Oakes, Brian Palmer, Joyce Stark, and Jeff Brown.
Thank you to all the students who presented their research projects at this year’s fair! The list of MCSF Fair Awards and Special Awards is now posted at: https://midcolumbiasciencefair.org/2025-awards/. Congratulations to all the award winners! Thank you to MCSF’s many sponsors who make these awards possible!
If you received an award, please send a thank you note – addresses were included in the information sent to each school. If you don’t know where to send your letter, you can mail it c/o MCSF Association, 2530 Albemarle Ct., Richland WA 99354
The MCSF Awards Ceremony is Saturday March 15 from 1-4:30pm at the Chief Joseph MS Auditorium. The school is located at 504 Wilson St. in Richland. The year’s speaker is Dr. Manoj Karkee, from WSU – Prosser. His talk is titled “AI and Robotics for Specialty Crops”.
Students – remembers to wear the second name tag that you received yesterday.
We hope you can join us to learn who has won awards at this year’s fair!
Students – you now have a new milestone on your STEM Wizard Dashboard – the “Promotion to WSSEF” milestone is how you let us know that you want to also participate in the Washington State Science and Engineering Fair (WSSEF). Students who answer “yes” in this milestone will have their projects electronically promoted to WSSEF after the Mid-Columbia fair is done.
Here’s more information about WSSEF:
Competing at the Washington State Science and Engineering Fair
The 2025 WSSEF dates are:
Grades 1-8: March 28, 2025
Grades 9-12: March 29, 2025
See the full schedule at: http://wssef.org/
WSSEF is held in-person at Bremerton High School, Bremerton WA
There is a $30 fee to participate.
Mid-Columbia Science and Engineering Fair Students who want to also present their project at the Washington State Science and Engineering Fair (WSSEF) must answer “yes” inside the “Promotion to WSSEF” milestone by 9pm on Tuesday, March 11. All students with eligible projects who fully participate in the Mid-Columbia Science and Engineering Fair can also compete at WSSEF. Once the Mid-Columbia Fair is complete, the fair director will electronically promote projects to the WSSEF STEM Wizard site. This will send your Research Plan, Forms, and Abstract directly to the WSSEF STEM Wizard site. DO NOT directly register on the WSSEF site, your project must be promoted from the Mid-Columbia Science and Engineering Fair.
Once your project has been promoted from the Mid-Columbia Fair, you will receive an email from WSSEF which will give you further instructions on completing your WSSEF registration and paying your registration fees. Logging in to your student account after it has been uploaded to WSSEF will show “Washington State Science and Engineering Fair” at the top of the page. Contact registration@midcolumbiasciencefair.org with any questions about promoting your project to WSSEF.
After your project has been promoted, you must log into your account at: https://wssef.stemwizard.com and complete the following items by the stated deadline. NOTE: There is very short time this year between the Mid-Columbia Fair and WSSEF – please complete these items promptly once your project has been promoted!
Deadline: March 15, 2025 at 11:55 PM.
1. Pay the WSSEF Entry Fee by March 15, 2025. WSSEF Entry Fees are separate from any Regional Fair Entry Fees. You are responsible for paying the entry fee or checking with your school, fair or organization to make sure they have arranged for payment.
2. All WSSEF milestones must be completed including the “Additional Information” Milestone.
3. Optional Research Paper for Grade 9 – 12 can be submitted if desired
4. Any category changes can be requested from the WSSEF Registration Team. Send an email to registration@wssef.org with your request. If approved, the WSSEF Registration Team will contact you by email.
You can learn more about WSSEF at their website: https://wssef.org/
Fair Day is almost here! We look forward to seeing your projects on Thursday, March 13, at the CIC Building at WSU Tri-Cities. See the schedules and maps page for maps and driving directions to the CIC Building at WSU. Here is some information about the fair:
We look forward to seeing your projects at the Mid-Columbia Science and Engineering Fair on Thursday, March 13. Projects need to be checked in and set up at the CIC Building at WSU Tri-Cities between 8-9am. Judge interviews begin at 9am. See maps, driving directions, and the full fair schedule at: our schedules and maps page.
Projects need to be set up by 9am and remain on display until 5pm
Judge Interviews – During the fair, everyone will have the chance to explain their project to at least 3 judges. The Judges are local STEM professionals who are excited to hear about your work! We suggest that you prepare a 3-5 minute explanation of your project. The Judges will also ask you questions to learn more about your project.
We have a couple of reminders as you work on your projects for the fair:
Abstract and Project Board PDF/picture Milestones – these milestones inside STEM Wizard are due by 9pm on Monday, March 10. These will be used for the judging of some Special Awards. You can upload a picture of your Project Board or a PDF printout of the files used to make your display.
Display and Safety Review – The Scientific Review Committee (SRC) will be checking display boards, reports / lab notebooks / journals during judging to ensure they follow the rules on the Project Display Information page. The SRC will inspect projects and remove or tape over any items that are not to be displayed on your project. These items can be picked up after judging at the Special Awards Table. A sticker will be placed by your project if it is approved.
Project Display DOs and DON’Ts:
1. DON’T Display the following:
DO Use photos of the above items instead
2. DO Focus on the hands of the student working on the experiment if you want to include pictures of the student experimenter.
DON’T include photos with peoples’ faces on your display.
3. DO Include credit lines: photo taken by student… or image from …
DON’T Forget to credit photos and images.
4. DO Plan on alternatives for the use of electricity.
DON’T Plan on electrical outlets. They are not provided.
5. DO make sure your display board can explain your project on its own.
DON’T include active internet connections in your display.
6. DO Place names on back of display boards and on the inside of binders, journals and reports.
DON’T Write your name, school or other institutions on the front of display, binder, report or journal.
7. DO Put acknowledgments in your report
DON’T make references to mentors, social media, QR codes, contact information or display ribbons or awards from other fairs on your display.
8. DO Post abstract on your display board.
DON’T Forget your abstract.
9. DO Focus on the results and conclusion of your experiment on the display board.
DON’T Distribute give-away items such as printed paper info about your project or food samples
Here’s some important information about this year’s fair and reminders of upcoming deadlines:
We have a NEW LOCATION THIS YEAR! The 2025 fair will be held in the CIC Building at WSU Tri-Cities (2770 Crimson Way, Richland WA). Please see the schedules and maps page for maps and driving directions.
Lunch Options: Two food trucks (El Tacoriendo and Doggie Style Gourmet) will have food available for purchase just outside the CIC building during the lunch break. Item prices range from $3 to $15. There is a vending machine available in the CIC building. Students may also bring their own lunch.
Project Display Information: As you prepare for the fair, please read through the rules for your project display: https://midcolumbiasciencefair.org/project-display-information/ Your project board should fully explain your project on its own – no active internet or email connections are allowed as part of your project display.
Fair Schedule: See the full fair schedule at: https://
Upcoming Deadlines:
1) Research Plan and Form Corrections are due by 9pm March 4: The SRC is working to review your projects. You can check on your project’s approval inside STEM Wizard – milestones turn green with a checkmark once they are approved. The SRC is sending messages to students who need to make research plan corrections before their research plan can be approved. Students can view these messages inside STEM Wizard and through the email address they registered in STEM Wizard. Be sure to click the blue SAVE RESEARCH PLAN button after you have made any corrections to your Research Plan.
The SRC and IRB are also working on approving forms and sending messages about items that need to be corrected before the forms can be approved. If you get a message that a form was rejected – DON’T PANIC! A “rejected” form means you need to make corrections to the form – forms will be approved once you make these corrections! Please make these corrections promptly. Let us know if you have any questions or need help uploading forms. You can upload corrected forms into STEM Wizard or email them to “registration@midcolumbiasciencefair.org“. You can see which forms have been approved inside your STEM Wizard account.
2) Additional Information Milestone due by 9pm March 4: This milestone has some short (mostly yes/no) questions that may qualify your project for certain special awards.
3) Abstract and Project Board PDF (Picture) Milestones due by 9pm March 10: The Project Board PDF milestone is for you to upload a picture of your project board. This should be a picture of ONLY your board – you should NOT be in the picture. These will be used for judging some Special Awards.
Good luck with your projects! Let us know if you have any questions.
We are looking forward to seeing your students’ projects at WSU Tri-Cities on Thursday, March 13! This post has some important updates and reminders about this year’s fair.
We have a NEW FAIR LOCATION: The Fair will be in the CIC Building at WSU Tri-Cities. Please see the schedules and maps page on our website for maps and driving directions. (CIC stands for Consolidated Information Center.)
Certificate of Insurance: All schools need to supply a current Certificate of Insurance to the Mid-Columbia Science Fair. Certificates should be sent to Eva Baroni at eva.baroni@icloud.com. Instructions and an example certificate are at: https://midcolumbiasciencefair.org/teachers/teachers-documentation/
Stipends: MCSF has stipends available to help defray travel and/or substitute teacher expenses. One $100 stipend is available per school. If you are interested, email fair director Joyce Stark at: joyce.stark@sunnysideschools.org. Include your school’s mailing address. Checks will be payable to the school and sent after the fair.
Schedule: The general fair schedule is on our website at https://midcolumbiasciencefair.org/students/schedule/ Lunch breaks are staggered by division to avoid crowding in lunch areas – the lunch schedule will be handed out at registration. Project Displays need to be set up by 9am and remain set up until 5pm. Projects can be taken home between 5 and 7pm. If you have any students who are not able to remove their displays during this time, email registration@midcolumbiasciencefair.org to make alternate arrangements.
Lunch Options: The El Tacorriendo and Doggie Style Gourmet Food Trucks will be available just outside the CIC building between 11am-1pm. They accept cash and card payments, and prices range from $3 to $16. Vending machines are available in the CIC Building. Students may also bring their own lunch from home/school.
Project Review: The SRC is working to review projects and will send messages to students if they need to make corrections to their Research Plans or Forms. Please encourage your students to complete these corrections promptly so their projects can be approved. Tell your students not to panic if they get a message that a form was rejected – that just means they need to make a correction on the form or scan. Let us know if you have any questions or need help uploading forms. You and your students can see which forms have been approved inside your STEM Wizard accounts.
Registration Deadlines:
February 11: Research Plans and Forms deadline for any project needing SRC or IRB pre-approval
February 19: Registration deadline – Research Plan and Forms must be in by 9pm
March 4: Deadline to complete any corrections requested by the SRC
March 4: Deadline to complete the Additional Information Milestone – yes/no questions that may qualify a project for some special awards
March 10: Deadline to complete the Abstract and Project Board PDF milestones – this information will be used by Judges and Special Awards
Project Display Information: Please make sure your students are aware of the rules for their project display: https://midcolumbiasciencefair.org/project-display-information/ No active internet or email connections are allowed as part of the project display. This page also has some example templates for students who want some guidance on what to include on their display board.
Interpreters: If you have ESL students, you may bring support staff from your school to Interpret for these students during the Judge Interviews. Display boards must be in English. Email judging@midcolumbiasciencefair.org by March 5 with the names of students who will be receiving interpreting services and the names of the interpreters.
Payment: The participation fee of $5 per student will be collected when you check in at the fair. We ask that teachers who are bringing a group of students collect payment for all their students and then submit one single payment at fair check-in. Payment by Purchase Order or Check is highly preferred. Payment may be made by check, PO, or cash.
WSSEF: Students who participate in the Mid-Columbia Science and Engineering Fair are also eligible to participate in the Washington State Science and Engineering Fair (WSSEF). We’ll send more information about WSSEF in early March and will open up a new milestone then where students can indicate if they want to participate at WSSEF. Projects will be electronically promoted to the WSSEF STEM Wizard site after the Mid-Columbia Fair.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
The deadline for entering Research Plans and ISEF forms in STEM Wizard is Wednesday February 19 (with an earlier deadline of Tuesday February 11 if the project requires SRC pre-approval – see Tip 4 about SRC pre-approval below). Project registration is done by completing a series of “milestones” in STEM Wizard account. Milestones will turn green with a checkmark once they have been approved. (If a project doesn’t require SRC/IRB pre-approval, students can begin experimentation as soon as their adult sponsor has approved their research plan and their forms are signed.)
We’re receiving a lot of incomplete Research Plans this year – please follow the tips below to ensure the SRC has the information they need to review your project:
Tip 1: Research Plans should be approved by the teacher / Adult Mentor BEFORE students enter them in STEM Wizard!
Tip 2: Research Plans should include the following:
Tip 3: Check that the scans/pictures of forms are clear and include the entire form – Also check that forms are complete and have all signatures and dates! We’re getting a lot of Form 1’s that are missing the checkmark next to the attestation statement just above the Adult Sponsor signature. See https://midcolumbiasciencefair.org/students/src-irb/#Examples for directions and examples of completed forms.
Tip 4: SRC Pre-Approval – Some types of projects require pre-approval from the SRC or IRB BEFORE students can begin collecting data! This includes projects with vertebrate animals, human subjects (including surveys and testing on yourself), recombinant DNA, human or animal tissue, pathogenic agents, and controlled substances. The DEADLINE to enter Research Plans AND Forms for projects that need SRC pre-approval is 9pm Tuesday February 11.
Please be mindful that our SRC and IRB reviewers are volunteering their time, and understand that it may take 7-10 days for them to complete review of your project. See https://midcolumbiasciencefair.org/students/src-irb/ for more details about what needs to be included in the research plan for projects with human subjects, vertebrates, pathogens, and hazardous substances – including all the listed information will speed up the review process!
Tip 5: Bacteria projects cannot be completed at home. If a project studies bacteria, we suggest ordering the K-12 strain of E. coli from Carolina Biological Supply. This strain is exempt from pre-approval, but students must state that they are using the K-12 strain of E. coli in your procedure and purchase from Carolina.
Tip 6: Check your email! The SRC reviewers will send students a message if they need to make Research Plan or Forms corrections. Please make these corrections promptly so projects can be approved.
Tip 7: Projects must follow all MCSF Rules, including our rule about the use of AI: Honesty is expected during every phase of the project. Your science project must be your own work. In particular, artificial intelligence (AI) may NOT be used to design your experiment, write any part of your project, or create your display. Your project must not include fraudulent data, plagiarism, or inappropriate use of AI.
Please email registration@midcolumbiasciencefair.org if you have any questions about registering for the fair.
Long-time Mid-Columbia Science Fair mentor, teacher, and supporter, Dr. Rama Devagupta, has received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), one of the nation’s highest awards for K-12 STEM educators. Dr. Devagupta teaches biology at Kennewick’s Southridge High School. The PAEMST award program recognizes educators from across the United States for the passion, dedication, and impact in the classroom.
Dr. Devagupta is one of 335 teachers and mentors from around the United States who was chosen for this honor. She will receive a certificate, $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation, and an all-expenses paid trip to the awards ceremony. Learn more about the PAESMT program at: https://paemst.nsf.gov