Student registration is now open for the 2024 Mid-Columbia Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Please see the Student Registration page for details and the link to the MCSF STEM Wizard page to begin your registration. Email registration@midcolumbiasciencefair.org if you have any questions about registration. We look forward to seeing your projects at this year’s fair!
Teacher Information Meeting – November 30 at 7pm
Teachers interested in learning about the 2024 Mid-Columbia Regional Science and Engineering Fair are invited to attend a Zoom meeting on Thursday, November 30 from 7-8pm. During this meeting, the Fair Director and SRC and IRB Chairs will give an overview of the fair, explain the process for student registration & answer questions about the SRC and IRB review process. The meeting will be recorded and posted on the MCSF website.
Please register for a teacher account at: https://mcsf.stemwizard.com/ or send an email to registration@midcolumbiasciencefair.org to be added to the contact list for this meeting. We will send the Zoom link by email a few days before the meeting.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 2024, teachers
Comments Off on Teacher Information Meeting – November 30 at 7pm
MCSF Student Wins National Award!
Congratulations to Prayrona Choudhury for being named one of the top 300 students in the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge! Prayrona was selected from 1,828 entrants, who came from 35 states, Guam and Puerto Rico.
Prayrona completed her project, “AquaTranslate – Identifying the Causes of Aquatic Problems Through Sensor Data-Driven Intelligent Web Searches”, while she was an 8th grader at Leona Libby Middle School in West Richland.
She is now in the running to be one of the top 30 finalists chosen to compete for more than $100,000 in awards and prizes. Finalists will be announced September 20. Best of luck Prayrona!
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 2023, middle school
Comments Off on MCSF Student Wins National Award!
Regeneron ISEF 2023
The Mid-Columbia Science and Engineering Fair sent 3 students to present their projects at the 2023 Regeneron ISEF, which was held in Dallas TX. We also sent a student observer. Here are some pictures from the week’s events:
L-R: ISEF finalists Matthew (Jerry) Yao from Walla Walla HS, Ourania-Maria Glezakou-Elbert from Hanford HS, Advaitha Motkuri from Richland HS, and Observer Aashrita Bhaamidmarri from Hanford HS.
Made it to Dallas, TX!
Special exhibit about Regeneron’s research
Pointing out their names on the list of participants!
Genius Olympiad 2023
Congratulations to the three students who recently presented their Mid-Columbia Regional Science & Engineering Fair projects at the 2023 Genius Olympiad. Navaj Nune won the opportunity to participate from MCSF, and Ruth Wise Maldonado and Nicole Samaan were chosen to participate from the Washington State Science and Engineering Fair. Ruth won a bronze medal for her project, and Navaj won a gold medal for his work!
The Genius Olympiad is a high school competition focused on finding solutions to pressing environmental issues.Learn more about the Genius Olympiad at: https://geniusolympiad.org
2023 MCSF Awards!
Congratulations to all students who entered projects in the 2023 Mid-Columbia Science and Engineering Fair! It was great to have the fair be back in person this year! The full list of MCSF and Special Award winners has been posted at: https://midcolumbiasciencefair.org/2023-awards/ Thank you to all the organizations and companies who sponsored awards for this year’s fair!
Project Display Dos and Don’ts
We look forward to seeing your projects at the Mid-Columbia Science and Engineering Fair this Thursday, March 9! The fair will be in-person at the Columbia Center Mall in Kennewick. Projects need to be checked in and set up between 8-9am. Judge interviews begin at 9am. We have a couple of reminders as you finish up your project displays for the fair:
Abstracts – the Abstract milestone inside STEM Wizard is due by 9pm on Monday, March 6.
Display and Safety Review – Check your projects before coming to the Columbia Center Mall:
The Scientific Review Committee (SRC) will be checking display boards, reports / lab notebooks / journals during judging. Since the fair is at the Columbia Center Mall it is important NOT to have items displayed that are dangerous to the public and also to 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 near Macy’s. A sticker will be placed on your project if it is approved.
1. DO Use photos of the following items.
DO NOT Display containers of water/ chemicals/ any other liquids.
DO NOT Display plants, animals, soil, examples of food (veggies, fruit), petri dishes with bacteria or containers with soil, baggies with mold, lab equipment.
DO NOT Display containers with residues or waste from experiments, explosives, corroded metals or batteries.
DO NOT Display products from stores.
2. DO Include a Credit line: photo taken by student… or image from …
DO NOT Forget to credit photos.
3. DO Place names on back of display boards and on the inside of binders, journals and reports to help with removal of projects at the end of the fair. Put acknowledgments in your report .
DO NOT Write your name, school or other institutions on the front of display or your binder, report or journal, or make references to mentor, social media, addresses, QR codes, telephone, fax , emails or display ribbons or awards from other fairs.
4. DO Post abstract on your display board.
DO NOT Forget your abstract.
5. DO Focus on the results and conclusion of your experiment on the display board.
DO NOT Distribute give-away items such as printed paper info about yourself or project or food samples.
6. DO Plan on alternatives for the use of electricity.
DO NOT Plan on electrical outlets. They are not provided.
7. DO make sure your display board can explain your project on its own.
DO NOT include active internet connections in your display.
8. DO Focus on the hands of the student working on the experiment if you want to include pictures of the student experimenter.
DO NOT include photos with peoples’ faces on your display.
Good luck with your projects!
Teacher Announcements
Teachers, please be aware of the following. We look forward to seeing your students’ projects in person at this year’s fair!
Certificate of Insurance: All schools need to have a current Certificate of Insurance on file at the Columbia Center Mall. Certificates should be sent to Kelly Odland at kodland@simon.com. More instructions and an example certificate are at: https://midcolumbiasciencefair.org/teachers/teachers-documentation/
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.
Stipends MCSF has stipends available to help defray travel and/or substitute teacher expenses. One $50 stipend is available per school. If you are interested, please email fair director Joyce Stark at: director@midcolumbiasciencefair.org . Include your school’s mailing address. Checks will be sent after the fair.
Project Display Information Please make sure your students are aware of the rules for their project display: https://midcolumbiasciencefair.org/project-display-information/
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 with the names of students who will be receiving interpreting services and the names of the interpreters.
Project Registration Deadline is February 13 at 9pm
This is a reminder that the deadline for students to complete their “Research Plan” and “Files and Forms” milestones is just a week away, on Monday, February 13 at 9pm. If you have any questions about completing these milestones, please ask so we can help you complete your registration. We look forward to seeing your projects at the fair!
Deadlines for the 2023 MCSF:
- Feb 13 at 9pm: “Research Plan” and “Files & Forms” milestones due
- Feb 13 at 9pm: deadline for SRC or IRB pre-approval (if needed)
- Feb 28 at 9pm: deadline to make any requested corrections to your Research Plan and/or Files & Forms
- Feb 28 at 9pm: “Additional Information” milestone due
- March 6 at 9pm: “Abstract” milestone due
Reminders:
- Please check that all your forms have signatures and dates before you upload them.
- While there are a few exceptions, projects involving human subjects (including surveys and testing on yourself), animals, and bacteria typically require project approval from the SRC or IRB BEFORE experimentation can begin. 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. Please respond promptly to any questions the SRC or IRB reviewers send to you.
- No bacteria projects can be completed at home
- If you edit your research plan after it has been approved, it will switch back to “Not Approved”
Let us know if you have any questions:
registration@midcolumbiasciencefair.org for questions about registering in STEM Wizard
src@midcolumbiasciencefair.org for questions about SRC approval
irb@midcolumbiasciencefair.org for questions about projects with human subjects
director@midcolumbiasciencefair.org for overall fair questions
Good luck with your projects!
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 2023, Registration, students, teachers
Comments Off on Project Registration Deadline is February 13 at 9pm
Judge Registration Now Open!
We are seeking around 130 qualified judges for this year’s Mid-Columbia Science and Engineering Fair. Judges will interview students starting at 9am on Thursday, March 9, 2023 at the Columbia Center Mall in Kennewick WA. If you have a scientific, engineering, health, agriculture or food sciences background and think you might enjoy interacting with young scientists at the Fair, please volunteer to help judge by registering as a Judge at: mcsf.stemwizard.com. Check out https://midcolumbiasciencefair.org/judges/ for more details about Judging at the Mid-Columbia Science and Engineering Fair.