Teacher Announcements

Posted on February 15, 2023 by Registration

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.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Teacher Announcements

Project Registration Deadline is February 13 at 9pm

Posted on February 6, 2023 by Registration

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 , , , | Comments Off on Project Registration Deadline is February 13 at 9pm

Judge Registration Now Open!

Posted on January 16, 2023 by Registration

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. 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments Off on Judge Registration Now Open!

MCSF Student wins Congressional App Challenge!

Posted on January 1, 2023 by Registration

Congratulations to Richland High School’s Advaitha Motkuri for winning the central Washington Congressional App challenge! Advaitha’s app, People’s Pupil: A Detection in Intoxication, is a continuation of the work she presented at the 2022 Mid-Columbia Science Fair. The app uses pupil size to detect levels of intoxication, calling for a ride-share service if the person is identified as too intoxicated to drive. Read more about Advaitha’s project and the Congressional App Challenge at: https://newhouse.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/newhouse-announces-winners-2022-congressional-app-challenge.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments Off on MCSF Student wins Congressional App Challenge!

Registration Now Open!

Posted on November 14, 2022 by Registration

Student registration is now open for the 2023 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!

Posted in News | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Registration Now Open!

Teacher Information Meeting on Nov. 8

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Registration

Teachers interested in learning about the 2023 Mid-Columbia Regional Science and Engineering Fair are invited to attend a Zoom meeting on Tuesday, November 8 from 4-5pm. 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 for teachers who cannot attend on 11/8.

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 in early November.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments Off on Teacher Information Meeting on Nov. 8

Two MCSF students chosen for the American Junior Academy of Sciences (AJAS)

Posted on September 22, 2022 by Registration

Congratulations to Ourania-Maria Glezakou-Elbert from Hanford High School and Ruth Wise-Maldonado from Sunnyside High School, who were recently named to the American Junior Academy of Sciences (AJAS)! Ourania and Ruth will now have the opportunity to attend the annual AJAS conference, which will be held in March in Washington DC. You can learn more about the projects by Ourania, Ruth, and the other Washington State delegates at: https://washacad.org/2023-ajas-awardees/

Here’s the description of AJAS from the Washington State Academy of Sciences website: The American Junior Academy of Science (AJAS) is the only national honor society recognizing America’s premier high school students for outstanding scientific research. The AJAS mission is to introduce, encourage, and accelerate pre-college students into the professional world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Each state’s Academy of Science nominates high school students as AJAS delegates. The chosen delegates are then invited to attend the AJAS annual conference, which is held in conjunction with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting. During the conference, AJAS delegates tour local institutions of scientific importance, share their research with their peers and with other scientists, attend conference sessions, and are inducted as lifetime Fellows into the American Junior Academy of Science.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Two MCSF students chosen for the American Junior Academy of Sciences (AJAS)

Two MCSF Students named to Broadcom MASTERS Top 300!

Posted on September 9, 2022 by Registration

Congratulations to Aashrita Bhamidimarri and Prayrona Choudhury for being named to the top 300 students in the Broadcom MASTERS science project competition! They were selected from 1,807 entrants, who came from 47 states, Guam and Puerto Rico. Each of the Top 300 MASTERS will receive a $125 award from DoD STEM. With this prize, the Department of Defense continues its support of youth in STEM, working towards a more diverse pipeline of highly qualified STEM professionals in the future.

Aashrita completed her project, “Addressing a ‘Root’ Cause – One ‘Drop’ at a Time”, while she was an 8th grader at Enterprise Middle School in West Richland. Prayrona completed her project, “AquaRover: A Vehicle for Surveying and Mapping of Aquatic Environments”, while she was a 7th grader at Leona Libby Middle School in West Richland.

They are now in the running to be one of the top 30 finalists chosen from this select pool to compete for more than $100,000 in awards and prizes. Finalists will be announced September 21. Best of luck to Aashrita and Prayrona!

You can learn more about the Broadcom MASTERS competition and see the full list of the Top 300 projects at: https://www.societyforscience.org/broadcom-masters/2022-top-300-masters-by-fair-id/

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Two MCSF Students named to Broadcom MASTERS Top 300!

MCSF Student Wins Gold at Genius Olympiad!

Posted on July 1, 2022 by Registration

Congratulations to Ruth Wise Maldonado for winning a Gold award for her science research project at the 2022 Genius Olympiad! She now has the opportunity to publish her research with the International Journal of High School Research. GENIUS Olympiad is an international high school project competition about environmental issues — learn more at their website at: https://geniusolympiad.org/

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments Off on MCSF Student Wins Gold at Genius Olympiad!

More honors for MCSF Students

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Registration

Congratulations to Selene Rojas and Ruth Wise-Maldonado for being named finalists at the 2022 Genius Olympiad. Congratulations, to, to Ourania-Maria Glezakou-Elbert and Ruth Wise-Maldonado for being nominated to to apply to represent Washington State at the American Junior Academy of Science Convention in Washington DC. Stay tuned – Genius Olympiad results and the Washington State AJAS delegates will be announced later this summer. Best of luck to these young scientists!

learn more at: https://geniusolympiad.org/ and https://washacad.org/2022-ajas-awardees/

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments Off on More honors for MCSF Students