Inventors and Science Fairs this weekend
This weekend marks an annual fair that will bring 700 students together, competing for scholarships and awards in the largest pre-collegiate STEM competition in Southwest Florida.
Lee Hughes said the traditional science fair, Thomas Alva Edison Kiwanis Science and Engineering Fair, began in 1958 and the Thomas A. Edison Festival of Light Regional Inventors Fair began in 1988.
The two fairs occurring on the same weekend helped solidify STEM as far as research the students conduct, as well as the inventiveness and entrepreneurial side of STEM and business, he said.
Participation in this weekend’s fair starts at the school level. Teachers and fair directors promote the opportunity and recruit students. The students participate in STEM activities and projects, as well as in after-school clubs that offers students an opportunity to work .
The STEM projects are entered into their school’s fair where the students compete at the school level. The winners of those fairs move onto the regional competition.
Hughes said across the two fairs they have 700 students represented, with 650 STEM research projects and inventions.
This year they had 20,000 projects at the school level.
“Seven hundred projects moved forward to the regional level,” Hughes said. “We certainly have a rich tradition. This is the fourth consecutive year we’ve seen a rise in participation level.”
Students who will compete at Alico Arena on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University come from public, private and home-schools from around Southwest Florida.
Edison Festival of Light, as well as an affiliate of the State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida and Intel International Science and Engineering Fair sanctions the event.
The judging for the fairs will take place Saturday. The Inventors Fair judging will take place in the morning and opens to the public at 1:30 p.m., with award winners being identified at 3 p.m.
The Science Fair will open at 3 p.m. for the public, or when the judging is complete.
In the past, projects have included students working with cancer research and, more recently, blue-green algae and red tide. At the high school level, students are working with college and university professors for short-term and long-term solutions for the blue-green algae and red tide.
At the elementary school level, projects look at dealing with bullying, and other elementary issues, as well as physical education using various devices to track health.
“Students are coming up with a wide array of inventions and project ideas,” Hughes said.
This year marks Hughes’ 14th year participating in the Science Fair, the ninth year as an administrator. It began at Cape Coral High School when he recruited and promoted students to get involved in the program.
Hughes was a co-director for a number of years before becoming the director.
“We have a steering committee of 20 to 25 community members. We meet monthly to plan these events. It’s a 12-month planning operation,” he said. “We started planning for this weekend’s event in July.”
Hughes said he enjoys the outpouring of support from the community, Fort Myers Kiwanis, Sony Electronics, FGCU and Edison Festival of Light. The community, parents, schools, administrators and teachers are the behind the scenes supporters of STEM interest.
“That culminates with the projects and energy level and excitement you will see from the students,” Hughes said.
The students participating in the fairs compete for more than 30 college scholarships and thousands of dollars worth in prizes.
Projects and students recognized will receive a winner’s notification. The awards program for the Edison Festival of Light Regional Inventors Awards Ceremony, presented by Sony Electronics Inc., will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23, at Edison Park Creative and Expressive Arts School, 2401 Euclid Avenue.
Edison Park Elementary, which originally opened in 1927, was one of the first auditoriums in Lee County where Thomas Edison attended community programs.
The Thomas Alva Edison Kiwanis Science and Engineering Fair Award Ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29, at FGCU’s Alico Arena.
“There are scholarships to local colleges and universities, cash prizes, special award donations and grand prize trips to the next level fairs,” Hughes said.
The inventors fair will include the “best of” for elementary, middle and high school students. The science fair will grant best of fair awards to middle and high school students.
“We will select 28 projects to represent the region at the Science Fair in Lakeland, Florida in March,” Hughes said. “We will identify our Best of Fair winners, six projects that will go onto international fair (in Phoenix) in May.”
Overall, 125 students will be recognized from the two fairs. In addition, FGCU will award more than 20 middle school students who competed at the Kiwanis Science Fair with a two-week Summer Research Opportunity at the Whitaker Center for STEM Education.
The Best of Fair Award winners in the Science and Inventors Fair will ride as honored guests in the Edison Festival of Light Parade Saturday, Feb. 16.
For more information, visit www.edisonfairs.org. two fairs occurring on the same weekend helped solidify STEM as far as research the students conduct, as well as the inventiveness and entrepreneurial side of STEM and business.
Participation in this weekend’s fair starts at the school level. Teachers and fair directors promote the opportunity and recruit students. The students participate in STEM activities and projects, as well as in after school clubs where the students have the chance to work .
The STEM projects are entered into their school fair where the students compete at the school level. The winners of those fairs move onto the regional competition.
Those students competing at Alico Arena on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University, are comprised of public, private and home-school from around Southwest Florida.
Edison Festival of Light, as well as an affiliate of the State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida and Intel International Science and Engineering Fair sanction the event.
The judging for the fairs will take place Saturday, Jan. 19. The Inventors Fair judging will take place in the morning and open to the public at 1:30 p.m., with award winners being identified at 3 p.m. The Science Fair will open at 3 p.m. for the public, or when the judging is complete.
In the past, Hughes said the projects have comprised of students working with cancer research, and more recently blue-green algae and red tide. He said at the high school level students are working with college and university professors for short-term and long-term solutions for the blue-green algae and red tide.
At the elementary school level, Hughes said they look at dealing with bullying, and other elementary issues, as well as physical education using various devices to track health.
“Students are coming up with a wide array of inventions and project ideas,” he said.
This year marks Hughes 14th year participating in the Science Fair, the ninth year as an administrator. It began at Cape Coral High School when he recruited and promoted students to get involved in the program.
Hughes was a co-director for a number of years before becoming the director.
“We have a steering committee of 20 to 25 community members. We meet monthly to plan these events. It’s a 12 month planning operation,” he said. “We started planning for this weekend’s event in July.”
Hughes said he enjoys the outpouring of support from the community, Fort Myers Kiwanis, Sony Electronics, FGCU and Edison Festival of Light. He said the community, parents, schools, administrators and teachers are the behind the scenes supporters of STEM interest.
“That culminates with the projects and energy level and excitement you will see from the students,” Hughes said.
The students participating in the fairs are competing for more than 30 college scholarships and thousands of dollars worth in prizes.
Projects and students recognized will receive a winner’s notification. The awards program for the Edison Festival of Light Regional Inventors Awards Ceremony, presented by Sony Electronics Inc., will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23, at Edison Park Creative and Expressive Arts School, 2401 Euclid Avenue.
Edison Park Elementary, which originally opened in 1927, was one of the first auditoriums in Lee County where Thomas Edison attended community programs.
The Thomas Alva Edison Kiwanis Science and Engineering Fair Award Ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29, at FGCU’s Alico Arena.
“There are scholarships to local colleges and universities, cash prizes, special award donations and grand prize trips to the next level fairs,” Hughes said.
The inventors fair will include the best of for elementary, middle and high school students. The science fair will grant best of fair awards to middle and high school students.
“We will select 28 projects to represent the region at the Science Fair in Lakeland, Florida in March,” Hughes said. “We will identify our Best of Fair winners, six projects that will go onto international fair (in Phoenix) in May.”
Overall 125 students will be recognized from the two fairs. In addition, FGCU will award more than 20 middle school students who competed at the Kiwanis Science Fair with a two-week Summer Research Opportunity at the Whitaker Center for STEM Education.
The Best of Fair Award winners in the Science and Inventors Fair will ride as honored guests in the Edison Festival of Light Parade Saturday, Feb. 16.
For more information, visit www.edisonfairs.org.