How to Get Involved in Science Fairs as a High School Student
Science fairs are extremely common and constitute a large part of American high school STEM culture. Being from Malaysia, science fairs are not as renowned here as they are in America and the masses tend to view science fairs as a carefree fun exhibition, rather than a purposeful academic event for students and academicians to show off their projects.
Throughout this blog, I will go over (1) my personal experience competing in science fairs, (2) what science fairs are about, (3) how science fairs benefit high school students, (3) where you can discover these science fairs, and (4) how you can get started on your own project.
What are science fairs?
As mentioned above, science fairs are events that provide students with an opportunity to showcase their knowledge and projects. These fairs can be held at the school, district, state, or national level and are typically open to students of all ages. Science fairs encourage students to think critically and creatively, as they develop and carry out experiments or research projects for a purpose.
At a science fair, students set up display boards or presentations that explain their research question, methodology, and results. They may also demonstrate their experiment or present their findings to judges, who evaluate their work based on factors such as scientific method, originality, and clarity of presentation.
Science fairs provide a forum for students to learn from their peers, receive feedback from judges, and gain recognition for their hard work and scientific achievement. They can also be a launching pad for future scientific careers or interests, as students develop a love for science and experimentation.
Here is a list of some of the most popular science fairs that may interest you:
International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) - This is the world's largest international pre-college science competition, organized annually by the Society for Science & the Public in partnership with Intel Foundation.
Google Science Fair - This is an online science competition for students aged 13-18, which invites them to solve real-world problems through innovative ideas and projects.
Regeneron Science Talent Search - This is a prestigious competition for high school seniors in the United States, which recognizes exceptional research and innovation in science, engineering, and mathematics.
Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) - This is a global science fair that attracts top young scientific minds from over 75 countries, and is organized by Intel Corporation.
National Science and Technology Fair (NSTF) - This is an annual event in Thailand, which showcases the innovative work of students in science and technology.
Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) - This is a national science fair in Canada, which brings together top young scientists from across the country to compete for prizes and recognition.
European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) - This is an annual competition organized by the European Commission, which recognizes and supports scientific excellence among young people in Europe.
Beijing Youth Science Creation Competition (BYSCC) - This is a national competition in China, which aims to promote innovation and creativity among young people in science and technology.
Australian Science and Mathematics School (ASMS) Science and Engineering Fair - This is an annual competition in Australia, which celebrates the scientific achievements of high school students from across the country.
Kenya Science and Engineering Fair (KSEF) - This is an annual event in Kenya, which aims to promote science and technology education among young people, and to encourage innovation and creativity in these fields.
My science fair experience
I vividly remember my first science fair experience. A 9 year-old Caleb was ready to step out of his comfort zone and gain favorability from his science teacher(Ms Priscilla). Ms Priscilla was the teacher that nominated prefects from every year group and Caleb was determined to get the nomination that year. Caleb always watched the prefects dressed in their slick black blazers and ties patrol campus and was destined to be one of them.
The opportunity to participate in a science fair organized by Ms Priscilla was then bestowed upon him. Filled with passion and vigor, he decided that he was destined to lead his team to great heights and devised a science experiment that he believed would beat all odds and allow for his team to be crowned science fair champions.
For a week, a 9 year old me thought hard about what his project would be and eventually settled on the idea of creating a homemade charcoal filter out of a large water bottle that worked to filter out large remnants of mud and soil. To this day, I remember my journey shopping through the fish shop, hysterically looking for charcoal to use in my experiment.
I remember setting the entire experiment up in the science lab and pouring muddy water into my homemade filter. When crystal water dripped down the bottom of the filter into the holder, my satisfaction was immeasurable.
With our experiment now proven to have worked, we had to make large presentation boards explaining our project and how it worked. Fortunately for me, my efforts did eventually pay off as we won the 2014 science fair.
Rest assured you will not win a high school science fair with a project as simplistic as that of my 2014 science fair but take nothing away from the benefits of participating in a science fair.
My filter failed many times before crystal clear water eventually dripped down the other end. Of the endless benefits science fair participations provide you with, my mine takeaways were the perseverance of ensuring your project succeeds and the cooperation you with your teammates in delegating tasks to ensure that there is an informative, aesthetic presentation board pair with your project.
Benefits of science fairs for high school students
There are numerous benefits to participating in science fairs as a high school student, including the ones we have highlighted below.
Develop research skills
Participating in a science fair helps students develop research skills by: requiring students to identify a problem or question that they want to investigate, which involves research and critical thinking. Students will have to research on the topic to develop a research plan and methodology.
Once the research plan is developed, students need to carry out the research or experimentation, which involves collecting data, analyzing results, and drawing conclusions. Result analysis and drawing conclusions from them will, too, help with critical thinking.
Additionally, science fair participation encourages students to think creatively and independently about scientific questions and problems. They need to design and execute their own experiments or research projects, which fosters innovation and creativity, rather than read off a textbook.
Build critical thinking skills
Participating in a science fair helps students develop critical thinking skills in several ways: to analyze data, students are required to develop hypotheses, identify variables, and design experiments or research plans that will help them answer their questions.
Throughout the process of conducting research, students need to think critically about their data and results. They need to analyze their findings, evaluate the validity of their conclusions, and identify potential sources of error or bias. This critical evaluation helps them develop stronger arguments to support their conclusions.
Finally, presenting their research at the science fair requires students to communicate their findings clearly and effectively, opening up to queries, which requires critical thinking skills.
Gain recognition
Winning a science fair or receiving recognition for their work can be a source of pride and accomplishment for students. It boosts their confidence and motivates them to pursue further study or research in the field.
Science fair participation also provides students with opportunities to connect with professionals in their field of interest. Judges at science fairs are typically professionals in their fields, and students can network through this opportunity for future opportunities.
Furthermore, science fair participation can help students stand out on college applications or job interviews as it demonstrates their interest and commitment to the field, as well as their ability to think creatively and independently about scientific questions and problems.
Builds communication skills
By presenting their research at the science fair, students are required to communicate their findings clearly and effectively to judges and other attendees. This process requires them to develop clear and concise explanations of their research,often using visual aids to illustrate their points.
Science fair participation helps students develop their ability to discuss and explain scientific concepts with others. They may need to explain their research to family and friends or discuss their findings with teachers or mentors, which improves communication skills.
Additionally, science fair participation involves working collaboratively with others on research projects, which develops teamwork and collaboration skills as effective communication with teammates to delegate tasks and ensure that everyone is on the same page is necessary.
Boost your college applications
In this section, we will discuss in depth about how science on how science fair participation boosts college applications since I’m sure this is a project many high schoolers will be interested in.
Networking: As mentioned above, science fair participation allows you to network with professors and other professionals in your field of interest. Should you impress them with your research/project, you could potentially be offered a research fellowship/internship opportunity which would be an experience that would significantly boost your resume and application.
Highlighting academic excellence: Winning a science fair or receiving recognition in the said field for your work among professionals demonstrates academic excellence and achievement in your field of interest and highlights your commitment to the said field.
Setting students apart from the competition: As admission rates throughout the world’s best universities decrease annually, science fairs are a great way to stand out. Participating in a science fair helps students stand out from the competition by demonstrating their ability to take initiative, work independently, and pursue their passions. This is extremely important in cases where universities assess and have to pick between two candidates with similar stats.
You may also like this blog post on Physics Science Fair Projects.
How get started with a science fair project as a high schooler
Starting a science fair project can be an extremely daunting task but worry not! Below I have listed an in-depth step by step guide on how to get started on your own science fair project:
Choose a topic: Think about your interests and what you would like to explore in more detail. You may want to consider a topic that is related to a problem or question that you are curious about. Some common areas of science fair projects include biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering.
Do background research: Once you have a topic in mind, research it to learn more about it. This can help you develop your research question or hypothesis. You can use resources such as textbooks, scientific journals, and online databases.
Develop a research question or hypothesis: Based on your background research, develop a research question or hypothesis that you want to investigate. Make sure it is a clear and testable question or hypothesis.
Plan your experiment: Design an experiment to test your research question or hypothesis. Consider what materials and equipment you will need, and how you will collect and analyze data. Make sure to include a control group to compare your results against.
Conduct your experiment: Once you have your experiment planned, conduct it and collect your data. Make sure to carefully record your observations and measurements.
Analyze your data: Once you have collected your data, analyze it to see if it supports your research question or hypothesis. Use statistical methods if appropriate.
Draw conclusions: Based on your analysis, draw conclusions about your experiment. Discuss your findings and how they relate to your research question or hypothesis.
Communicate your results: Finally, share your results with others. You can create a poster or presentation to share at a science fair, or write up your results in a paper to submit to a scientific journal.
Inspirit AI guided science fair project
We have shared a number of different science fair project ideas to help you get started, but at the end of the day, a science fair project is about exploring what makes YOU excited. Use these ideas as inspiration as you brainstorm your own project topics.
If you are looking to create your own science project as a high schooler, you may be interested in our programs at Inspirit AI. The Inspirit AI 1:1 mentorship program exposes high school students to fundamental AI concepts and guides them to build a socially impactful project. Taught by our team of graduate students from Stanford, MIT, and more, students receive a personalized learning experience with a 1:1 teacher to student ratio.
Recently, lecturer Kuan-Chuen Wu, an AI and Computer Vision researcher from Harvard led his student to a first place win at the 2023 Regeneron Westchester Science and Engineering Fair through the 1:1 research paper program.
Pursuing a science fair project as a high school student has so many benefits, and at Inspirit AI, we are excited to see the amazing work that our students will continue to create! For more information, please visit: https://independent-mentorship.paperform.co/
About Inspirit AI
AI Scholars Live Online is a 10 session (25-hour) program that exposes high school students to fundamental AI concepts and guides them to build a socially impactful project. Taught by our team of graduate students from Stanford, MIT, and more, students receive a personalized learning experience in small groups with a student-teacher ratio of 5:1.
