Eastern Kentucky University will host the 14th annual Kentucky Science and Engineering Fair for middle school and high school students on Saturday, March 26.
The fair, sponsored by Lexmark and open to the public, is expected to feature the work of nearly 300 students who have advanced through local and regional competitions to compete for trophies, ribbons, University and private scholarships and special awards from corporations and organizations in 20 categories.
This year’s fair also serves as STEM-H Day, with numerous exhibits in the concourse of Alumni Coliseum providing hands-on experiences and a wide array of information in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and health. Frequent annual exhibitors include Alltech, Bluegrass Greensource, Bluegrass Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience, Coal Country Bee Works, Lexmark, EKU Honors Program, Kentucky Science Center, KET, Kentucky Paleontological Society, Kentucky Physiological Society, Newton’s Attic, Racing to the Future, and the University of Kentucky Department of Computer Science. The STEM-H exhibits will be available for viewing from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
“EKU and Richmond are fortunate to host such an important event for the science and technical education community in Kentucky,” said Dr. Jason Marion, co-director of the Fair and assistant professor of environmental health science. “The Fair is also growing in notoriety with a recent gift from Battelle that will further enhance the fair’s goals, especially our goal in promoting enhanced visibility of Kentucky’s top junior scientists and engineers in their incredible research projects.”
“In addition to these outstanding projects, nearly half of the attendees and their families spend the weekend in Richmond and support local businesses,” said June Settle, research and grants specialist in the College of Arts and Sciences and co-director of the Fair. “The STEM-H component of the fair not only gives Fair attendees a chance to see amazing displays, but also gives other guests and community members another good reason to attend and browse all the interesting exhibits and displays.”
The public can view the students’ work from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in Alumni Coliseum. An awards ceremony will begin at 4 p.m. in Brock Auditorium across campus.
The “Best of Fair” winners at the high school level also become eligible to enter the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Phoenix, Arizona, this May. Students supported by the Kentucky Science and Engineering Fair (KY-SEF) at Intel ISEF have been very successful, winning both category prizes and scholarships.
For more information on the Kentucky Science and Engineering Fair, including photographs of past participants, visit kysciencefair.org or contact June Settle at june.settle@eku.edu or 859-622-9252.
For more information about STEM-H at EKU, visit stem-h.eku.edu.
Construction continues on Phase 2 of EKU's New Science Building. When both phases are joined by Fall 2017, it will be the largest such educational facility on a college or university campus in Kentucky.