Science fair offers chance to learn

Anyone who attends the Northwest Regional Engineering and Science Fair next week may learn something.

Such as, is toilet paper truly biodegradable and is shampoo helpful or harmful to hair? What are sources of electromagnetic fields in a home?

People can see really amazing projects, said Andrea Black, a member of the fair’s steering committee. The other engineering and fair steering committee members are Deb Moe, Wendy Telehey and Annette Kreft.

Attending the fair is a good way to support the students, who put a lot of work into their projects, she said.

“We show up at ball games. It’s important we support academic endeavors as well,” Black said.

The engineering and science fair opens to the public at 11 a.m. on Wednesday in the old gym at Williston State College. Awards including college scholarships are given at 3 p.m. Participating students are in grades 7-12, and about 140 projects are to be presented.

Participating schools include Williston Middle School, Trinity Christian School, Tioga High School, which includes junior high students; and Trenton High School, as well as several home-schooled students.

This is the sixth year the fair is in Williston, Black said. Before that, it was in Watford City, and it’s been around since the 1960s, she said. The regional fair is the second step in a process that began with fairs at each of the participating schools.

Then it’s on to the regional event, and 16 junior high and 16 senior high students advance to the state event April 2-3 in Fargo at North Dakota State University. The International Science and Engineering Fair is May 11-15 in Reno, Nev.

At the international fair, 50 different countries are to be represented, and more than $4 million in prizes and scholarships are to be awarded, she said.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for students,” Black said.

When students work on their projects for the fair, it takes science from being an abstract idea in a textbook to something real, she said. Students also develop camaraderie by their involvement.

There’s 32 students from North Dakota who qualify for the international event and the group charters a bus to travel to the fair. The friendships they develop with students from other countries carries on past graduation, she said.

In addition, students learn real-world applications such as the process of planning to presentation, she said.

“Whether they choose a career in science or mathematics, it (the fair) will be something they’ll never forget,” Black said.

The event is a success thanks to the generosity of the community, which Black thanks the community for its support. The fair’s steering committee isn’t in the red because many local businesses have donated to finance the fair, she said.

The event isn’t funded by public schools, as the steering committee works to raise funds for affiliation through the international event to feed the judges and provide prizes for the students, she said.

Judges are set for this year, but anyone interested in judging next year is encouraged to contact Black at 572-0469. There’s 46 people who’ve volunteered to be judges, she said.