Science education is fun at the DC STEM Fair

schedule 1.5 minutes
Middle and high school students in the nation’s capital show off their science and math skills in a full-day celebration of STEM education and educators.

Washington, DC— Come watch middle and high school students in the nation’s capital show off their science and math skills in a full-day celebration of STEM education and educators at Dunbar Senior High School Saturday, March 19.

More than 200 local students are expected to participate in the 2016 DC STEM Fair, where they will present their own science, technology, engineering, and math projects to a group of 100 volunteer judges, including representatives from local universities, STEM professional organizations, research institutions, and STEM employer groups.

Presented by the DC STEM Network, the secondary school fair for 6th through 12th grade DC students will send three top winners to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona, in May.

 The Network is a collaboration between the Carnegie Academy for Science Education (CASE) and the District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). The Network's mission is to unite community partners in a sustainable collective effort to design, guide, and advocate for transformative STEM learning opportunities for all DC students. In addition to the STEM Network partners, the STEM Fair is also funded, in part, by the Battelle Memorial Institute and Northrup Grumman.

“We are so proud to give DC students a place to share their enthusiasm for science and math,” said STEM Network Director Julie Edmonds. “The participants have been working hard on their projects and at the fair they will get to have fun showing off their efforts to STEM experts and the community.”

 The daylong festivities will include a STEM Expo, where students, parents, and teachers can participate in hands-on activities. For the first time, the event will include a mini-maker fair, where participants can try their hands at do-it-yourself projects of their own imagining, including a lip balm making activity, where participants will measure, mix, and select a flavor to personalize their creations.

 But the day won’t just be about students. It will also include an inaugural professional development component for up to 100 District teachers, co-sponsored by the Tiger Woods Foundation.

The fun will continue June 4, when the STEM Fair for area elementary school students will offer a family science outing for kids of all ages at the Takoma Education Campus.