The work of 615 students from 44 area high schools and junior high schools will be displayed at the 63rd Annual Southeast Missouri Regional Science Fair March 5 in the Show Me Center at Southeast Missouri State University.
The fair will feature 395 different projects 306 in the Junior Division and 89 in the Senior Division. Participating students have explored scientific questions in astronomy, behavioral and social sciences, biochemistry, biomedical and health sciences, chemistry, earth and environmental sciences, engineering, mechanics and robotics, math and computer science, microbiology, physics and plant sciences.
Judging will begin at 1:15 p.m. Exhibits in the Science Fair will be open for public viewing from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., with an awards ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.
Dr. Chelsea Grigery, pediatrician with SoutheastHEALTH, serves as the fairs director.
The Science Fair is an amazing opportunity for students in grades 6-12 to explore STEM projects and issues, she said. There is a significant need in the U.S. and around the world in STEM-related job markets, and the Science Fair allows students to grow their ideas and education and hopefully propel them to consider STEM majors and STEM careers.
This years fair features the largest number of submitted senior projects and an increase in the number of participating schools. Its a positive indication that students in the southeast Missouri region are interested in science and technology and that the fair supports and provides students opportunities to showcase their work and build their academic and career futures, added Grigery.
Participating in the Science Fair teaches you how to conquer a problem from beginning to end — how you address that problem, design a solution and present it to an audience, she said. The skills the students learn here they can carry throughout their high school and college careers and into the workplace.
Participating schools in the Junior Division will be: Advance R-IV, Bernie Junior High, Campbell Junior High, Charleston Middle School, Delta R-V, DeYong Family Homeschool, Immaculate Conception-Jackson, Jackson Junior High, Kennett Junior High, Leopold R-3,Malden R-1, Neelyville R-4, Oak Ridge R-VI Junior High, Portageville Junior High, Prodigy School, Richland R-1, Scott County Central Junior High, South Pemiscot Junior High, Southland C-9, St. Ambrose School-Chaffee, St. Joseph School-Farmington, St. Vincent de Paul-Cape Girardeau, St. Vincent-Perryville, Ste. Genevieve Middle School, Trinity Lutheran-Cape Girardeau and Twin Rivers-Qulin.
Participating schools in the Senior Division will be: Bernie Senior High School, Clearwater Senior High School, DeYong Family Homeschool, Eagle Ridge Christian Academy, Gihring Family Homeschool, Hayti High School, Jackson R-2 Senior High, Kennett High School, Malden R-1 High School, Neelyville High School, Oak Ridge R-VI High School, Portageville Senior High School, Prodigy High School, Richland R-1 High School, Roseman Family Homeschool, Saxony Lutheran High School, Sikeston High School and South Pemiscot High School.
Sponsors for this event include SoutheastHEALTH and Southeasts College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Other co-sponsors are Drury Southwest, Inc.; MidAmerica Hotels Corporation; Montgomery Bank; Ameren Missouri; Cape Radiology Group; Drury Hotels; Proctor & Gamble; Saint. Francis Healthcare System; Southeast Missouri Dental Society; American Chemical Society; Banterra Bank; Cape Girardeau Area Engineers Club; Farm Credit Southeast Missouri; Gregory Construction, Inc.; Innovative Orthodontics; Ronald P. Lessman, DDS; T. Wayne Lewis, DDS; MediCenter Pharmacy; Nip Kelley Equipment Co, Inc.; River City Biologicals, Inc.; Rotary Club of Cape Girardeau; and Stan Williams, DDS.