STEM Fair Guidelines

1. All STEM Fair participants must be registered by 5/27/22.  Register here. We strongly encourage early registration as display space is limited to 200 projects. Students will not be giving live presentations of their STEM Fair project. The projects will be unattended while on display during the STEM Fair.
2. Working with a partner - whether a friend or sibling - is highly encouraged. 
3. Projects must be dropped off on Wednesday, June 1st, 2022 between 2-4pm at Discovery in front of the school with the STEM Fair volunteer. 
4. Display boards can either be a flat poster board (this is preferred for display on the hallway walls) or a trifold poster board such as 48 inches wide by 36 inches high or smaller. Display space is limited so we will do our best to have room to display all display boards. If you are in need of a display board, please privately contact Ms. Denise and she will ensure your student receives one. 
5. Display boards and any items must be clearly labeled with the student's name. 
6. Projects are to be student-led and the ideas should come from the interest of the student. The project should be completed at the level of your student's capability. Parents should use their best judgment in deciding when to get involved, such as when there is a potential safety issue. For especially young students, parents may provide some guidance, but it is important that the students be able to call the project their own.
7. Our STEM Fair is non-competitive, as our goal is simply to encourage scientific exploration and discovery and promote a deep lifelong passion for science. Each participant will receive a certificate of participation. The STEM fair is not a school assignment, completely optional, and no grades are given. Projects are not related to classroom work, although ideas from current curriculum are welcome to be explored further.
8. Safety first! No breakable items, weapons, explosives, live animals, corrosives or dangerous entries. Unfortunately, requests such as access to electricity, water or extra space will not be accommodated because the projects will be left unattended this year. 
9. Discovery PTSA is not responsible for displays. Because the projects will be unattended while Discovery families are viewing them, nothing valuable - including computers or tablets or breakable or dangerous items can be left with the display. Discretion will be used on approval of items dropped off for the STEM Fair because of the consideration that items will be unattended. 
10. Projects must be taken home at the end of the STEM Fair at 7:45pm. If you are not able to attend or not able to stay until 7:45pm, please make arrangements with a friend or neighbor to take home your display. They will not be delivered to classrooms or supervised overnight for pickup another day. They cannot be left at school for recycling due to space limitations. 

STEM Fair project ideas:

Select Your Topic

Selecting a topic can be difficult. With so much to choose from, students are often overwhelmed. Take time! Be creative! Science is all around you – cooking, art, gardening, the family pet. Pick something that really interests you. Just considering all the possible topics is a learning experience. Do a little research in the library or on-line before making your final selection.

Some general areas are:

Biology (plants, animals, insects, living things)
Technology (computers, engineering)
Physical Sciences (physics, electricity, magnetism, chemistry)
Earth Science (rockets, planets, space, earth, environment)

Once you’ve selected your topic, you should decide how on what kind of presentation you would like. You can present the results of an experiment, perform a demonstration, compile research and write a report, build an apparatus, display a collection or combine any of these.

Use Scientific Method as a guideline for your project (as much as possible).

Basic Level

Advanced Level

Experiments

Try to find the answer to a question using scientific method. Research your topic and develop your hypothesis. Design an experiment to collect data that will support or reject your hypothesis. Summarize your findings and your data in your exhibit. Bring visual display items, take photographs of your experiment or repeat the experiment during the science fair.

Demonstrations

Students actively show a scientific principle or fact, how something works, a scientific phenomenon, or how something is created naturally. Figure out how or why it happens.

Research

Students investigate and report findings in their chosen area of science. There are many different sources for information. Consider libraries, museums, government agencies, and online research. Students may want to interview experts in the field and conduct on-site investigations at a lab, factory, farm, fish hatchery, etc.

Collections

Put together an assembly of items, showing variety and diversity within a chosen area.

Apparatus

Students display an item or instrument and describe how it works. Why is it important?