565 Students Participate in IUSD’s 35th Annual Science Fair

This year marked the 35^th anniversary of IUSD’s districtwide science fair in which 565 students submitted a total of 463 projects.  Once again, the event was organized and hosted by IUSD science teachers and specialists and sponsored by the Broadcom Foundation, in partnership with the Irvine Public Schools Foundation.

Submissions included “Extraordinary Elodea”, “Hydroelectricity”, “The Slime Awakens”, “The Effect of Varying Pitch on Voltage Generated by Vertical Axis Wind Turbines”, “Solar Powered-Water Desalination”, “A Math/Algorithm Model for Indoor Visible Light” and “The Exploration of Cellular Responses to Transfection”

A select few of students were also presented an award from the Irvine Ranch Water District for projects that had water as the main theme. New this year, one student in High School was presented an award from Chapman University School of Pharmacy.

6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders who qualified are eligible to enter Broadcom MASTERS.  From there finalists enter the competition in Washington, D.C in the Fall 2016.

Eligible projects that entered in our district Science Fair can move on to The Orange County Science and Engineering Fair which is held on April 11-17, 2016. From there projects have the chance to move on to the California State Science Fair.

Parents are encouraged to check with their child’s school or science teacher to learn more about specific requirements and deadlines. And you may also want to check in with the rules and regulations for the Orange County Science & Engineering Fair. And https://student.societyforscience.org/broadcom-masters-faq

In the meantime, here are a tips worth noting:

• 
  To be eligible for the Orange County Science & Engineering Fair, students must have participated in IUSD’s Science Fair, and they need to inform their science teachers, who must approve each entry.
• OCSEF limits IUSD to 125 entrants, and county projects will be selected based on student interest, input from the students’ science teachers and ribbons awarded at the district level.
• Not all blue ribbon winners from the IUSD Science Fair will be selected to participate in the OCSEF, and in fact some red ribbon winners might make the cut. The district’s Honorable Mention winners won’t be eligible to participate unless there aren’t enough blue ribbon and red ribbon winners to fill the 125 allocated slots.
• The information above is subject to change.

Once again, be sure to check with your child’s school and the OCSEF Rules & Regulations before planning your project. And good luck!