Science, technology, engineering and math – commonly referred to as STEM fields – will be in the spotlight again when Kent State University hosts the 3rd Annual Northeast Ohio STEM Project Fair on Saturday, Feb. 1, from 8 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The science fair, spotlighting the work of students in grades 4 through 12, will be held in the Kent Student Center Ballroom on the Kent Campus. It is free and open to the public. The project display area is open to the public for viewing from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. The area is closed during the morning judging.
Student displays will feature poster boards, notebooks detailing their research methods and some lab demonstrations. There are 300 students registered for the event, with 220 projects to be featured – some of which are group efforts. As a result of last year's fair, 35 projects were promoted from local to regional to state competition in Columbus.
The event is sponsored by Kent State University and hosted by two of its professors (Robin Selinger, Ph.D. and Edgar Kooijman, Ph.D.) and two student groups: Kent State's Scientista Chapter and the Kent State SSTEM Scholars. Selinger is a professor of chemical physics at Kent State's Liquid Crystal Institute and a member of the executive board of the Northeast Ohio STEM Alliance. Kooijman is an assistant professor of biological sciences. The Northeast Ohio STEM Alliance is an advocacy group of parents and community members dedicated to promoting interest and participation in STEM activities.
"Hands-on experience with a research project is a great way for students to prepare for careers in science and engineering," said Selinger. "We hope these students will be inspired to take advanced science and math courses in high school and go on to STEM majors in college. Many of our most advanced local high school students enroll in college-level STEM courses through Kent State's Post-Secondary Enrollment Options Program (PSEOP). PSEOP students can also undertake hands-on research internships at the Liquid Crystal Institute and in other STEM departments across the campus."
For more information on Kent State's Post-Secondary Enrollment Options program, visit www.kent.edu/dualenrollment.
For more information on the Northeast Ohio STEM Project Fair hosted by Kent State, visit www.neohstem.org.
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Media Contacts:
Jim Maxwell, jmaxwel2@kent.edu, 330-672-8028
Sheila King, sheilaking2@gmail.com, 330-926-6288