Eastern Kentucky University will host the 15th annual Kentucky Science and Engineering Fair for middle school and high school students on Saturday, April 1.
The fair, sponsored by Lexmark and open to the public, is expected to feature the work of nearly 300 students who have advanced through local and regional events in 20 categories to compete for trophies, ribbons, university and private scholarships and special awards from the U.S. military, corporations and organizations.
“EKU and Richmond continue to be fortunate to host such an important event for the science and technical education community in Kentucky,” said Dr. Jason Marion, co-director of the fair and associate professor of environmental health science. “The fair continues growing in notoriety with an additional gift from Battelle for the second year in a row that will further enhance the fair’s goals, especially our goal in promoting enhanced visibility of Kentucky’s top junior scientists and engineers in their incredible research projects. Such notoriety was further earned when one of last year’s winners was featured on network TV in the U.S. and abroad for developing a low-cost hearing aid for his grandfather in India.”
“In addition to these outstanding projects, nearly half of the attendees and their families spend the weekend in Richmond and support local businesses,” said June Settle, grants and research specialist in the College of Science and co-director of the event. “The fair this year not only gives attendees a chance to see amazing displays, but also gives them the opportunity to see our beautiful campus, including Hummel Planetarium.” The planetarium, an additional fair sponsor, will host a free screening during the fair for friends and families of fair participants.
The public can view the students’ work from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in Alumni Coliseum. An awards ceremony will begin at 4:30 p.m. in Brock Auditorium across campus.
The “Best of Fair” winners at the high school level also become eligible to join more than 1,700 students at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Los Angeles, California, this May. Students supported by the Kentucky Science and Engineering Fair (KY-SEF) at Intel ISEF have been very successful, winning both category prizes and scholarships. Overall, Team Kentucky consistently ranks among the top 10 teams at ISEF, competing against hundreds of teams from 77 countries.
For more information on the Kentucky Science and Engineering Fair, including photographs of past participants, visit kysciencefair.org or contact June Settle at june.settle@eku.edu or 859-622-9252. To volunteer for the fair, contact Jason Marion at jason.marion@eku.edu.
Construction on Phase 2 of EKU's New Science Building is on track for completion this summer. The addition, which will house the departments of Biological Sciences and Geosciences, will give EKU the largest such facility on any college campus in Kentucky. The New Science Building is situated adjacent to the College of Health Sciences; together, this proximity is expected to enhance the success of STEM-H disciplines at EKU. For more information on the College of Science and College of Health Sciences, visit science.eku.eduand health.eku.edu.