Science Fair Projects Are No Longer Kid's Stuff
Big business and the military are actively searching for the next generation of researchers and inventors, who are, most likely, busily at work on their science fair projects.
Evanston, Ill. (PRWEB) February 3, 2007 -- Big business and the military are actively searching for the next generation of researchers and inventors, who are, most likely, busily at work on their science fair projects.
Every year, the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps participate in some 425 regional, district and state science and engineering fairs in which over 10,000 high school students exhibit their projects. The annual ExploraVision Awards program for students in grades K-12 is a joint effort of Toshiba and the National Science Teachers Association. And in its nine years of operation, Sears Craftsman's Young Inventors program encouraged some 42,000 students to come up with ideas for tools.
Intel sponsors the largest annually held science fair in the world, and the company estimates that ten to fifteen percent of the finalists end up filing for patents on their projects.
"The process of working through a science fair project encourages children to learn new ways to approach problems, a skill that carries over to the adult world," says Madeline Binder an educator and counselor whose web site, www. super-science-fair-projects.com, provides ideas and resources. "Science fair projects permit students to become investigators, combining their imagination with the tools of science to search for solutions. Researchers in hospitals and universities often mentor students who have appealing science fair project ideas. Some will even invite students to assist on research projects."
Small businesses also look for new ideas among junior high and high school students. One owner Binder knows, an engineer whose company manufactures solar panels, helped a student develop her idea for a more effective product by paying for the research, which was done on their premises, and awarding him a stipend of $5,000.
There has been some controversy about whether such science fairs have become a money-making tool for the armed forces and industry. "It's true that the students benefit because many win scholarships, but the question is, who keeps the royalties from the patents?" Binder wonders. "Who is the real winner?"
Though science fairs may have become serious business, children ought to have fun doing them, she adds. Her web site sponsors the Virtual International Science Fair Contest (see - www.super-science-fair-projects.com/science-fair-contest.html - for details). There are no monetary awards, just recognition for effort, and you don't have to be a scholar to win. Just follow the 6 steps of the scientific method and include them all in the project. All judging criteria are in accordance with grade level abilities.
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