Science Fair Pay Day?

This week The girl competed in the Regional Science Fair.  It is the same project, just moving through the judging levels.  I haven't ever gone to one of these before, but headed down to see the projects and then back with The Girl for the awards ceremony.

The secondary group is divided between Junior division (middle schoolers) and Senior division (high school kids).  The overall quality of work was impressive.  And most of the middle schoolers were from charter schools.  And many senior division kids too, for that matter.  But luckily the regular public high schools held their own against the charters.

The Girl ended up placed 2nd in the microbiology category and won a trophy and $75!  Then the scholarships were given and lo and behold, she won a $1000/year for four years--but from Westminster College, a smaller, private, pricey college in SLC.  But it was a nice gesture.

Another pair of boys from her Biotech class did a fantastic project--that I still can't understand--and won several BIG prizes.  1st place in the engineering category and then Westminster offered them  each an $80K scholarship--$20K a year for 4 years.  Crazy! 

The really crazy thing, I checked the tuition at Westminster...and it is $16K a semester...so their big $80K scholarship still won;t pay for all the tuition there.  The Girl is still better off at USU with her scholarships as they are now.

This same pair of boys also won a full tuition for one year scholarship from BYU. They seemed more excited about that one.

We always knew science brainiacs would be worth the big bucks...but I didn't imagine thta started so soon.

Say, What?!

This is The Girl's science fair project board.  The title says "Increasing Medicago sativa (Alflafa) Production by Attempting to Induce a Novel Symbiotic Relationship Using Unknown Bateria extracted from Root Nodules of Lotus corniculatus (Birdsfoot Trefoil)". 

I know.  My typing it out doesn't make it any clearer, does it?

She was one of the district level winners so this week she will take her unusually titled project to the BIG DANCE.  Well, it is a regional science far being held at BYU this week.  If she does well there she could earn herself a few more scholarship dollars.  I believe she has her entire collegiate career paid for (from the scholarships she has earned) already, but any extra won't be turned down!

I can't really even tell you what this project is about.  I know she has a clear understanding of it--as she has to defend her hypothesis, data and conclusions to the judges at the fair.  I can't even pronounce the title.

Boy, it is a good thing she is a compliant child.  If she wasn't she could probably build weapons of mass destruction and blow up the universe without me knowing she was up to anything.

Science Fair Week

My kids have both been required to do a science fair project by their teachers in 6th grade. It is my least favorite assignment they ever have. I would rather do maturation homework with them.

I understand the goal of the science fair, but I just don't have the instinct to guide them to a proper topic. Then they do the experiment and write up a conclusion and then we find out what we did wasn't science-y enough. I have told them both, flat out, that I don't care what grade they get on their S.F.P. so long as they turn something in.

A few years ago, The Girl did one one on just how full you can fill a glass. I believe the science concept here is called: Curvature of the Surface Tension of Water. Or something like that.

This year The Boy is doing his project on TV forecasters and how well they can really predict the weather. We set up a chart for him to write the predicted temperatures for a 7 day forecast. Then each day he had to check all 4 stations' weather report and write down what temperature was actually reached.

It sounds pretty good to me, but I am sure he will make his big poster display, turn it in, and get a review back that there wasn't enough science in it.

Hey, as the mom I don't make these things up. I just try to help the kid get something turned it that fulfills the requirement. With help like mine, my kids will probably end up English teachers.