Athens, Ga. – Nearly 800 Georgia middle and high school students are headed to Athens this weekend for the 68th Georgia Science and Engineering Fair, coordinated by the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education.
Students qualify for the fair by competing in local and regional science fairs across Georgia. The top presenters from each regional fair are then invited to the Georgia Science and Engineering Fair, where they have the opportunity to share their research with some of the top scientists in the state.
Attendees will be competing for more than 100 awards sponsored by businesses, professional organizations and colleges and universities. These include cash prizes, scholarships, plaques and certificates.
The best projects at this year’s fair will earn the Green Power EMC Intel ISEF Award, an all-expense-paid trip to compete in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona, in May. That event attracts some of the world’s brightest young minds from more than 70 countries for nearly $5 million in awards and scholarships.
This year’s event is presented by Green Power EMC, a nonprofit corporation that buys and markets electricity from green Georgia sources and generates awareness about environmental products and services. The fair’s other major sponsor is Burns & McDonnell, a full-service engineering, architecture, construction, environmental and consulting solutions firm with a commitment to STEM education and outreach.
The fair is held at the Classic Center in downtown Athens and is coordinated by the Office of Academic Special Programs at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education, a unit of Public Service and Outreach at the University of Georgia. For more details, see http://t.uga.edu/2bH.