For Immediate Release
Contact – Re: Thomas A. Edison Regional Science & Inventor Fairs– Media inquiries to
Jim Helms jimbhelms@hotmail.com or call 239-432-0970
(On behalf of the Thomas A. Edison Regional Science and Inventors Steering Committee, we would like to invite you and other media representatives to attend our 2017 Edison Fairs program. Jim Helms, media liaison welcomes inquiries and recommends media reps contact him to make arrangements for full access to the event.)
700 Southwest Florida students to compete February 4, 2017 for over 30 scholarships
January 30, 2017 – Ft. Myers, Florida
On Saturday, February 4, 2017 approximately 700 students will participate in the 60th Annual Thomas Alva Edison Kiwanis Regional Science and Engineering Fair (open to the public as early as 3PM or upon completion of the judging) and the 30th Annual Thomas A. Edison Festival of Light Regional Inventors Fair (open to the public at 1PM). Public, private and home-schooled students from Southwest Florida will be competing at Alico Arena on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University. The event is sanctioned by the Edison Festival of Light, as well as an affiliate of both the State Science and Engineering Fair (SSEF) of Florida and Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF).
Finalists of the Kiwanis Science Fair have maintained a strong presence at State and International competitions. The fairs provide a strong Community presence as represented by the hundreds of judges and volunteers participating. Many organizations and community groups are directly involved in planning, organizing and conducting the fairs.
Over the past six decades, the Thomas A. Edison Regional Science and Inventors Fair program has grown into the largest pre-collegiate STEM competition program in Southwest Florida. Annually, these regional STEM fairs engage nearly 20,000 students in research projects at a school level. Student participants compete for over 30 college scholarships and thousands of dollars worth in prizes and special awards at local and regional events. At state and international levels of competition millions of dollars in scholarships are available.
Useful information regarding the Fairs is available at the website –edisonfairs.org and breaking news on the Fairs can be found on Twitter: @EdisonFairs.
The Thomas A. Edison Regional Science and Inventor Fairs (TAERSIF) Steering Committee works year-round to organize the Regional event that hosts more than 900 local students. TAERSIF is a sanctioned event of the Edison Festival of Light. The Regional Fair and underwriting for student expenses for the Fairs is possible because of the support from the Fort Myers Kiwanis Club, Lee County and Charlotte County Public Schools, The Edison Festival of Light, Florida Gulf Coast University, Sony Electronics, The Edison & Ford Winter Estates, Hodges University, Florida Southwestern State College, the James and Eleanor Newton Scholarships, The Imaginarium Science Center , The Edison Innovators Association, the Entrepreneurs Society of Naples, the Scientist Society of Southwest Florida, Lee Memorial Health Systems, the Lee County Medical Society and numerous private donors and volunteers.