Since 1958, our Thomas Alva Edison Kiwanis Regional Science & Engineering Fair (RSEF) program challenges thousands of students from across Southwest Florida to go beyond their classroom studies and pursue independent project-based research. Students work independently or in teams to address questions in the fields of Computer Science, Environmental Science, Medicine & Health, Chemistry, Biology, and a half dozen other categories.
Regional Science & Engineering Fair (RSEF) is an affiliate of the Society for Science & the Public, and selects projects which go on to compete in other state and national competitions, including the prestigious Florida State Science & Engineering Fair (Florida SSEF) and the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF). But whether or not a student wins, every student is celebrated and encouraged by the hundreds of other attending students, parents, teachers, mentors, sponsors, judges, and members of the public.
The 2017 Thomas Alva Edison Kiwanis Regional Science & Engineering Fair will be held Saturday, February 4th at Alico Arena, Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, Florida.
Regional Finalists will present in Junior (6th – 8th grade) and Senior (9th – 12th grade) Divisions in multiple areas of study. Fair participants are drawn from public, private, parochial and home-schools in Charlotte and Lee Counties. The Awards Ceremony will be at Alico Arena, Florida Gulf Coast University on Wednesday, February 15th at 7:00 PM.
Science Fair Judging Criteria
Science Experiments (Individual and Team Projects)
Creativity
♦ Is the project topic unique or the approach original?
♦ Has the student used a novel approach for checking the hypothesis?
♦ Has previous work and sources of ideas been acknowledged?
Scientific Thought
♦ Was the problem and hypothesis clearly stated?
♦ Was the problem scientifically significant, but sufficiently limited to be solved?
♦ Was the experiment repeated several times?
♦ Was the conclusion justified and properly drawn from experimental results?
♦ Was sufficient preliminary research performed and applied?
Thoroughness
♦ Was adequate literary/online research conducted?
♦ Did the student(s) look at different aspects of the problem – was it well planned?
♦ Was there a project notebook?
♦ Is the conclusion supported with data?
♦ Are procedures and materials thoroughly documented?
Scientific Skills
♦ Does the student understand the subject and methods used?
♦ Has the student used good laboratory skills – data gathering and analysis?
♦ Did the student acknowledge mentoring or other help?
♦ Did the student assemble the equipment used?
Clarity
♦ Is the abstract, project board, and notebook accurate and understandable?
♦ Can the student clearly explain the project?
♦ Did the student speak clearly and understandably?
Engineering Projects (Individual and Team Projects)
Creativity
• Is the project topic unique or the approach original?
• Has the student used a novel approach to test the engineering design criteria?
• Has previous work and sources of ideas been acknowledged?
Engineering Goals
• Was the purpose/the engineering design criteria clearly stated and significant?
• What will be invented/ engineered?
• Is the solution workable and economically feasible?
• Was there evidence of redesign and retest?
• Were the engineering design criteria tested for each step of redesign?
Thoroughness
• Was sufficient preliminary research performed and applied?
• Did the student(s) look at different aspects of the problem – was it well planned?
• Was there a project notebook?Are there adequate drawings, schematics, and/or other documentation?
• Has each of the criteria been well tested?
Engineering Skills
• Does the student understand the subject?
• Has the student used good technical skills to arrive at the solution?
• Did the student acknowledge mentoring or other help?
• Did the student assemble the equipment used?
Clarity
• Is the abstract, notebook and project board accurate and understandable?
• Can the student clearly explain the project?
• Did the student speak clearly and understandably?