300 ENTER ANNUAL SCIENCE FAIR

Homemade light bulbs, miniature tornadoes and simulated clogged arteries were all viewed by judges at the 41st annual Southeast Missouri Regional Science Fair Tuesday afternoon.

Representatives from Southeast Missouri State University, local industries, private companies, military branches, dentists and physicians moonlighted as judges for the Science Fair, which attracted nearly 300 students.

The event opened Tuesday with the judging Projects will be on display through Thursday at the Holiday Inn Convention Center. Students from 27 regional schools are competing for the opportunity to attend an international science fair in Louisville, Ky., in May.

"This is a real education to the kids because they have to come up with a complete project, which is different from just memorizing material for a class," said Dr. Taylor Bahn, a judge representing the Southeast Missouri Dental Society. "You can see by looking at some of these projects that they are just outstanding."

Judges walked around the displays and interviewed participants about their projects to determine which ones should receive awards. Students in the seventh and eighth grades competed in the junior division while students in the ninth through 12th grades competed in the senior division.

Judge Dawn Detring said she was chosen as a judge because she was "a soccer mom with a chemistry degree." She said a number of factors were considered when viewing projects, including originality, strength of the hypothesis, how results are tabulated and overall display. Other important factors included creative ability and clarity.

"It takes effort to do this stuff," Detring said. "This is really the cream of the crop here today."

Judges said many competitors in the Science Fair go on to professions in science-related fields. Dr. Mike Delgado said many students find their professional niche after competing in the fair.

"Not all of them are interested enough to pursue a career in a science field, but some of them do like it enough to make it a profession," Delgado said.

Awards were named Tuesday night for students in both divisions for each of the 24 categories of competition. Twenty-eight other awards from local and state agencies will be announced at a special reception Thursday.

Science Fair coordinator Ruth Hathaway said competitors submitted a number of strong projects this year. On the senior level, three competitors stood out because of the circumstances surrounding their entries. Hathaway said one competitor has cystic fibrosis, and two others are enrolled in special education classes. Hathaway said these are firsts for the Science Fair.

"They usually don't make it to this level of competition, and they had strong projects," she said. "This is a tough competition, and we've got several people who judges say are really standing out."

Students from 27 regional schools are competing for the opportunity to attend an international science fair in Louisville, Ky., in May.