TUESDAY: SCIENCE FAIR ATTRACTS OVER 200 ENTRIES

Gifted junior and senior high students throughout the region will compete in the 37th annual Southeast Missouri Regional Science Fair opening Tuesday at the Show Me Center.

More than 200 entries in 22 categories will be judged by a select group of doctors, scientists and other professionals.

"We do this so that all of the students can come together and learn from each other and each other's exhibits," said Kim McDowell, co-director of the event. "We feel that it is important to recognize their abilities and ingenuity."

Students will set up their exhibits Tuesday morning at the Show Me Center. The exhibits will be judged while the students and teachers attend special programs offered during the afternoon.

Before they leave that afternoon, the students will know which exhibits have won first-, second- or third-place ribbons.

The exhibits can be viewed by the public from 6-9 p.m. Tuesday, from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday and from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday.

A special awards presentation will be conducted at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The top two senior division exhibits will be given a special award and will qualify the 44th International Science and Engineering Fair at Mississippi Beach, Miss., in April.

Linda Schild, a biology teacher at Cape Central Junior High School, said her school has 15 entries in the science division and five in the math competition.

"The students have worked most of the academic year on their projects," Schild said. "Most started in October. They've had this last month to put the finishing touches on their exhibits."

The entries from the junior high school are winners of the school-wide science fair held earlier this year. Schild said other well-done entries that did not win awards in the fair were chosen to move on to the regional competition.

"One young man is doing an experiment on whether or not it is possible to sterilize catheters in the home," Schild said. "Another student is doing an experiment with students from the Marion School for the Deaf testing to see if the hearing impaired's sense of smell is superior to normal students."

Schild said that projects are done at the initiative of the student, on his or her own time outside the classroom.

"We are there to give them directions on scientific method and where to get information for research," Schild said. "It's a long and involved project that the students work very hard to complete."

The overall goal of the science fair is to highlight the abilities and potential of Southeast Missouri's youth.

The committee compiled a list of the past major winners: those who have won at the regional fair and gone on to the international competition. Nearly all have continued in scientific fields of endeavor and have won wide recognition among their peers.

"This is, in part, at least a testimony to what science fair projects can do to encourage talented young people to continue careers in science," McDowell said.

"Because of this fair, and scores of others like it around the country, this nation has benefited immeasurably by the products of minds and hands in research and industry to make mankind's life incalculably better."

The event is co-sponsored by Southeast Missouri State University and the Southeast Missourian newspaper, with the assistance of large numbers of businesses, industries and professional organizations.