Rosemont E.S. Hosts Their Annual Science Fair

     One of the most exciting events that all teachers, parents, and students look forward to each year at Rosemont Elementary School (RES) is their annual science fair. An event sponsored by the school’s PTA, it is a fun evening where students are able to put to practice the scientific method and get hands on experience with all different types of projects. The students’ projects ranged from volcanic models to electricity produced by fruit to observations on Canadian geese. “We want to give them an opportunity to really experience what it’s like to go through the experimental method and to do real science,” said Dr. Dave White, the Science Fair coordinator for the Rosemont PTA.

     Roughly one hundred students participated in the fair, which is about a quarter of the student population at Rosemont. All grades are invited to join in on the fun, all the way from kindergarten to fifth grade. Leading up to the event help and advice on their projects are given to students by their teachers, and Dr. White, who is also a member of the National Institute of Health (NIH), held sessions at the school to give students advice on how to approach their experiments. “I came in on Friday’s a couple times to give them some guidance and feedback on their projects,” said Dr. White.

     The Science Fair had an impressive amount of support from the scientific community as well. The fair did not have judges, but “consultants,” which consisted of scientists who worked for organizations such as the NIH, the National Institute of Technology (NIST), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and also science teachers. The science fair was also given a grant by New England Biolabs, which went towards project supplies and also purchased the awards that were given to the students for the hard work they’d put into their experiments. “We want to make it as easy as possible for [the students] to participate and we want to encourage their participation and having the funds come from New England Biolabs has been a big help,” said Dr. White.

     Scholarship money has also been provided for by the New England Biolabs.  The scholarships help pay fees in order for students to be able to participate in the after-school Big Learning Science & Engineering program held at RES. “Each week they do different experiments,” said PTA secretary Gail Norris. Each grade level focuses on a different curriculum and is exposed to many different projects that are particularly focused on science engineering. This year, the PTA and New England Biolabs were able to provide four full scholarships and six half scholarships so that students could participate in the program.

     The science fair was a wonderful event that was able to encourage students to explore the world of science a bit further. “I think it’s a good learning experience for them,” said Dr. White. “They really love it.”