K-12 Outreach: Science Fair Education Program

“The best part was MRSEC’s hands-on method of allowing students to carry out the scientific method during the workshops and draw their own conclusions. The kids really understand and remember what MRSEC brings to us.”
-High School Teacher

Now in its 9^th year, the Science Fair Education program is an established part of MRSEC’s education outreach program for middle and high school. The program is made up of 4 parts: 1) science investigation workshop, 2) one-on-one and group mentoring, 3) science fair judging, and 4) the MRSEC-AIP Student Science Conference.

The science investigation workshop, which can last from 1 – 3 class periods, is tailored to individual classes. The workshop is designed to cover each part of a scientifc investigation including:

• project topics
• background research
• experimental design
• data collection
• data interpretation and presentation
• scientific writing

Depending on the class, emphasis is placed on areas of investigation which need the most attention. The workshop is followed by one-on-one and group mentoring, which allow students to refine their research questions, experimental design and presentation. MRSEC researchers who do not participate in the mentoring program judge science fair projects at partner schools. Lastly, 20 middle school students are invited to participate in the annual MRSEC-AIP Student Science Conference.

For more information about the Science Fair Education Program contact the UMD-MRSEC office at mrsec@umd.edu.