Science Fairs: Thinking Like Scientists

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.

--Albert Einstein


Thinking like a scientist involves actively observing, always questioning, and seeking the truth

One of the most effective ways to have kids using all of these skills is to bring back science fairs. We see them in movies and TV shows, but I have never encountered one. There was Science Olympiad at my middle school and high school but it required signing up and I never quite knew how to make the first move.

A science fair has the potential to have students get interested in science, engineering and mathematics- making science relative and inspiring. Ideas for projects come from students' personal environments, hobbies, and current events, limiting the projects' potential to the students' imaginations alone. Even the process of researching does wonders to inspire natural curiosity, allowing the driving force of work to be the student.
The science fair process develops and reinforces successful work and life skills such as teamwork, time management, responsibility, discipline, ethics, organizational skills, and working with mentors, all the while inspiring confidence as the student is successful with mature tasks and enjoys the work being done.

In accordance with the National Science Education Standard (NSES), a standard designed to enable the nation to achieve the goal of having all students scientifically literate.

NSES promotes a number of approaches and activities to learning science, all of which are inherent to participating in a science fair:
-Emphasize an inquiry-based model for learning science
-Design and conduct scientific investigations
-Use technology and mathematics to improve investigations and communications
-Formulate and revise scientific explanations and models using logic and evidence
-Recognize and analyze alternative explanations and models
-Communicate and defend a scientific argument
-Identify questions and concepts that guide scientific investigation
-Incorporate a multidisciplinary approach to teaching science
(narrative writing, comparing and contrasting main idea, recognizing cause and effect, oral presentation, history, synthesizing information and drawing conclusions)