2020 News

Hi,

Hope you have been staying safe and healthy. My name is Dhruvik, and I’m an undergraduate at Stanford. In high school, I participated in various science fairs, and in 2018, I received the Young Scientist award at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

With many summer programs and research opportunities cancelled due to COVID-19, many students I know have been left without summer plans. To continue educational opportunities during this time, I’m working with a team of science fair alumni to start a virtual high school research program to teach students how to conduct remote research projects with only a laptop and WiFi connection.

The Summer STEM Institute (SSI) is a six-week virtual summer program for high school students. Taught by Harvard and Stanford graduates and teaching assistants, SSI consists of three main parts:

• A research and data science bootcamp: Students will learn how to design and conduct data science research projects. Students will also learn valuable computer science and presentation skills.
• A Masterclass lecture series: Students will be connected with 30+ highly accomplished speakers from Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and other top institutions — from Forbes 30 under 30 awardees, Intel Science Talent Search (STS) winners, to International Math Olympiad Medalists.
• An independent research project: Students will also have the opportunity to conduct a research project in a scientific field of interest. Students will be matched to a virtual lab and mentors, including International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) winners and Research Science Institute (RSI) scholars.

We have reserved 20 full-tuition scholarships for students who cannot afford to pay full tuition, in addition to our broad financial aid policy. More information can be found on our website here: https://www.summersteminstitute.org/.

Competing in science fairs changed my life and opened the doors to so many opportunities, and I hope to share these opportunities to make research and mentorship more accessible to high school students. I thought that students involved with EISEF might be interested in the program. Could you share this opportunity with your fair’s students and parents?

Thank you, and take care!

I am reaching out to you today in your role in the Eastern Iowa Science & Engineering Fair. I am the administrator of the Spellman HV Clean Tech Competition, a sustainability focused research competition for 15–18 year olds. Our event is a wonderful opportunity for students to show off their research in sustainability and I would love to see contestants from your Fair enter! Below is a summary blurb that can easily be passed on to students and teachers, has all our contact info, and I have attached a flyer as well.

The Spellman HV Clean Tech Competition is looking for any 15–18 year old with a solution to slow our resource drain, and as we are all virtual until our July Finals, we are still moving ahead!! If you are or know a student looking to address this international issue with innovative engineering and a revolutionary design, this is the Competition for you! In 2020, the Competition is challenging you to help us Reduce Individual Impacts, whether they be in areas with Abundant Resources, or Limited Resources. Contestants research a specific solution to this problem, register for free online in teams of 1–3, and then submit a 5–15 page paper to be judged by an international team of engineers, university instructors and industry professionals! Registration ends on April 10 and papers are due by April 12, so do not delay! The 2020 Finals event is set to be held on July 2nd in Washington, D.C., where Finalist teams will present their research and constructed prototypes as they vie for the $10,000 per category grand prize! For more information, visit www.cstl.org/cleantech, and feel free to reach out the administrator at cleantech@cstl.org or by phone at (516) 764–0045.

We are not planning on any disruption to our event at this time as it is all done remotely until the Finals in July! Please do not hesitate to contact me about any questions, by either phone or email. I hope to see teams from your state join us this year!

Best,
Kevin Sanders
Clean Tech Competition Administrator
Center for Science Teaching & Learning <https://www.cstl.org/>
E: CleanTech@cstl.org
P: (516) 764–0045

Dear Fair Directors & Fair Contacts,

The Society for Science & the Public and Regeneron are deeply disappointed to share that, based on our comprehensive evaluation of guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control related to the COVID-19 outbreak, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair 2020, scheduled for May 10–15 in Anaheim, California.

The health and wellbeing of everyone who attends our events is always our top priority. Given the unprecedented travel restrictions, government recommendations and protective measures being taken across the world, the Society and Regeneron believe the most responsible decision is to cancel this year’s Regeneron ISEF and avoid gathering thousands of people and students from around the world.

These are challenging and unprecedented times, and we share in the sadness of our finalists who looked forward to meeting and competing with their peers from around the world. We applaud the leadership of the fairs around the world who in the last several weeks have had to make equally hard decisions to cancel, postpone or pivot to managing a virtual experience for their students.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who collectively dedicated thousands of hours of their time along with their energy and passion to ensure that Regeneron ISEF would be an amazing experience. This includes the fair directors and parents, Regeneron and all of our sponsors, the Orange County Local Arrangements Committee, the hundreds of volunteers and judges, our many vendors and partners, and of course our staff.

Regeneron ISEF is a cancellation and not a postponement or a virtual judging experience after much thought and consideration. This decision was made with an awareness that many of our affiliate fairs were not able to be held and we did not want to hold an event that left out a significant portion of our community. Likewise, we were concerned with the equity of virtual judging experience across time zones, languages and access. Regeneron ISEF is an experience that goes beyond the boundaries of the judging interview process. It is a cultural and scientific exchange of people and ideas and experiences across 6 days that we believed we could not properly represent.

We do want to acknowledge and honor the students who have been named finalists. We now consider them members of the Society for Science & the Public’s alumni network. In the coming days, we will look at how else we might recognize their accomplishment in becoming a Regeneron ISEF finalist.

Please visit the Society’s website at www.societyforscience.org for our full statement and more information.

We look forward to healthier and happier times and to Regeneron ISEF 2021.

Be well,

Michele C. Glidden
Chief Program Officer

Maya Ajmera
President and CEO, Society for Science & the Public
Publisher, Science News

Advancing Science Research Teaching (ASRT) is a Science Research/STEM outreach program that aims to increase access, capacity and quality of Science Research/STEM education programs. The ASRT program will equip high school teachers with the knowledge, insights and skills to grow, strengthen or start their Science Research/STEM program providing high school students with in-depth, challenging science research opportunities to conduct hands-on research under the mentorship of professional scientists.

The ASRT Program is being offered for free thanks to funding from Regeneron.

The research teacher(s) in each of the five (5) schools selected, will receive one-week of consulting sessions customized to help them overcome obstacles and reach their goals. It is possible for a few local high school Science Research teachers to share this week-long workshop. While applying, there will be an opportunity to identify the other teachers in the application. However, each teacher must apply separately.

The program will be facilitated by 30+ year science research teacher veteran, founder of the award-winning science research program at Yorktown High School in NY and founder/director of the Westchester Science and Engineering Fair (WESEF), Michael Blueglass.

Applicants will be evaluated on the basis of their interest in building and/or growing such a program, readiness and capacity in terms of finances and faculty, as well as their administration’s level of support for this program.

Each workshop would run at or near the high school for four and a half days in the summer. A possible schedule would be Monday to Thursday from 8:00am-3:00pm and Friday from 8:00am-12:00pm. In addition, ASRT teachers will receive continued support via phone and email throughout the school year.

Teachers can apply online using the link below. More information about the ASRT Program and Regeneron can be found in the beginning of the survey.

Please remember that online application deadline is Monday, March 2nd at 11:59 pm (Pacific Time).

Teachers that have applied will receive an email regarding whether or not they were selected as a recipient of the ASRT workshop in early April.

Thank you in advance for applying or forwarding this to teachers you think may benefit from this opportunity. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the ASRT Program Director.

Link to apply to the 2020 ASRT Program — https://forms.gle/nNA8m7yX1Td5jiVd9

ASRT Program Director — Michael Blueglass

(914) 447–3568

Des Moines, Iowa — October 3, 2019 — The Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation and the Iowa Pork Producers Association are announcing a new program to encourage more students to get involved in swine and pork science research. Iowa students who complete and conduct a science experiment that is related to pigs, pork, pig production, swine care, or in a related subject area will be eligible to receive a $200 scholarship.

Today’s pig farmers and pork producers use a lot of science to determine how to best raise their animals. Good science can help propel the industry forward and allow pork and pork by-products to continue to be an important part of the food supply and agricultural industry. Iowa ranks #1 in pork production.

“We are excited to offer this research opportunity to students,” said Joyce Hoppes of the Iowa Pork Producers Association. “Our industry relies on science for advancement in animal care and product improvements.”

The scholarship can assist students in the development of a project, be used to purchase supplies for their experiments, or purchase supplies for the presentation of the project. The funds can also be used to help fund travel to any of the four science fairs and symposiums hosted in Iowa including:

• the Junior Science & Humanities Symposium (March 2–3, 2020 in Iowa City, IA);
• the Western Iowa Science and Engineering Fair (March 14, 2020 in Fort Dodge, IA);
• the Eastern Iowa Science and Engineering Fair (March 20, 2020 in Cedar Rapids, IA);
• or the State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa (March 26–27, 2020 in Ames, IA).

“Students can complete a research project in any of the more than 70 categories,” said Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation executive director, Will Fett. “There are so many interesting connections between pork and science that students can explore. Everything from biomedical and health sciences to mathematics and microbiology can relate to pork and swine.”

Ten students (grades 6–12) will be selected to receive the scholarship. The deadline to apply for the scholarship will be February 1, 2020. Students selected to receive the scholarship and their teacher or sponsor will be contacted by February 15, 2020.

For more information about this activity or other education activities please contact the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation at . Students can apply for the scholarship and begin their science research by visiting https://www.jotform.com/IowaAgLiteracyFoundation/sciencepork2020.

Will Fett
Executive Director

Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation
P.O. Box 14458
Des Moines, IA 50306–3458
Phone: 515–331–4182

Dear Educator,

We are pleased to share this grant opportunity with you and believe that you have received this message as someone who has mentored students that entered an ISEF-Affiliated science fair in the last three years. Please review below all of the eligibility requirements below and if you qualify, we hope that you will take advantage of the opportunity and apply by the November 24 deadline. Please email if you have questions.

STEM Research Grant Program

Society for Science & the Public aims to support school-based science research programs by providing one-time grants to high school teachers who are leading students in independent, authentic, STEM research projects. These one-time grants of up to $5,000 can help fund equipment, materials & supplies needed to complete research projects, or provide transportation for students to locations where they can complete their research. Grants will be awarded annually; the eligibility criteria will change each cycle. Schools may only be selected once every 3 years.

Eligibility: (for the 2019 — 2020 Application Period)

Grant Applicants must be:

• Full-time teachers who have directly mentored students in entering one of the domestic ISEF-Affiliated Science Fairs in the last 3 years.
• Teachers at schools that are composed of at least 25% low income students or 25% students of underrepresented ethnicity in STEM (African American, Latino, Native Alaskan/American/Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander (Melanesian, Micronesian, or Polynesian), according to NCES data.
• Teachers from schools that have been selected for this grant in the last 3 years are not eligible

Grantees will be chosen on the ability of the proposed equipment or expenses to positively impact the research experience and opportunity for students at the school. Preference will be given to proposals/schools that:

• Support the largest number or percentage of underserved students.
• Demonstrate long-term use of equipment.
• Demonstrate an effort to broaden the reach of their grants by partnering with other schools in their applications or sharing their research with younger students

Approved Uses:

• Equipment that will specifically be used in the student research projects
• Group transportation to/from research locations for students
• Not approved: Expenses related to entering and participating in competitions are not eligible. Funding cannot be used for display boards, travel, lodging, competition fees, or any other expenses unrelated to the research experience itself.

Please follow this link to apply: https://societyforscience-gr.fluidreview.com/. The application deadline is November 24th, 2019.

Eligibility for STEM Research Grants will change every application period. Those eligible will be notified via email at the beginning of each application period.

Thank you,
Caitlin

Caitlin Sullivan
(she/her/hers)
Director, Outreach and Equity Programs
Society for Science & the Public