WCU's 2021 Science and Engineering Fair and the NC Science Fair Foundation's 2020-2021
Competition Season Will be Hosted Virtually.
Western Carolina University is pleased to announce that competition for the Region
8 Science & Engineering Fair will be held virtually in February 2021. We plan to
host the competition in an online/virtual environment in order to ensure that health
and safety concerns are not barriers to participation. The state- and ISEF-level
competitions are also virtual this school year.
Please note that we recognize the difficulties faced by schools, teachers, students,
and families at this time. If your school decides to skip this year's competition,
you are more than welcome to return to our competition in 2022.
While the fair will be hosted virtually, much of the student research experience will
remain the same, including safety protocols for research, forms and permissions.
Presentation requirements are different this year to accommodate the virtual experience.
Please ensure that students fully review the requirements for the project presentation
as they are different from prior years.
Major items to note:
- The deadline for registration and all materials for our fair at WCU is February 3,
2021.
- Students will not create a physical poster board to present their research.
-
Instead, students will be required to submit: an abstract, a presentation, a quad
chart and the usual ISEF required forms.
- Details and REQUIRED TEMPLATES for these submission materials are included on the
NCSEF website
- Students will again be uploading their materials onto our StemWizard website
Live interviews of students by the judges will be conducted during one of the following
judging time slots:
- Wednesday, February 17, 2021 between 9 - 11 a.m.
- Wednesday, February 17, 2021 between 12:30 - 2:30 p.m.
- Thursday, February 18, 2021 between 9-11 a.m.
- Thursday, February 18, 2021 between 12:30 - 2:30 p.m
Please feel free to share links, templates, etc. with both students and parents. See
our new FAQs page for up-to-date information and be sure to look at the How to Do a Project Page
Thank you for your hard work this year. We hope to see you online at this year's
fair, or back in person next time.
Please address any questions to the fair director: Kelley Dinkelmeyer kdinkelmeyer@email.wcu.edu
To sign up as a student, judge, or vendor/exhibitor, please click the REGISTER ONLINE link which will open (Dates TBD) In the upper right-hand corner, click on "Registration"
and then choose Student, Judge, or Volunteer (for exhibitors/vendors) to begin your
registration. You must register through STEM Wizard.
REGISTER ONLINE
NOTE: STUDENTS WORKING TOGETHER ON PROJECTS MUST REGISTER AS A TEAM AND ENTER ALL
TEAM INFORMATION AT ONE TIME.
Please contact our Fair Director Kelley Dinklemeyer at 828.227.3679 or kdinkelmeyer@email.wcu.edu if you have any registration questions.
In order for student projects to be eligible for regional, state, and national competitions,
students need to use the ISEF forms. Please read the information for each grade level.
The forms are used to verify that the student’s work has been planned prior to starting
experimentation and supervised by someone with knowledge of safety issues and regulations.
For forms and other information Visit this website!
View a previous sample judging rubric . Please note that the rubric is subject to changes before the fair
Schedule - Both Days: Please note, this will change due to the fair being online this year, please check
back for updates.
8:00-9:00 a.m. Check-in and set up projects in the Ramsey Center
9:00-10:30 a.m. Judges only in the Science Project Area
9:00-9:15 a.m. Welcome
9:15-10:15 a.m. PRESENTATION: Balsam Mountain Trust
10:15-10:30 a.m. Announcements
10:15-11:15 a.m. Participating Students should stand beside their projects to answer
judge’s questions. (Students only - no parents or teachers please)
Scavenger Hunt (Answers found within exhibits)
Interactive Exhibits open for Teachers and Non-Participating Students
11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Lunch on your own (Find a sheet listing restaurants for lunch
at the registration desk)
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. All Science Projects Open to the Public
12:45 - 1:15 p.m. Awards Ceremony
