Every Science Fair is different.
Long
term change is difficult, requiring focus, sustained effort, and
hopefully building on previous years’ achievements.
The annual Paint Branch High School
Science Expo changed half a decade ago. Their problem was, nobody
cared. The major reason for their annual science fair was to check
off the activity.
The faculty, administration, and
student scientists took on a program to make the science fair
valuable and memorable for more than the presenters.
They decided to emphasize performance
as part of science.
They moved to evening, like an athletic
event or school play to get more involvement and support from
families and community.
They changed the rules to get more
participation. “Everyone does science!”
They went beyond the same old
experiments to new, experimenter designed projects. Some worked, some
didn’t, just like real science.
And over the years, some that didn’t
work in their first year became experiments that paid off, just like
real science.
We have seen their
annual event turned into a happy, noisy, crowded, excited
performance, with original science, competitive events, custom
designed and built equipment, matching team uniforms, on-site ice
cream making, and this year, a new high school.
The Junior Academy provides Science
Awards to the student scientists every year. This year we thought we
should also make a special Innovation Leadership Award to the
producers and directors of the 2013 Paint Branch High School Science
Expo, Pam Leffler and Brian Eichenlaub.
These awards started as an insiders’
acknowledgment, to recognize two people who have held on to a vision
since before anyone else could see it. What we saw this year was
astounding. The purpose of this post is to show what good is.
Proclamation
Whereas for several
years you have been developing a new model of entertaining
science fair, and
Whereas, the numbers
of enthusiastic student scientists has been rapidly rising every
year, becoming triumphantly louder, and
Whereas you have
extended the demonstrated practice of science to parents, siblings,
team mates, and strangers, while mystifying judges, and
Whereas, said science
projects span the breadth of scientific endeavour, from oobleck, to
space exploration, to floating bowling balls, tie die, egg drops,
rollie bugs, and ice cream,
Be it known that you
are hereby awarded the 2013 Junior Academy Innovation Leaderships
Awards.
Make Noise!
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