Hosting 2014 science fair to put University on national stage

Hosting a national science fair next spring will provide a great opportunity to heighten the university’s profile while showcasing all the great things happening in this region, according to Edwin Tam.

“This is something that draws a lot of attention,” said Dr. Tam, an engineering professor who just returned from the University of Lethbridge, which recently hosted the Canada Wide Science Fair and had more than 400 students submit entries to the contest.

Next year the fair will be held at the University of Windsor from May 10-17 and Tam, who is the chief judge for CWSF 2014 and responsible for recruiting judges for the event, is excited by the chance to showcase the university and the area for potential new students and their families, as well as national media that typically cover the event.

“It’s an opportunity for some really great exposure,” said Tam.  “Lethbridge went all out. It was tremendous event and the university got a lot of out of it. There was a lot of spirit, a lot of energy and enthusiasm. Now Windsor needs to show it can do a little better. There are a lot of people who are really looking forward to coming next year.”

Tam was particularly pleased with how well a number of local students did at the fair, including Meagen Fable, a Grade 11 Walkerville High School student and Alex Deans, a Grade 10 student at Ste-Cecile International School. Fable was supported with a $2,000 UWindsor Faculty of Science Prize for winning in her category at the Windsor regional science fair, which is a qualifier for the national event. Deans won the same award from UWindsor’s Faculty of Engineering.

Fable came home with a gold medal and $6,200 in awards, while Deans came home with a gold medal, a platinum medal for the best intermediate project overall and $7,700 in awards. Both students also won Blackberry Playbooks.

Tam is looking for about 300 qualified people from a variety of scientific, engineering, health sciences, technical, and other related disciplines to serve as judges at next year’s event. He’s especially interested in finding fluent bilingual judges who can speak both of Canada’s official languages. Those interested in volunteering should contact Tam at 519-253-3000 ext 2560, or at edwintam@uwindsor.ca.

Read an announcement about Windsor hosting next year’s fair.

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