More Than $73,000 in Awards and Scholarships to Be Given Away Saturday at UC Science Fair

On Saturday, March 14, approximately 400 students in grades 7 through 12 will gather at UC for the fifth-annual Science & Engineering Expo (SEE) to compete for an all-time high of $73,000 in awards and scholarships.

The students had to have earned a rating of “superior” in their schools’ fairs to participate in UC’s SEE, representing the five counties of the Ohio Academy of Science’s Southwest District — Hamilton, Preble, Warren, Butler and Clermont.

At $73,000, UC’s scholarships and awards have increased by almost 50% over 2008’s awards of $51,000. UC’s own College of Applied Science (CAS) led the internal scholarship offerings by increasing their award from $5,000 to five scholarships of $5,000.

“We were worried going into this year with the economy the way it is,” said Tom Cruse, director of the Science & Engineering Expo. “But we have exceeded last year's awards by more than $20,000 and surpassed our greatest expectations, thanks to both our external sponsors as well as the scholarships from the departments and colleges within the university.”

“We will be offering five students scholarships of $5,000 each,” explained CAS Associate Dean Pat Kumpf. “We just awarded our 2009 Technology Scholarships to 10 high school seniors during the UC–West Virginia basketball game. The students who bring their superior projects to UC’s science fair are exactly the kind of students we want in CAS. ”

This year, of the 391 students with their 313 projects representing 39 schools, 151 projects (and 15 alternates) will be eligible for the chance to compete at State Science Day on May 9 in Columbus. Students from UC’s SEE will also be able to compete at the country’s largest science competition, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), which takes place this year in Reno, Nev., May 10 to 14.

In addition to the scholarships and awards for the students themselves, the science fair at UC offers intangible rewards throughout the day. A day full of events involving science, technology, engineering, math and medicine (STEMM) takes place on campus with many hands-on activities and demonstrations for the public. All activities are free and open to the public:

Schedule of Events — 2009 UC Science & Engineering Expo
Friday, March 13, 2009:

• 6–8 p.m. Drop-off of Exhibits (optional) CCM Circle
• 7 p.m. Ken Petren and Chris Collins: Galapagos Island/Second Life Presentation, MainStreet Cinema, Tangeman University Center (TUC) (Note: this is a location change from what was previously announced)

Saturday, March 14, 2009:

• 7–8:30 a.m. Drop-off of Exhibits
• 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Exhibit Hall Judging, Great Hall TUC
• 1– 2:30 p.m. Exhibit Hall Open to the Public, Great Hall TUC
• 9 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Tours, Exhibits and Demonstrations
• Tours: Campus, Rec. Center, UC Solar Decathlon House (10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.)
• 9 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Open for observation: Oesper Chemistry Collection, Graduate Student Research Posters, A–3 503 Rieveschl Hall