SATURDAY: UC Science Fair Will Send Top Projects To State Competition

The University of Cincinnati hosts its first Southwest District Science and Engineering Expo when closed-judging gets underway at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 2, in the Great Hall of Tangeman University Center. The competition holds $12,000 in awards for the top entries, plus registration for the statewide competition in May.

A total of 258 students representing 7-12 grades in 29 regional Ohio schools have entered more than 198 individual and 30 team poster exhibits. The projects will be critiqued by 197 judges with backgrounds in science and engineering. Poster exhibits that receive superior ratings will automatically be entered to compete at the Ohio Academy of Science/State Science Day competition, which will be held May 7 at The Ohio State University. A maximum 80 projects that receive superior ratings, along with 15 alternate projects, could be entered from the UC competition into the state contest.

Ninety-five of UC’s Cincinnatus Scholars will be guiding the high school students and their families around campus to judging and exhibits. They will also lead campus tours, assist the judges and help with check-in from 7:30-8 a.m. for the pre-registered contestants.

Science fair organizers are also planning education and entertainment for the more than 500 parents and siblings of the contestants expected to attend. Here’s a look at the schedule for the UC Science Fair:

9 a.m.

• Judging Begins – Judging of the exhibits takes place in the Great Hall of Tangeman University Center (TUC). Exhibits will be closed to the public and media during the judging process, which should wrap up by 12:30 p.m.
• Campus Tours – UC student volunteers start hourly campus tours, beginning at the front steps of TUC.
• Robot Demonstration – The UC Robotics Team shows off its new Bearcat Robot in Room 544, Baldwin Hall. UC’s Robotics Team is preparing the robot for the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition coming up in June, as well as the Defense Department’s DARPA Grand Challenge in October, a contest that promises a two-million-dollar prize to the fastest machine. The robotics age promises many new machines that can help solve mankind’s problems, but the advances will require many talented, intelligent and diverse engineers and scientists. The presentation will be led by Robotics Team advisor Ernest Hall, Paul E. Geier Professor of Robotics, UC Center for Robotics Research.
• “Gemstone” Mining – Miners will use their sifting pans to search for minerals and “gems” in a water silo that will be located in the TUC Atrium. Each participant gets a bag of sand, gems and fossils. The treasures appear as they sift through the water (until 1 p.m.).
• Cincinnati Zoo Exotic Animal Show – See a variety of animals from the Arctic to the Amazon in the TUC Atrium as animal handlers from the Cincinnati Zoo explain the species’ habitat, characteristics and personalities in hands-on demonstrations (until 1 p.m.).
• Hovercraft Rides – The Lyondell Chemical Company will offer hovercraft rides in the TUC Atrium as part of the “Explore & Experiment” exhibit (until noon).
• Movie: October Sky (9:15 a.m. showing) – Based on a true story involving a young scientist’s dreams and a science fair, a teenager strives to build rockets after the launch of the Sputnik satellite. Science fair guests can see the free movie in the MainStreet Cinema (TUC, Second Floor) and pick up free popcorn at the door!
• Catskeller Game Room – The arcade game room and sports lounge is located on the first floor of TUC and will have an early opening at 9 a.m. for the science fair.

10 a.m.

• Chemistry Demonstration – UC Chemistry Research Associate Rudy Thomas will provide an entertaining look at the amazing world of chemical reactions and processes that occur around us. A short presentation on the chemistry department will be included in the demonstration in Room 525 of the Old Chemistry building.
• Gemstone Mining
• Cincinnati Zoo Exotic Animal Show
• Hovercraft Rides
• Judging Continues
• Campus Tours

11 a.m.

• Composing for the Computer – Mara Helmuth is an associate professor of composition in UC’s internationally recognized College-Conservatory of Music. In this talk and demonstration, Helmuth will explore composing for the computer, research on Internet music, and she’ll perform some of her own digital compositions. The demonstration will be held in Room 500, Swift Hall.
• Movie: Finding Neverland – The film, free of charge to science fair guests, follows writer J.M. Barrie’s creative journey to bring Peter Pan to life. Free popcorn will be served at the door as the film is shown in the MainStreet Cinema.
• Gemstone Mining
• Cincinnati Zoo Exotic Animal Show
• Hovercraft Rides
• Judging Continues
• Campus Tours

Noon

• Lunch Break – Families can get lunch in the Food Court or Mick and Mack’s at TUC, visit Subway and Starbucks in the Steger Student Life Center, or dine at MarketPointe at Siddall.
• Gemstone Mining
• Cincinnati Zoo Exotic Animal Show
• Campus Tours

12:30-1:30 p.m.

• Public Viewings -- Exhibits go on public display in the Great Hall.

1:30-2:30 p.m.

• Genome Research Institute Presentation – UC’s Genome Research Institute is just one year old, yet it’s gaining international prestige in its research and discoveries. Dr. David Milhorn, director of the Genome Research Institute, will discuss the significance of the Human Genome Project in understanding biology and disease, and how that can be translated into the development of new medicines. The presentation will be held at Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center.

3-5 p.m.

• Awards Ceremony – UC President Nancy L. Zimpher will greet competitors and their families as Karen Gould, dean of the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, and Tom Cruse, chair of the science fair steering committee and associate provost for academic facility planning, announce the awards. Major awards sponsors include Procter & Gamble, Cinergy Foundation, Fluor Fernald, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, General Electric, the Cincinnati chapter of the Accoustical Society of America, MeasureNet Technology, Ltd, and the UC Alumni Association. The ceremony will be held in Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center.

Check the List of Schools that are Participating in the UC Science Fair: