A new logo, designed by a student, will help brand the region’s annual showcase for intermediate and high school students’ scientific and technological this year.
The design for the logo for the EIT Hawke’s Bay Science and Technology Fair was determined in a competition won by Reearna Webley, a Year 12 student at Taradale High School.
The fair challenges students to generate new ideas by supporting their scientific endeavours and encouraging technological undertakings. Now in its 45th year, it continues to attract entries from Years 7-13 (Forms 1-7) students attending schools throughout Hawke’s Bay.
Last year it attracted around 700 entries, with some students taking part in more than one category.
With the Eastern Institute of Technology as its major sponsor, the fair will be staged on August 23-24 and centre on EIT’s Hawke’s Bay campus.
The projects section is a particularly popular category, accounting for some 150-200 entries. The fair’s core event, it focuses on the two areas of scientific investigation and technological process.
As always, students designing and constructing projects are challenged to apply a scientific or technological framework in exploring a topic that captures their interest.
Prizes valued at $8000 are at stake for participating students and, as at previous fairs, entries will be appraised by a team of highly-qualified judges – all of whom have backgrounds in science and/or technology-related fields.
Over 40 judges volunteer their time and expertise to assess students’ efforts.
Fair committee chairman Mike Duncan says exhibits are judged on the information provided, so effective communication is a very important consideration in appraising the entries. Students must be able to explain to judges what their projects are about, so more is needed than simply a well-presented display board.
All projects must have an independent scientific investigation or technological design process.
“The focus of a science exhibit is likely to be the presentation of a hypothesis, followed by the gathering and analysis of data,” Mr Duncan says. “A technology exhibit is likely to show prototyping of a solution to a problem or issue and subsequent development of the prototype.”
As well as the projects section, the BP Technology Challenge Competition, the Massey University Serious Fun Science Quiz and the Titration Competition remain as traditional fair favourites.
The fair gets underway at 4pm on Thursday, 23 August, with the BP Technology Challenge at the Faculty of Maori Studies’ Whare Matoro. Times for that are Years 7/8 (4-5.30pm), Years 9/10 (5-6.30pm) and Years 11/12/13 (6-7.30pm).
The venue for Massey University Serious Fun Science Quiz is Lindisfarne College’s hall in Hastings on Thursday, August 23. There are three sessions – for Years 7/8 (4-5pm), Years 9/10 (5.30-6.30pm) and Years 11/12 (7-8pm).
The EIT Titration Competition will be held for Years 12/13 only at 9.30am on Friday, August 24 in the EIT laboratories.
The prize-giving – the fair’s finale – will be held at 7pm on Wednesday, 29 August, at EIT’s Whare Matoro and winning projects will be on display at that time.