For students at a small school like Heritage Hall Christian, the opportunity to present their scientific research alongside peers from nearby counties can be invaluable.
“Participating at the regional level gives them the chance to see that their work can stand alongside students from much larger schools, many of which have far more resources available to them,” said Kelly Beeson, a science teacher at the Muncie school of about 200 pre-K students through high school seniors.
“We really want our students to value hard work, critical thinking and doing their best,” Beeson said, “and attending a regional fair reinforces that.”
Heritage Hall Christian School is grateful its students can still participate in such an event thanks to the Northeast Indiana Regional Science and Engineering Fair. It returns today for its 71st year with an expanded coverage area that almost reaches the Kentucky border.
Director Matthew Perkins Coppola anticipates the event at Purdue University Fort Wayne will feature projects by more than 170 elementary, middle and high school students from nearly two dozen northeast and east central counties once served by two regional fairs.
Eight northeast Indiana counties – Adams, Allen, Huntington, Kosciusko, Miami, Wabash, Wells and Whitley – are now joined by about a dozen others previously served by the East Central Indiana Regional Science Fair at Ball State University.
The Science Education Foundation of Indiana learned last summer that the Muncie event would not continue this year, Executive Director Glen Cook said.
“Sadly, it’s starting to become an issue,” he said, explaining that the number of regions has decreased to seven from about 10 over the last couple of decades.
Cook appreciates Coppola’s willingness to absorb the east central counties, which include Blackford, Grant, Howard and Jay. Purdue Fort Wayne was the most logical host considering it is directly north of the area Ball State served, making travel more convenient than other options, he said.
The regional fair network’s east central region spanned as far south as Franklin County, which is part of the Cincinnati, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana metropolitan statistical area.
At least 20 schools were represented at the east central regional fair last year, based on the winners list that remains on the Ball State website. A university spokesman said the decision was based on declining participation and the increasing financial demands required to sustain the event.
Department of Biology values the role these experiences play in student learning, and the university continues to recognize the importance of engaging students in hands-on science education,” Andrew Walker said by email.
“The Department of Biology values the role these experiences play in student learning, and the university continues to recognize the importance of engaging students in hands-on science education,” Andrew Walker said by email.
The northeast regional fair – which occupies the Walb Student Union’s international and classic ballrooms – had the capacity to take on the additional counties, Coppola said.
A school, homeschooled group or community organization must advance projects to the regional fair, he said. He explained the designated contact at each school, such as a principal or teacher, may host a qualifying fair or review and advance individual submissions if there are few student projects.
About 25% of the 177 students registered as of last week are from schools formerly in the east central region, Coppola said.
“I hated to hear that that fair wasn’t going to be able to happen,” he said. “They may not have been able to have a fair had we not stepped in to do that.”
Labor of love
Student interest in science fairs varies throughout the state. The biggest programs are in regions affiliated with the flagship Purdue University campus and the University of Notre Dame, Cook said.
Recruiting new organizations to pick up a region is becoming more difficult because of the commitment involved. Judging, awards and event logistics are among the aspects organizers must consider, he said.
As the regional fair director, Coppola said he receives a nominal stipend from Purdue Fort Wayne, where he is an associate professor of science education. But, he said, the undertaking is largely a labor of love. Organizers include a core group of about six people who meet year-round, with the frequency increasing closer to the event date.
About 30 to 40 student volunteers typically help on the day of the fair, Coppola said, and about 100 judges will review the projects. Several judges have at least 15 years of experience.
“We’re fortunate,” he said. “What allows us to really make this thing work is we have a lot of people who come back year after year.”
Frequent science fair participant Laura Hartmus is now a Purdue Fort Wayne senior excited to help with this year’s event. Hartmus remains involved as a volunteer because the event was a valuable experience during her childhood, she said, describing the fair as a confidence builder that helped her overcome shyness.
Hartmus enjoys learning about the students’ projects and their conclusions.
“They do some incredible things,” she said.
The local regional’s $8,000 budget is primarily supported by sponsors. Expenses include facility rental fees, materials, insurance and printing costs for brochures and award certificates, Coppola said. He noted the fair will distribute about $4,000 to $5,000 in prizes along with trophies and plaques.
“The good news is, the community has answered,” he said, “and so budget-wise, we’re doing OK.”
‘Spark passion’
Being selected to advance to a regional science fair is a special accomplishment, said Sarah Bonesteel, who teaches fourth and fifth grade science at Eastern Elementary School in Howard County.
“Our students put tremendous effort into their science fair projects by asking important questions, conducting experiments, analyzing results and learning what it truly means to think like scientists,” she said by email.
She noted gratitude for the northeast region’s hospitality.
“This experience gives our Comets the chance to share their work with a larger scientific community, meet other young scientists, and see how their ideas and discoveries can have an impact beyond our school walls,” Bonesteel said.
Yorktown Community Schools shares that gratitude, although it cannot participate in the regional fair this year because of scheduling issues, said Ben Buehler, a science and computer science teacher at the district’s high school.
Learning science and doing science are intertwined, he said, and science fairs are a concrete way students can participate in the subject.
“The science fair is an encouraging environment that brings science professionals into scientific discussions with our students,” Buehler said by email. “Doing science, and talking about science, can spark passion and open doors for our students.”
Cook, leader of the state’s Science Education Foundation, agrees. The long-time science teacher is confident students learn more by pursuing their own projects than by what he can teach them in the classroom.
“The books are OK,” he said, “but when the student asks the question and designs an experiment to test that question, the lights go on.”
Creating an encouraging environment where students could get feedback was important to Coppola when he began leading the northeast regional fair a decade ago.
Judging is done in pairs whose rubrics address creativity, the scientific method, data interpretation, completeness, presentation and students’ reliance on help from adults.
“What I see are the projects where the kid gets really motivated, and they want to talk about what they did,” Coppola said. “That’s why we need these fairs. There’s not a lot of opportunities for students to really share and celebrate those pursuits of their curiosity and interests.”
Advancement
The regional event is a qualifier for the Hoosier Science and Engineering Fair, which is March 28 at Indiana University Indianapolis. Participants there can advance in May to the International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix.
Carroll High School student Arha Kureti last year was the first student since 2021 to represent northeast Indiana in the international competition. A documentary she watched in fourth grade initially exposed her to the contest.
“I was like, ‘Wow. It seems like a dream come true if you love science,’ “ the now sophomore said. “Being a 10-year-old, I never imagined I’d be able to do that.”
Kureti, who previously studied the environmental impact of textiles, is returning to the regional fair with a project about the ecological effects of flame retardants.
Coppola described his relief upon learning Kureti used tea light candles in her research.
“Oh, OK,” he said, noting her use of fire initially worried him. “That’s fair enough.”
The science projects students pursue have amazed Coppola.
“Sometimes they end up being really, you know,” he said, “scientifically very interesting.”