The Brief
- The 37th annual Missouri Southern Regional Science Fair takes place March 24 at Missouri Southern State University with 92 projects from 10 local schools
- Students from 16 counties across Missouri and Kansas compete in categories ranging from behavioral sciences to plant sciences
- All category winners will advance to the Show-Me Science MO State Science Fair in April for the first time this year
JOPLIN, Mo. (KOAM) — Middle school and high school students from across the region will showcase their scientific research today at the 37th annual Missouri Southern Regional Science Fair, held in the third-floor ballroom of Billingsly Student Center at Missouri Southern State University.
The competition features 92 student projects from 10 local schools, with 77 entries in the junior category for grades 5-8 and 15 projects in the senior category for grades 9-12. The fair accepts individual and team projects from students in 10 Missouri counties and six Kansas counties.
Participating Missouri counties include Vernon, Barton, Jasper, Newton, McDonald, Barry, Lawrence, Cedar, Dade and St. Clair. Kansas students can compete from Neosho, Crawford, Montgomery, Labette, Bourbon and Cherokee counties.
The science fair, affiliated with the Society for Science and the Public, covers eight distinct categories: behavioral and social sciences; cell, molecular and microbiology; chemistry and biochemistry; computer science, engineering and mathematics; earth and environmental sciences; human and animal sciences; physics and astronomy; and plant sciences.
Student participants expressed enthusiasm for the collaborative and educational aspects of the competition. For some students like Corinee Newson and Ellis Ringstaff from South Middle school in Joplin, it was their first time participating in a science fair.
“The science fair is really fun to do. I enjoy it with a partner. She also has a partner. She’s just not here today. And if you want to do it alone, it’s also really cool to just find out things with the experiments,” they said. “I can also either with like can be really scary sometimes. It’s definitely worth it to see the others projects and how hard they worked on it. And it’s worth all the work that you put into it.”
Two Mcdonald County High school students also got to experience participating in the science fair. Both Haidin Gerstner and Brionna Ziemianin emphasized the fair’s role in preparing students for future academic and career opportunities in science fields.
“I think it’s very important to get you out into the real world and really showcase what you’re learning. And, it allows you to make connections with other people who are interested in the same things. As you said, just like certain science related topics,” they said. “It can help prepare you for like, future things like if especially if you’re wanting to go into like majoring like in a science department.”
This year marks a significant change in the competition structure. All category winners in both junior and senior divisions will advance to participate in the Show-Me Science MO State Science Fair, scheduled for April 15-16.
The regional science fair serves as an important steppingstone for students interested in pursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers. The competition provides young researchers with opportunities to present their findings, receive feedback from judges and connect with peers who share similar academic interests.
Missouri Southern State University has hosted the regional competition for 37 years, providing a platform for students to demonstrate their scientific knowledge and research skills before advancing to state-level competition.
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