WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Feb. 2, 2022 — After an absence of several years due to the pandemic, the West Liberty University Regional Science & Engineering Fair will take place on Saturday, Feb. 12 at WLU’s Highlands Center location.
“West Liberty University’s College of Sciences is thrilled to welcome the annual fair back as an important way to encourage youngsters to get involved in scientific investigation,” said Dr. Holly Racine, coordinator of the event.
Funding is provided by the West Virginia Department of Education, the Community Foundation of the Ohio Valley and the NASA Space Consortium.
“In the past, the fair was geared to middle and senior high schoolers but this year it’s open to grades 3 – 12, so that’s a big difference,” said Racine.
Racine said that this was done to mirror the age requirement and rules of the statewide science and engineering fair held in March that is the follow up to regional fairs in West Virginia.
Due to the ongoing concerns about COVID-19, properly-worn facial masks are required for attendance.
WLU’s science and engineering fair gets started at 8:30 a.m. with check-in for the Elementary School Student Division, followed by exhibit set-up and judging. The tear-down and removal of projects takes place from 11:30 a.m. until noon.
The Junior and Senior Student Division then checks-in from noon – 12:30 p.m., followed by exhibit set-up and judging. The tear-down and removal of these projects is planned for 3 – 3:30 p.m.
The awards ceremony concludes the day of science activity and is planned for 5 p.m. and will be both an in-person and virtual ceremony shared on Topper Station.
“In an effort to keep everyone safe, we are offering a virtual option thanks to Topper Station, however we will present the awards in person also,” said Racine.
WLU’s Biology, Chemistry and STEAM Clubs have special activities for the students taking part in the fair. This includes animals from the Zoo Science program.
Any student or group of students from the International Science and Engineering Fair approved counties (Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall, and Wetzel in West Virginia) are invited to take part in the fair. Applications can be completed online to register for the event.
Students compete for category awards, special awards, and an opportunity to go to the West Virginia Science and Engineering Fair on March 7, 2022.
For more information, contact Dr. Racine at 304-336-8384 or visit westliberty.edu/biology/science-fair.
WLU’s College of Sciences prides itself on its student-focused teaching, learning and research environment dedicated to excellence in undergraduate and graduate education.
West Liberty University is West Virginia’s oldest public institution of higher learning and offers more than 70 undergraduate majors, plus a growing number of graduate programs, both online and on campus. For more information, please call 1.866.937.8542 (WESTLIB), or follow WLU on social media. To view more about WLU, please visit westliberty.edu/youtube.
