Due to the continued threat of COVID-19, the Sudbury Regional Science Fair has decided to run its 2021 science fair virtually this spring.
For more than 50 years, Sudbury area Grade 7 to 12 students have been exploring and discovering science through science projects and sharing their work through school, school board and regional science fairs.
In the spring of 2020, the Sudbury Regional Science Fair committee was looking forward to its next regional fair, when a global pandemic was declared and caused the SRSF to be cancelled.
Subsequently, just a few of the 104 regional science fairs across Canada were held, and the 2020 Canada-Wide Science Fair, planned for Edmonton, was cancelled and moved online, becoming a national virtual STEM fair.
More than 600 projects from students across the nation were presented, including five projects from the Sudbury region.
Youth Sciences Canada recently announced the 2021 Canada-Wide Science Fair will be held virtually.
Based on the Canada-Wide Science Fair decision and for continued safety of all involved, the Sudbury Regional Science Fair committee has decided to also run its fair virtually.
With support from Youth Sciences Canada, the ProjectBoard platform will be used by students to upload and present their science projects.
With the support of the Sudbury Regional Science Fair, the three local school boards (Rainbow Schools, Sudbury Catholic Schools and Le Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvelon) who annually participate in the Sudbury Regional Science Fair will be using the ProjectBoard online portal for their school board science fairs.
The Sudbury Regional Science Fair committee wants to support school boards to make it as easy as possible for students to participate in their virtual science fair and thereby select the top projects to attend the regional science fair.
Students from Grade 7 to 12 not attending schools in these three school boards and interested in submitting a science fair project can do so by registering for the public run-off science fair organized by the Sudbury Regional Science Fair.
These students will have to register Feb. 1-12 by sending their name, email address, phone number and grade level to [email protected] and will have to enter their projects as instructed on the ProjectBoard platform by Feb. 26.
“We have all had to pivot in this unprecedented year,” said a press release.
“The innovations we have seen come out of the use of technology in 2020 have enabled us to continue to give students the opportunity to use inquiry-based methods to explore science and technology.
“Many future researchers and inventors will be participants of the regional science fairs, and Sudbury Regional Science Fair wants to continue to be on the forefront of providing our youth with the tools they need to succeed.
“We have seen the resilience of Canadian youth this past year, and Sudbury Regional Science Fair is committed to continuing to foster the curiosity and drive of our future scientists.”
The general public will be invited to view the science fair projects participating in the Sudbury Regional Science Fair in April 2021.
The link will be posted on the SRSF website in early April at srsf.ca.
