South to Host Mobile Regional Science and Engineering Fair
Posted on March 5, 2020 by Amber Day
The 2020 Mobile Regional Science and Engineering Fair will be held Friday, March 6 in the Jaguar Gym at the University of South Alabama. More than 400 middle and high school students from around southwest Alabama will compete for a variety of awards, including two full-tuition scholarships to South and four all-expense paid trips to the International Science and Engineering Fair in Anaheim, Calif.
“The competition is an opportunity for middle and high school students to connect with scientific and engineering principles outside of the traditional classroom environment,” said Dr. David Allison, director of the Mobile Regional Science and Engineering Fair and an associate professor in the USA Department of Earth Sciences. “The University of South Alabama is excited to host the event in its current format for the 10th year in a row.”
The judges at the event will include USA faculty and staff and local business professionals. Judges will offer advice on how to improve projects so students can be more successful in future competitions. Students will also perform interviews with judges, which helps to instill confidence in the student's ability to explain project goals and defend their methodology.
More than 50 faculty and staff from across the University are involved with mentoring, planning and running the event.
The 2020 individual project categories include:
Senior Division: Animal Science, Behavioral/Social Sciences, Biochemistry, Biomedical
& Health Sciences, Biomedical Engineering/Bioinformatics, Cellular/Molecular Biology/Microbiology,
Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Embedded Systems, Energy:
Chemical/Physical, Engineering: Mechanics and Environmental Engineering, Materials
Science, Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy, Plant Science, and Robotics/Intelligent
Machines.
Junior Division: Behavioral/Social Sciences, Botany/Zoology, Chemistry, Engineering,
Environmental, Math and Computers, Medicine and Health, and Physical Science.
Each category will award a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place ribbon and certificate. All category winners will be eligible to compete in the Alabama Science and Engineering Fair in April.
Out of the 1st place category winners in the Junior Division, a 1st and 2nd place “Best-in-Show” winner is selected. Each of these awards include a trophy and $150 gift card to the USA Bookstore.
From the 1st place category winners in the Senior Division, a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place “Best-in-Show” will be selected, including two alternates. The 1st through 4th place “Best-in-Show” winners receive an all-expense paid trip to compete in the International Science and Engineering Fair in Anaheim, Calif., in May. The two alternates will be available to compete if for any reason the 1st through 4th place winners cannot make the trip. The alternates receive a $50 gift card to the USA Bookstore.
In the Senior Division, the 1st and 2nd place “Best-in-Show” winners also receive a four-year tuition scholarship to University of South Alabama. Sponsors also present special awards to those projects using innovative statistical methods to analyze data - $100, $75, and $25 to the respective 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in each division using the judging criteria.
Sponsors for this year’s Mobile Regional Science and Engineering Fair include the University of South Alabama (USA), USA Office of Academic Affairs, USA College of Arts and Sciences, USA College of Engineering, ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel Calvert, Hargrove Engineers and Constructors, Thompson Engineering, and the Moore Family (Statistical Awards).