The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) and District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) have entered into a partnership agreement with Washington based Center for Minority Achievement in Science and Technology (CMAST) and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) to host this year’s citywide science fair. The partnership brings together the District’s K-12 education system, a local nonprofit organization, and a government agency to coordinate the activities and resources associated with hosting this event.
This year marks the 64th year of the District’s citywide science fair, which showcases top science fair winners from all schools across the city including public, private, and charter schools among others.
The 2010 DC Science and Engineering Fair will be held on Saturday, March 27 at McKinley Technology High School. Judging will begin at 8:30 am and the fair will end with an Awards Ceremony at 3 pm. Students in grades 6-12 are eligible to participate and compete for various awards, scholarships, and prizes.
"Our nation’s economic future depends upon improving the pipeline into the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields," said Superintendent Briggs. "With this DC science fair partnership, we hope to get more of DC's students on the track for successful STEM careers."
“This collaborative initiative highlights the crucial role public-private partnerships play in sustaining and growing educational activities which offer District students exposure to the skills and knowledge required to pursue many 21st century careers,” said CMAST Founder & Executive Director Charles Britt.
The science fair has two divisions: Junior (grades 6-8) and Senior (grades 9-12). Students in both divisions have an opportunity to win a variety of special awards and trophies presented by many of the region’s top government, corporate, and community-based organizations. Finalists (Senior Division only) from the citywide science fair will go on to represent the District of Columbia at the Intel ® International Science Fair to be held May 9-14 in San Jose, CA.
Visit the official DC Science and Engineering Fair website at http://www.dcsciencefair.com. Registration is open today and we encourage school leadership to work with local student science fair winners to register them in the citywide fair as soon as possible. Registration closes on March 17, 2010.
Also, for the first time ever, a Twitter profile (http://twitter.com/dcsciencefair) and Facebook page (”2010 DC Science & Engineering Fair”) have been created to provide up-to-date information and news to students, parents, and the community.
CMAST Contact: Charles Britt, (202) 470-4180, [email protected]
OSSE Contact: Chad Colby, (202) 316-2361, [email protected]
Partner Information:
OSSE – http://osse.dc.gov
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), formerly known as the State Education Office (SEO), is a high-performing, transparent agency that sets proactive policies, exercises vigilant oversight, and directs resources that guarantee residents educated in the District of Columbia are among the highest performers in the nation; fully prepared for successful postsecondary learning and employment in the creative economy.
DCPS – http://dcps.dc.gov
With over 45,000 students, 4,500 teachers, and 2,300 support staff members, the shared goal of these thousands of people is to make DCPS the highest performing urban school district in the nation, and to once and for all close the achievement gap that separates low-income students and students of color from their higher-income and white peers.
CMAST – http://www.cmast.org
Based in Washington, DC, the Center for Minority Achievement in Science and Technology serves as a regional and national catalyst for building and sustaining collaborative communities amongst STEM education stakeholders in order to increase the academic achievement and global competitiveness of k-12 students in underrepresented groups.
WRAIR – http://wrair-www.army.mil
As the largest and most diverse biomedical research laboratory in the Department of Defense, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research conducts biomedical research that is responsive to DOD and US Army requirements and delivers life saving products including knowledge, technology and medical materiel that sustain the combat effectiveness of the warfighter.