:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/472IYD2OZJ3SW5DTLLKS6UFBUY.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/Z2LSBZUXWV5X2TQZNAXJ5RIBJM.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/Z5CI47GXSVIE4GHTOSGP5YEM7E.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/Q47TBK3MAQKFQYZYB5FIMJU4LU.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/QZCHV6RMAGIV2VKWCYRRGKXHSY.jpg)
BROOKFIELD
Students in fifth through eighth grade from 18 schools in the West Suburban Consortium for Academic Excellence and two other suburban school districts showed off their science and engineering projects at the annual science fair at Brookfield Zoo’s Discovery Center on Feb. 25.
More than 150 students presented their projects to a panel of judges composed of Chicago Zoological Society staff and some of Chicago’s top corporate executives from companies including BP America, the event’s sponsor.
This year’s projects were broken down into two categories: science and engineering. The science projects aimed to answer a question, whereas the engineering projects sought to solve a problem. The move to incorporate engineering projects into the science fair aligns with the state of Illinois’ newly adopted Next Generation Science Standards, which encourage teachers to integrate both science and engineering practices into their classrooms.
“This event is specially designed each year by CZS in collaboration with the suburban school districts to create an engaging atmosphere for the students,” Agnes Kovacs, manager of school groups and teacher programs for the society, said in the release. “It challenges them to create and innovate through science education, inspiring the inner scientist and engineer to motivate the next generation of leaders in the field. The fair is an opportunity to connect students with experts and receive relevant feedback on their work.”
The science projects were judged on criteria such as overall display, oral presentation, level of creativity, and how their conclusions relate to the bigger picture. The all-new engineering-focused rubric were used to judge students and their projects on engineering components such as identification of a problem, background and research, design plan and materials, prototype and testing, and real-world connections.
First-, second- and third-place finishers for each age group were selected. First-place winners received a Brookfield Zoo family membership; second-place winners were awarded a Brookfield Zoo family four-pack of tickets plus all in-park attractions; and third-place winners received a Brookfield Zoo family four-pack of admission tickets plus passes to The Carousel and Dolphins in Action.
In addition, BP America presented BP Future Scientist Awards to select students who demonstrated promising futures in the science and engineering fields. All students received T-shirts and certificates for their participation.
The consortium schools that participated in the science fair included A.F. Ames Elementary in Riverside, Blythe Park School in Riverside, Butler Junior High in Oak Brook, Central Elementary in Riverside, Clarendon Hills Middle School in Clarendon Hills, Field Park Elementary in Western Springs, Forest Hills Elementary in Western Springs, Gower Middle School in Burr Ridge, Hester Junior High in Franklin Park, Highlands Middle School in La Grange, Hollywood Elementary in Brookfield, Ideal Elementary in Countryside, Komarek School North Riverside, Laidlaw Elementary in Western Springs, McClure Junior High in Western Springs, and Park Junior High in La Grange Park. Schools from other suburban districts that participated were Cass Junior High in Darien, and Eisenhower Junior High in Darien.
For more information, visit www.CZS.org.