ODU's Webb Center Will be Host Site of Tidewater Science Fair March 15
March 11, 2014
Winners at the 2013 Tidewater Science and Engineering Fair hosted by Old Dominion University.
Old Dominion University will host the 63rd Annual Tidewater Science and Engineering Fair on Saturday, March 15.
Students in grades 6-12 from throughout southeastern Virginia will compete in the fair, which is organized by the Tidewater Science Congress and co-sponsored by ODU.
Categories for the science fair include animal sciences, behavioral and social sciences, biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, earth and planetary science, electrical and mechanical engineering, engineering materials and bioengineering, energy and transportation, environmental sciences, mathematics, medicine and health sciences, microbiology, physics and astronomy and plant sciences.
Members of the ODU faculty and staff will have roles as judges and coordinators, and college admissions officers will advise prospective future students during the day-long event, held in the Webb University Center.
Student registration and project set-up and display begins at 7 a.m. The event will formally begin with an opening ceremony that includes greetings from Mary Patterson, president of the Tidewater Science Congress, and Brian Payne, ODU's Vice Provost for Academic Programs.
ODU President John R. Broderick is happy to welcome participants to the university campus once again. "Here at Old Dominion, our faculty and students, along with the facilities we dedicate to research, teaching and academic scholarship, are truly impressive," Broderick said. "Our students have opportunities to participate in space launches at Wallops Island, join top nuclear physics researchers at the Jefferson Lab, work on state-of-the-art equipment in materials and chemistry, take part in botanical experiments in a new conservatory, and participate in the latest modeling and simulation engineering programs in serious gaming, transportation and medical modeling."
At this year's Tidewater Science Fair, judging of science fair projects will occur 8:45-11:30 a.m., and 12:30-1:30 p.m. The afternoon session and the awards ceremony to follow are open to the general public. The awards ceremony will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. in the North Café of Webb Center.
In place of campus tours, which have been done in previous Tidewater Science and Engineering Fairs, an Old Dominion University admissions panel will be held from 9 to 9:45 a.m., and a special program for families and teachers will be hosted at ODU's Pretlow Planetarium from 10-10:45 a.m.
Old Dominion University's partnership with the Tidewater Science Fair is another example of the university's commitment to STEM education and research. ODU is the third-largest producer of STEM graduates every year in the Commonwealth of Virginia.