Discovery Regional
Science and Engineering Fair
Will there be a 2025 Discovery Regional Fair?
We need volunteers.
Not enough Staff: Discovery Fair has no paid staff. We do not currently have enough volunteers to conduct a regional fair in 2025 A year ago our core group of volunteers numbered 10. Due primarily to retirements, our leadership team is now 3, with perhaps 3 additional volunteers. Our remaining leadership team members have limited time due to family, job and other community commitments. On the positive side, we have many volunteer judges but will always need more.
Areas we need help: We have listed several task areas in the following signup form. This is a draft list: more may be added, some may be combined. There is a blank where you can add task areas that you would like to assist with if you do not see them on the list.
Not yet a new structure: This is not a final organization structure. We will develop that after we gain sufficient volunteers to carry on with the fair.
When we need help: We have to rebuild our staff now in order to plan for 2025. Some of these areas have a degree of year around infrequent activity. None should be considered full time, and most occur from about January to June. The fair cannot be conducted with one or two staff doing most of the work.
Please indicate your interest: We do not consider your response to be a commitment. You may select as many areas as you wish. As we receive responses we will be in touch with more information. Note that there are both director roles and support staff roles.
You may select leadership roles and/or task area volunteer roles. Select as many as you wish.
Funding
Discovery is an all volunteer organization. We depend on donations and registration fees to continue to make the regional fair available.
Pay Registration Fee
Per student (not per project)
9-12: $30
6-8: $10
K-5: Free
Donate Through PLU
By Check
You can also pay fees and donate by check:
Mailing Address:
South Sound STEM Fair Alliance
PO Box 73232
Puyallup, WA 98373
Discovery Fair Schedule 2024 (No In Person)
| Projects Due | Distribute Project Slides to Judges | Virtual Interviews | Judging Finished | |
| K-5 | March 21 | March 24 | No Interviews | March 31 |
| 6-8 | March 14 | March 17 | March 23 | March 25 |
| 9-12 | March 1 | March 3 | March 9 | March 12 |
Discovery will arrange alternate interview schedules if you have a conflict. Generally this will be within the week following the scheduled interview. Please contact the fair director: scifairdir@plu.edu
Discovery Fair is Permanently Virtual. We know that some value the excitement of an in person fair. There are compelling reasons to move to a virtual format. Here are a few:
- Equity. Considering the 8 counties we now cover, it is likely that some potential participants would not be able to travel to an in person event.
- Time demands. Many potential participants face competing time demands including family events, school and community programs. We offer alternate days for interviews for 8-12 students when conflicts arise.
- Judges. We are able to recruit more knowledgeable judges when they do not have to attend an in person event.
- Quality of Judging. Our judges do a more thorough job of evaluating projects when they can review the slides in the week prior to interviews.
- Cost. Virtual fairs save participants and judges the expense of travel, meals etc., and are far more convenient. In addition few companies are willing to donate to science fairs now. They prioritize their philanthropy for the many needs in our society.
Slides. We will continue to expect projects in the form of slides, not trifold boards.
Interviews: We will continue to interview 6-12 students remotely. K-5 will be evaluated based on submitted slides.
Congratulations to DiscoveryThermo Fisher Junior Innovators Challenge (Formerly Broadcom Masters) nominees:
Isabella York and Milo Matsuda, Pioneer, for “Oyster Heat Protection: Can Biofouling Keep Oyster Bags Cool”
Priya Emani, Jefferson, for “Identifying Possible Biological Processes Affected By Non-Target Proteins of the COVID-19 Vaccine”
Zain Shariff, Curtis, for “Microwave-Related Tissue Changes Using Ultrasound: Processing Images into Spectral Colors”
Discovery is Growing
Awards:
We are increasing numbers and types of awards.
- 2021 – Over 50 specialty awards.
- 2022 – Well over 60, with additional cash awards.
- Increased place awards (1st, 2nd, 3rd and Honorable Mention)
- International fair nominations for 9-12
- Broadcom Masters nominations for 6-8
- American Junior Academy of Sciences Nominations for High School
We are pleased by the progress and are sharing the current list here. However, we are still looking to build this list. If you can donate a specialty award, please do so. All awards will include a certificate which we or the sponsor provide. Awards can carry appropriate names and award criteria. They may be anonymous or attributed to the person, family or organization. If you would like to discuss possibilities, contact us at scifairdir@plu.edu. Our mailing address is on the Contacts page. Please look at the list: 2022 Awards
Geography:
- Historically we included Pierce, Lewis, Mason and Thurston Counties
- We welcome Grays Harbor, Kitsap, Jefferson and Clallam Counties.
- We welcome homeschool, public school, private school, charter school and on-line school participants.
Partnership
The South Sound STEM Fair Alliance, in partnership with Pacific Lutheran University, continues to sponsor the fair.
About Us
- Our Mission is to encourage students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
- We encourage participants to work on their projects with adults, including family members, teachers and mentors. We ask that students identify the contributions made by adults. Historically some STEM fairs downgraded projects for suspected adult involvement. Discovery does not.
- We are a Washington State non-profit corporation with IRS tax exempt status.
- We are an all-volunteer organization.
- We need volunteers to assist with tasks. We conduct our fair management meetings by Zoom.
- South Sound STEM Fair Alliance, in compliance with US Law does not discriminate in the administration of the Discovery Regional Science and Engineering Fair (DRSEF) or any other activities on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation or preference, national or ethnic origin, color, disability, marital status, age, or religious belief.
More Changes
Name
- We were South Sound Regional Science and Engineering Fair for about 22 years.
- Recognizing our wider geography, we are now officially Discovery Regional Science and Engineering Fair
- We will gradually retire the name South Sound as communities become familiar with our new name.
Slides, Not Trifolds
- We require a maximum of 12 8.5 x 11 slides. (With some possible extras for 9-12)
- Easier to submit projects
- No trifold boards
- Slides submitted in PDF format
- Details are on Registration Pages of this website.
Submitting Projects
We ask participants to upload their forms and projects to our Cloud drive using a link we will provide after registration.
Registration fee
- We remain an all-volunteer non-profit organization
- Fund raising has been challenging during the pandemic
- Most regional fairs around the nation have a fee
- Our largest expense is affiliation with the International Fair (ISEF)
- We receive significant benefits in specialty awards from ISEF, not otherwise available
- Several are for grades 9-12
- A few are for 6-8
- None are for K-5
- Our fee structure reflects this allocation.
- Fees are per participant, not per project.
- Grades K-5 will remain free to enter.
- The fee for Grades 6-8 will be $10.
- The fee for Grades 9-12 will be $30.
- We will email all registrants with payment options.
- Scholarship option:
- Fee will not be a deterrent to fair participation
- Please contact the fair director if you need financial assistance with the registration fee: scifairdir@plu.edu