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Science Fairs...why aren't they more popular? — Parallax Forums

Science Fairs...why aren't they more popular?

Too_Many_ToolsToo_Many_Tools Posts: 765
edited 2015-02-26 06:22 in General Discussion
FYI...

https://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/?utm_source=Google.com&utm_medium=desktophpp&utm_campaign=gsflaunch

When I was young, I waited all year long for our annual science fair...couldn't wait to see what my fellow students would dream up.

This got me thinking...why aren't science fairs more popular in a world where technology is everywhere?

Your thoughts?

Thanks for contributing.

Comments

  • SRLMSRLM Posts: 5,045
    edited 2015-02-23 20:34
    I suppose the statement that "science fairs aren't popular" needs some facts, but I tend to agree anyway.

    My guess? Because you can Google and find any idea that you can dream up, which kills the "exploration" nature of science fairs.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2015-02-24 09:13
    Just a guess, but could be that the factual science of yester-year has been usurped by media driven sensationalism and marketing of the uber-neato, and government agencies seem to be more concerned with homeland security than common knowledge of fundamental science.

    As a boy, I absolutely loved to read 'The Amature Scientist' in 'Scientific American', but the magazine no longer addresses science in the same way. Associations like the ARRL no longer sustain the kind of educational outreach that it once did for electronics.

    Add to all that that self-education via book learning has been overtaken by web-surfing and it difficult to say where a Science Fair fits into modern culture. Why build anything when you can get an answer on Wikipedia and live in virtual reality?

    ==========
    Nonetheless, science is progressing and there are all sort of interesting new fronts of knowledge for young people. I just tend to feel that a kid has to be lucky enough to have parents that are able to help in getting into science.
  • localrogerlocalroger Posts: 3,451
    edited 2015-02-24 13:42
    There is also a problem with unevenness in judging. In a lot of school and smaller regional fairs the judges are impressed by glitz and build quality and will look over a project that isn't as flashy but would fare better in the real criterion of actually doing an experiment and reporting a result.
  • GadgetmanGadgetman Posts: 2,436
    edited 2015-02-24 13:57
    Don't forget all those 'science fair kits' for those with more money than creativity.

    As I understand it, the point of the Science Fair wasn't to show off a 'professional project', but to learn and demonstrate what you had learned.

    Also, a lot of parents ended up building whatever it was for the kids...
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2015-02-24 14:11
    I imagine a lot of this has to do with the often severe cutbacks in school budgets. If a school district only has enough to pay for basic education, that's all you'll get.

    Over the years, states have chronically allocated less and less percentage of their budgets to public education (look at percentages of GDP and taxable revenue, not dollar totals, as inflation and other factors must be weighed in)

    Those of us who are baby boomers had it made. Since the early/ mid 1950s, education budgets based on percentage of GDP rose significantly, peaking in the mid-1970s, Today there is less money for the "frills," including school busses in many school districts.

    Things got particularly bad during the Great Recession. There are signs that education spending as a percentage of the GDP is now making a slow climb upward again.
  • prof_brainoprof_braino Posts: 4,313
    edited 2015-02-25 06:31
    A lot of it has to do with the amount of time, resources and effort involved in any given project. These can be unknown at the beginning of any given project. The fair has to be on a hard date, and it is not possible to complete all projects on time.

    Our cultures favor "winners", meaning only one to three tend to get rewarded or recognized, only the flashy "breakthrough" recieves attention. This is anti-science: ALL experiements that yeild a result, positive or negative, are a success. (Proving "that didin't work" is the first step to discovering what will work next time).

    The overall effect is to drive science and investigation out of the public eye, and ibnto secret underground basement labs, and hidden online communities like this one. At least that is my experience.
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2015-02-25 08:11
    Hmm... "hidden online communities". Sounds like a contradiction in terms does it not?

    Mind you, I have never told you guys what I get up to in my secret underground bunker :)
  • prof_brainoprof_braino Posts: 4,313
    edited 2015-02-25 15:45
    Heater. wrote: »
    Hmm... "hidden online communities". Sounds like a contradiction in terms does it not?

    Mind you, I have never told you guys what I get up to in my secret underground bunker :)

    Well, look at the number of folks that use the prop, and compare that with the places it could be use, and would be a better choice. Also consider that on many online communities, folks are not so civilized and cooperative. Finally consider how few and far between are the folks in the microcontroller world, and how much rarer the multiprocessor microcontroller folks are. Very few of my aquaintances have heard of the prop. Very few want to hear about it or any other tech, if if take more than 1 minute or any effort at all.

    This makes me think an audience for any science fair is spread so thin throughout the rest of society that it is difficult to get anything going.

    Now, once we actually find a hacker space or robot/rocket club, we tend to find that brightest sparks burning in one place. I think the issue is finding the 1% hidden in a large population.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2015-02-25 17:00
    Science fairs are great, I have many fond memories. I swept our school, city, & county science fairs in 11th grade with my "Light Beam Communications" project, based in part on Forrest Mims' book from Radio Shack (don't get me started). Also honored by the Optical Socity of America, dinner & all. Circa 1976. Ouch.

    More recently (sometime in the 90's), I helped my first-grade neighbor with his model rocket project. He actually did everything, I just showed him how and videoed every aspect of the build and flight testing. I edited a decent video, which he played at the SF. EJ's "Rocket Man" audio track wrapped it up nicely. I went to the fair and watched quietly from the sidelines. One person in five would say, "no way did he make that by himself", but there was always some stranger nearby who said, "yes he did, watch the video". Another first place, whooda thunkit?

    Another dusty VHS tape I must digitize and Youtube someday.
  • xanaduxanadu Posts: 3,347
    edited 2015-02-25 18:12
    My school never had a science fair! We had an agricultural fair. The best part was an Apache Longbow helicopter would land in front of the school and the local police and fire would allow people to sit in their vehicles.

    In grade school we made dioramas for some big open house. I took the opportunity to install some colored 6v miniature lamps powered by 6v lantern battery from Radio Shack. I won the hell out of that, I didn't even have a power switch. My teachers thought I was a genius because I twisted some wires together.

    You need the right teachers and money. You could always reach out to places other than schools and run your own. I'm sure if you supplied everything people would be into it. I'm seeing more and more kids standing around the microcontoller section of Fry's Electronics. Now that people can actually see that stuff and know it exists more and more people will get into it.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2015-02-26 06:22
    Umm... the last time I looked, agriculture was considered a science, as well.

    But nothing wrong with 4H, argricultural faires, and even entering the local county fair. These things teach planning, effort, and iniative are related to rewards.

    Just baking the best pie or growing the largest pumpkin for a country fair takes some science. Think about this.

    On the other hand, if you want to discus art; teaching is an art, and a skill...NOT a budget item.
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