Important: Items may need to be removed from project or students may not be able to participate if safety guidelines are not adhered to. Display and Safety Checklist
Rules & Regulations: Elementary Division
The science fair project is the culmination of a student's curiosity, hard work and perseverance through investigation. Young scientists have the opportunity to share their projects with parents, relatives, neighbors, and teachers as well as the chance to be interviewed by the judges who are scientists, engineers, doctors, faculty, college students, and community members who are passionate about science.
The opportunity significantly contributes to student's educational experience in understanding the scientific method, through formulating ideas, creating their project, and hands on experimentation. We hope to inspire a life-long fascination with science.
The Southern Minnesota Regional Science & Engineering Fair Program is affiliated with the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) Program. As such, the fair follows the rules set-forth by Intel ISEF.
Eligibility Requirements
Any individual student or a team consisting of two to three students in grades 3rd through 6th grade, currently attending a school or is home schooled in the Southern Minnesota Territory.
Southern Minnesota Territory: We are the only Elementary Fair in Minnesota, therefore accept participants from throughout the state.
- A student may participate in and register only one (1) research project per year.
- Teams may consist of no more than three (3) individuals.
- Team must include all members at the time of registration, even if not all of the students attend the fair.
- All students must complete the Project Approval form prior to starting their project.
- All research projects must comply with International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) rules and guidelines.
Opportunities for 6th grade students to advance to the Minnesota State Science and Engineering Fair and/or qualify for any other advancement competitions, including Thermo Fisher Junior Innovators Challenge must be done through Middle School/ High School Regional competitions. We are unable to advance students through this fair. The Southern Minnesota Regional Fair is held every year in February, students should check with their local regions for competition information.
Accompanying Adult
All students must be accompanied by an adult. An accompanying adult (i.e., parent/legal guardian, guardian, or teacher) must adhere to the following guidelines:
- Remain present and on premises.
- Maintain active supervision and ensure the safety and well-being of the student throughout the event.
- Comply with all rules, policies and guidelines set forth by the Southern Minnesota Regional Science and Engineering Fair, including any safety measures or requirements.
- Responsible for any necessary assistance, including medical or emergency assistance, if required for the student.
- Promptly inform the Science Fair Staff or authorities of any concerns, incidents or emergencies that may arise during the event.
Elementary Project Approval
To document compliance with the rules, you are required to complete the Project Approval form at the start of your project.
- All students must complete the Project Approval form prior to starting their project.
- Upload a signed and completed copy of Project Approval form into zFairs.
- A copy of the completed Project Approval form must be with the student's project on the day of the event. We will not print forms for you the day of the fair.
- This process prepares students for the Scientific Review of a Project process required in the Middle School/High School Division. For more information, see ISEF Rules and Guidelines.
- Important Note: All 6th graders wishing to compete and advance beyond the regional level, please register for their Middle School/ High School division regional fair. The Southern Minnesota Regional Science and Engineering Fair - Middle School / High School Division is held in February each year.
Team Projects
Teams may consist of no more than three (3) individuals. Once a project has started, members cannot be added or removed.
Team Project Rules
Display and Safety
Your project display must meet all Intel ISEF Display and Safety Regulations. Prior to the start of judging on the day of the fair, a Display and Safety Inspector will review your project display. It is strongly recommended that before coming to the fair, you inspect your project display using the Display and Safety Checklist that will be used by the inspector.
Note: Each project must receive Display and Safety clearance from the Scientific Research Committee upon entering the Southern Minnesota Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Any and all prohibited items that do not adhere to this policy will be removed from the project display. In the case a project includes an item that is prohibited from display, please consider taking photographs and/or documenting the significance of the prohibited item.
Additional Information and Resources
ISEF Rules and Guidelines
ISEF Workbook
Minnesota Academy of Science
Society for Science
Display & Safety Rules
Display and Safety Checklist
The Regional Science & Engineering Fair Program in Mankato has a rich history involving many participating students, parents, teachers, principals, business and community leaders, judges, faculty from neighboring colleges, MSU administrators, MSU faculty, staff and students — both undergraduates and graduates. Minnesota State University, Mankato has been hosting the science and engineering fair since 1951!
It has been exciting to see the growth of the fair. Hundreds of volunteers (judges, coordinators, etc.) help with the fair annually. For students in grades 3-6, the regional fair is the climax of their yearlong activities. Grades 6-12 are eligible to continue on to the state fair, and grades 9-12 are eligible to compete in the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair. As of 2012, 6th graders can participate in either the Middle School/Senior High Fair or the Elementary Fair. For many students, the science fair program has been the beginning of a life-long fascination with science or an introduction to a science-related career. For judges and adult volunteers, science fair days provide an opportunity to mentor students, visit with colleagues in their discipline and renew acquaintances.
The early years of the fair are currently being researched. This task is complicated by the lack of programs in many of the early years, the deaths of key individuals, and the loss of records. If you or your family have information on any of these early years, please contact us. The following narrative, then, is a brief history.
Directors
The planning for the first annual science fair began with Dr. Leonard Ford and his science fair committee in 1951-52 academic year. Dr. Ford became the fair’s first director and continued for many years. The fair was held on the lower campus and included exhibits and demonstrations by the faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students of MSU. High school and grade school students were invited to attend the fair but did not yet participate.
Dr. Harold Hartzler also served as director during the early years of the fair. The fair continued to be held on the lower campus, but eventually included only exhibits by high school and grade school students. The fair continued to be relatively small by today’s standards through 1976, and a variety of sites were used before eventually moving the Science Fair Office to the upper campus.
Dr. Bill Edwards, Dr. Bob Graham and Dr. Bill Rankin also served as directors before 1979 because the biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics departments took it in turn to share the responsibility. Throughout the early years the directors accomplished the tasks of preparing for the fairs through committees, or with the help of departmental secretaries, work-study students, and student help.
In early 1979, Dr. Bill Bessler became the director and guided the fair during the next twenty years. During this time the fair experienced its most active period of growth, growing from about 275 participants to over 2,000. In 1985, because of the large growth, the science fair program was awarded a half-time secretarial/coordinator position through the assistance of Dr. John Frey (then Chair of Biology) and Dr. V. Dean Turner (then Dean of the College). Mary Zernechel, also the Biology Secretary, filled this position.
Dr. Bessler remained the sole director of the fair until the 1994-1995 academic year when Dr. Gregg Marg became co-director. After the 1995 Science Fair, Dr. Marg continued as the sole director of the fair until 2003 when Dr. Bessler left. In 2003 Mary Zernechel also left her position as science fair secretary/coordinator.
Mr. James Ballard became the director of the fair during the 2003-2004 academic year but left after one year. During this time the secretarial/coordinator position remained vacant, although student help was still used.
Dr. Bessler returned as director during the 2004-2005 academic year and remained so until after the fair in 2012. At the end of the 2004 calendar year, Mary Van Duynhoven accepted the science fair secretary/coordinator position and held the position until 2012.
Dr. Shannon Fisher became the director during the 2012-2013 academic year and now holds the position. Beth Rorvig accepted the science fair coordinator position in early 2013 and also continues to hold the position today.
Mr. Jimmy Thorne will served as the director from 2014-2017.
Ms. Shveta Agarwal is the director since 2017.
Location
With the eventual move of the science fair office to the upper campus, the fair site also moved. The fair was held in the halls of the new Trafton Science Center, but eventually moved into Highland Arena (now Otto Arena). The junior/senior high students were in the balcony area and the elementary students were on the floor area. During this time the fair was held on only one day.
In 1986, after a near miss by a blizzard and with increased growth, the fair was split into the Junior/Senior Fair and the Elementary Fair. The Junior/Senior High Fair continued to be held in March but the Elementary Fair was moved to April. The Junior/Senior High Science Fair moved to the Student Union where it is now held in February as the Middle School/Senior High School Science Fair.
The Elementary Fair was now so large that after 1986 it was split between Otto Arena, the indoors field house (now Myers Field House), and Highland North addition gymnasium (now Schellberg Gymnasium). From 2002 to 2012 the Elementary Fair was held in The Taylor Center and Myers Field House. The Elementary Fair is now being held only in Myers Field House.
Names and Boundaries
The fair has held many titles over the years and incorporated different counties. Before state regional boundaries were established, the fair allowed the participation of all willing schools. After state regional boundaries were established, the southern portion of the state split into two regions: Southwestern and Southeastern. Mankato State College hosted the Southwest Minnesota Regional Science and Engineering Fair.
In the early 1970’s the Southwestern Fair was split into two regions — the Southwest Minnesota Regional Science and Engineering Fair (hosted by briefly by Southwest State) and the South Central Minnesota Regional Science and Engineering Fair (hosted by Mankato State College).
By 1974 Mankato had begun to host both the Southwest and South Central regions until Lakefield took over the Southwest Region in time for the 1977 fair, which was known as the 1st annual Southwest Minnesota Regional Science and Engineering Fair. This only lasted through 1978 when it returned to Mankato for the 1979 fair. Although the fairs recombined they were symbolically kept separate as the 3rd annual Southwest Fair and 28th annual South Central Fair. This numbering continued until 2012 when it simply became known as the 61st annual Science Fair.
In 1984, the regional affiliation with Intel ISEF increased as both the Southwest and the South Central regions were divided into North and South. MSU continues to host the four Intel ISEF affiliated regions (South Central North, South Central South, Southwest North, and Southwest South), but under the state affiliated region names (South Central and Southwest).
Starting in 2012 both fairs were opened to 6th graders. Because of this the Junior/Senior High Fair changed names and became the Middle School/Senior High School Science Fair.
In 2013 the two regional fairs officially combined and became known collectively as the Southern Region. Currently the official name for the science fair program is the Southern Minnesota Regional Science and Engineering Fair.
ISEF Participation
Early on the fair became affiliated with the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF). In the beginning, two students and their teachers/sponsors were given the opportunity to compete internationally. In 1979, as MSU hosted two regions, four students were able to be sent to ISEF with their teachers/sponsors. Since 1984, when ISEF split the two regions in half (creating the SCN, SCS, SWN and SWS regions), the fair has been able to send eight students to the Intel ISEF. Now the number of students sent to ISEF is no longer based upon the number of ISEF affiliated regions, but instead is based upon the number of schools and students participating in each state affiliated regional fair. We are within the top 10 largest ISEF affiliated regional scinece and engineering fairs in the United States!
Public Display
All exhibits will be open to the public for viewing on April 27, 2024 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. All are welcome in the Meyers Field House during this time!
Awards Ceremony
The Awards Ceremony will follow at 2:30 p.m. located in the Bresnan Arena/Taylor Center. All are welcome to come celebrate the acheivements of students exhibiting at the fair!
Note: These times are tentative until the 2024 fair schedule has been finalized.
Event
73rd Annual Regional Science & Engineering Fair: Elementary Division
Date: Saturday, April 27, 2024
Location: Myers Field House on the Minnesota State University, Mankato Campus
Fair Day Checklist
Event Overview
Arrival
- Check-in
- Exibit Set-up
- Display and Safety Compliance Checks
Judging
- Ribbon Judging
- Special Award Judging
Intermission
- Exibits open for public viewing
- Lunch Break
- Free Time
Exhibits
- Project exhibit take-down and removal
Awards Ceremony
Maps & Directions
Campus Maps
Driving Directions
2023 Schedule of Events
2023 Science Fair Map
Behavioral and Social Science
The science or study of the thought processes and behavior of humans and other animals in their interactions with the environment studied through observational and experimental methods. This may include but is not limited to:
- The study and treatment of emotional or behavioral disorders.
- Developmental psychology is concerned with the study of progressive behavioral changes in an individual from birth until death.
- The study of cognition, the mental processes that underlie behavior, including thinking, deciding, reasoning, and to some extent motivation and emotion.
- Neuro-psychology studies the relationship between the nervous system, especially the brain, and cerebral or mental functions such as language, memory, and perception.
- The study of the biological and physiological basis of behavior.
- The study of human social behavior, especially the study of the origins, organization, institutions, and development of human society. Sociology is concerned with all group
activities-economic, social, political, and religious.
Biology
The study of living organisms. This may include but is not limited to:
- The study of the structure and formation of cells.
- Study of animals and animal life, including their structure, function, life history, interactions, classification, and evolution.
- The science of diagnosing, treating, or preventing
disease and other damage to the body or mind.
- The study of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and pathogens.
- Study of plant life, including their structure and function, life history, growth, interactions with other plants and animals, classification, and evolution.
- The study of the organization and functioning of the individual cell.
- The study of molecular genetics focusing on the structure and function of genes at a molecular level.
- The study of the structure and function of the immune system, innate and acquired immunity, and laboratory techniques involving the interaction of antigens with antibodies.
- The study of biology at the molecular level. Chiefly concerns itself with understanding the interactions between the various systems of a cell, including the interrelationships of DNA, RNA and protein synthesis, and learning how these interactions are regulated.
- The study of animal activities, on the level of the intact organism or its neurological components. This includes rhythmic functions, learning, and intelligence, sensory preferences, and environmental effects on behaviors.
- The study of an organism from earliest stages through birth or hatching and into later life. This includes cellular and molecular aspects of development, regeneration, and
environmental effects on development.
- The science of the interactions and relationships among animals and animals and plants with their environments.
- The study of organismic and population genetics.
- The study of natural and artificial nutrients on animal growth and reproduction. This also includes the effects of biological and chemical control agents on reproduction and populations.
- The study of disease states, and their causes, processes, and consequences. This includes effects of parasites or disease-causing microbes.
- The study of functions in systems of animals, their mechanisms, and how they are affected by environmental factors or natural variations that select for particular genes.
- The study of classification of organisms and their
evolutionary relationships. This includes morphological, biochemical, genetic, and modeled systems.
- The study of the organization and functioning of the individual cell. The study of molecular genetics focusing on the structure and function of genes at a molecular level.
- The study of the structure and function of the immune system, innate and acquired immunity, and laboratory techniques involving the interaction of antigens with antibodies.
- The study of biology at the molecular level. Chiefly concerns itself with understanding the interactions
between the various systems of a cell, including the interrelationships of DNA, RNA and protein synthesis and learning how these interactions are regulated.
- The act or process of identifying or determining the nature and cause of a disease or injury through evaluation of patient history, examination, and review of laboratory data. Administration or application of remedies to a patient or for a disease or injury; medicinal or surgical management; therapy.
- The study of the causes, distribution, and control of disease in populations.Epidemiologists, using sophisticated statistical analyses, field investigations, and complex laboratory techniques, investigate the cause of a disease, its distribution (geographic, ecological, and ethnic), method of spread, and measures for control and prevention.
- The study of heredity, especially the mechanisms of hereditary transmission and the variation of inherited traits among similar or related organisms. The study of diseases at the molecular level.
- The science of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of normal tissues or organs. Pathophysiology is the study of the disturbance of normal mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions that a disease causes, or that which causes the disease.
- The study of substances that kill or inhibit the growth of microorganisms.
- The study of microorganisms having potential applications in human, animal or plant health or energy production.
- The study of bacteria and bacterial diseases.
- The study of the structure, function, diversity and relationship of microorganisms with respect to their environment.
- The study of how genes are organized and regulated in microorganisms in relation to their cellular function.
- The study the anatomy, physiology of viruses and the diseases they cause.
- The application of the various soil and plant sciences to soil management and agricultural and horticultural crop production. Includes biological and chemical controls of pests, hydroponics, fertilizers and supplements.
- The study of a plant from earliest stages through germination and into later life. This includes cellular and molecular aspects of development and environmental effects, natural or manmade, on development and growth.
- The study of interactions and relationships among plants, and plants and animals, with their environment.
- The study of organismic and population genetics of plants. The application of plant genetics and biotechnology to crop improvement.
- The study of plant disease states, and their causes, processes, and consequences. This includes effects of parasites or disease-causing microbes.
- The study of functions of plants, their mechanisms, and how they are affected by environmental factors or natural variations. This includes all aspects of photosynthesis.
- The study of classification of organisms and their evolutionary relationships. This includes morphological, biochemical, genetic, and modeled systems. The use of biological agents, such as bacteria or plants, to remove or neutralize contaminants, as in polluted soil or water. Includes phytoremediation, constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment, biodegradation, etc. The integration of ecological, economic, and social principles to manage biological and physical systems in a manner that safeguards the long-term ecological sustainability, natural diversity, and productivity of the landscape. An ecological approach to managing the environment.
Chemistry
- The science of the composition, structure, properties, and reactions of matter.
- The study of chemical substances, interactions, and processes relevant to living organisms.
- The analysis of existing conditions of the environment. This may include but is not limited to: The study of the separation, identification, and quantification of the chemical components of materials.
- The study of chemical species in the natural environment, including the effects of human activities, such as the design of products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances.
- The study of the properties and reactions of inorganic and organometallic compounds.
- The study of the design, synthesis and properties of substances, including condensed phases (solids, liquids,polymers) and interfaces, with a useful or potentially useful function, such as catalysis or solar energy.
- The study of carbon-containing compounds, including hydrocarbons and their derivatives.
- The study of the fundamental physical basis of chemical systems and processes, including chemical kinetics, chemical thermodynamics, electrochemistry, photochemistry, spectroscopy, statistical mechanics and astro-chemistry.
- The study of the separation, identification, and quantification of chemical components relevant to living organisms.
- The study of chemical processes, including interactions and reactions, relevant to living organisms.
- The study of biochemical processes within the human body, with special reference to health and disease.
- The study of the structure and or function of biological molecules.
- The study of contamination of the air by such things as noxious gases, elements, minerals, chemicals, solid and liquid matter (particulates), etc.
- Air pollution is the study of such contaminates in concentrations that endanger the health of humans, plants, and/or animals.
- The study of contamination of the soil by such things as noxious elements, minerals, chemicals, solids, liquids, etc.
- Soil contamination is the study of such contaminates in concentrations that endanger the health of humans, plants, and/or animals.
- The study of contamination of the water by such things as noxious elements, minerals, chemicals, solids, etc.
- Water pollution is the study of such contaminates in concentrations that endanger the health of humans, plants, and/or animals.
Engineering
- The application of scientific and mathematical principles to practical ends such as the design, manufacture, and
operation of efficient and economical structures, processes, and systems.
- The application of scientific and mathematical principles to practical ends such as the design, manufacture, and operation of efficient and economical machines and systems.
- The study of renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, clean transport, and alternative fuels.
- The application of engineering principals to solve practical problems of managing mans' interaction with the environment with the goal to maintain and improve the state of an environmental resource affected by human activities. This may include but is not limited to: Electrical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with the technology of electricity, especially the design and application of circuitry and equipment for power generation and distribution, machine control, and communications.
- A computer engineer is an electrical engineer with a focus on digital logic systems or a software architect with a focus on the interaction between software programs and the underlying hardware architecture.
- The branch of engineering that encompasses the generation and application of heat and mechanical power and the design, production, and use of machines and tools.
- The science or study of the technology associated with the design, fabrication, theory, and application of robots and of general purpose, programmable machine systems.
- Thermodynamics involves the physics of the relationships and conversions between heat and other forms of energy.
- Solar is the technology of obtaining usable energy from the light of the sun.
- Involves the application of engineering principles to the fields of biology and medicine, as in the development of aids or replacements for defective or missing body organs; the development and manufacture of prostheses, medical devices, diagnostic devices, drugs and other therapies as well as the application of engineering principlesto basic biological science problems.
- Deals with the design, construction, and operation of plants and machinery for making such products as acids, dyes, drugs, plastics, and synthetic rubber by adapting the chemical reactions discovered by the laboratory chemist to large-scale production.
- Includes the planning, designing, construction, and maintenance of structures and public works, such as bridges or dams, roads, water supply, sewer, flood control and, traffic.
- Concerned with efficient production of industrial goods as affected by elements such as plant and procedural design, the management of materials and energy, and the integration of workers within the overall system.
- The industrial engineer designs methods, not machinery.
- A multidisciplinary field relating the performance and function of matter in any and all applications to
its micro, nano, and atomic structure, and vice versa.
- It often involves the study of the characteristics and uses of various materials, such as metals, ceramics, and plastics and their potential engineering applications.
- The design of aircraft and space vehicles and the direction of the technical phases of their manufacture and operation.
- Any method of powering an engine that does not involve petroleum (oil). Some alternative fuels are electricity, hythane, hydrogen, natural gas, and wood. Energy from a hydrocarbon deposit, such aspetroleum, coal, or natural gas, derived from living matter of a previous geologic time and used for fuel.
- Engineering of vehicles that operate using energy other than from fossil fuel.
- Renewable energy sources capture their energy from existing flows of energy, from on-going natural processes such as sunshine, wind, flowing water, biological processes, and geothermal heat flows.
- The application of engineering principals to solve practical problems in the supply of water, the disposal of waste, and the control of pollution.
- Includes alternative engineering methodologies to meet society's needs in an environmentally sound and sustainable manner.
- Preservation of the environment by preventing the contamination of, and facilitating the clean-up of, air,
water, and land resources.
- A landscape approach to sustainable resource management, coastal management, biological diversity management, land use planning, or forest succession management. It often includes a resource planning component as well as implementation methodologies. An example would be the management of longleaf pine forests including controlled burns to imitate natural processes.
- The extraction and reuse of useful substances from discarded items, garbage, or waste.
- The process of managing, and disposing of, wastes and
hazardous substances through methodologies such as landfills, sewage treatment, composting, waste reduction, etc.
Family and Consumer Science
The study and application of sciences that affect the ways humans relate with their environment. This may include
but is not limited to:
- Interpersonal relationships
- Family issues and strengths
- Stress and crisis
- Food and nutrition,
- Food and culture
- Dietetics
- Food preservation
- Experimental food science
- Textiles and clothing
- Child development
- Product testing of foods, clothing, household products, etc.
Mathematics and Computer Science
The study of the measurement, properties, and relationships of quantities and sets, using numbers and symbols. This may include but is not limited to:
- The deductive study of numbers, geometry, and various abstract constructs, or structures.
- The study of information processes, the structures
and procedures that represent processes, and their implementation in information processing systems. It includes systems analysis and design, application and system software design, programming, and datacenter operations.
- The study of algebraic operations and/or relations and the structures which arise from them. An example is given by (systems of) equations which involve polynomial functions of one or more variables.
- The study of infinitesimal processes in mathematics, typically involving the concept of a limit. This begins with differential and integral calculus, for functions of one or several variables, and includes differential equations. Branch of mathematics that concerns itself with the mathematical techniques typically used in the application of mathematical knowledge to other domains. Not every project that uses some mathematics belongs here; this category is for projects where the mathematics is the primary component.
- The study of combinatorial structures in mathematics, such as finite sets, graphs, and games, often with a view toward classification and/or enumeration.
- The study of the shape, size, and other properties of figures and spaces. Includes such subjects as Euclidean geometry, non-Euclidean geometries (spherical, hyperbolic, Riemannian, Lorentzian), and knot theory (classification of knots in 3-space).
- The study of the arithmetic properties of integers and related topics such as cryptography.
- Mathematical study of random phenomena and the study of statistical tools used to analyze and interpret data.
- The study of algorithms and databases. Software developed to manage any form of data including text, images, sound and video.
- The study of the ability of a computer or other machine to perform those activities that are normally thought to require intelligence, such as solving problems, discriminating among objects, and/or responding to voice commands. This also includes speech analysis and synthesis.
- The study of systems that transmits any combination of voice, video, and/or data among users.
- The study of the use of computers to perform research in other fields, such as computer simulations.
- Also includes the study of computer graphics or the transfer of pictorial data into and out of a computer by various means (analog-to-digital, optical scanning, etc.), such as in computer image processing. The study of software designed to control the hardware of a specific data processing system in order to allow users and application programs to make use of it.
- This sub-category includes web technologies, programming languages and human-computer interactions.
- The study of system software responsible for the direct control and management of hardware and basic system operations of a computer.
Physics and Astronomy
Physics is the science of matter and energy and of interactions between the two. Astronomy is the study of anything in the universe beyond the Earth. This may include but is not limited to:
- The study of sciences related to the planet Earth (Geology, minerology, physiography, oceanography, meteorology, climatology, speleology, seismology, geography, atmospheric sciences, etc.).
- The study of atoms, simple molecules, electrons and light, and their interactions.
- The study of space, the universe as a whole, including its origins and evolution, the physical properties of objects in space and computational astronomy
- The study of the physics of biological processes.
- Instrumentation is the process of developing means of precise measurement of various variables such as flow and pressure while maintaining control of the variables at desired levels of safety and economy.
- Electronics is the branch of physics that deals with the emission and effects of electrons and with the use of electronic devices.
- The study of the preparation, properties and performance of materials to help understand and optimize their behavior. Topics such as superconductivity, semi-conductors, complex fluids, and thin films are studied.
- The study of electrical and magnetic fields and of matter in the plasma phase and their effects on materials in the solid, liquid or gaseous states.
- Classical physics and mechanics, including the macroscopic study of forces, vibrations and flows; on solid, liquid and gaseous materials
- The study of the physical properties of the atomic nucleus and of fundamental particles and the forces of their interaction.
- The study of the physical properties of light, lasers and masers.
- The study of nature, phenomena and the laws of physics employing mathematical models and abstractions rather than experimental processes. The scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes and forecasting.
- The study of the chemical composition of the earth and other planets, chemical processes and reactions that govern the composition of rocks and soils. Mineralogy is focused around the chemistry, crystal structure and physical (including optical) properties of minerals.
- The study of life in the geologic past as recorded by fossil remains. Branch of geology in which the principles and practices of physics are used to study the earth and its environment.
- The study of planets or planetary systems and the solar system.
- The study of the earth's structural features as related to plate structure, plate movement, volcanism, etc.
Judging Criteria: Elementary Division
The Southern Minnesota Regional Science & Engineering Fair follows the Standard for Judging, Judging Criteria and Judging Guidelines set forth by the International Science and Engineering. All judges must understand and adhere to these policies and procedures.
Special Awards
Research Project Awards
Ribbons
- Purple Ribbon - Project above expectations, superior in category
- Blue Ribbon - Project acheived expectations, satisfactory in category
- Red Ribbon - Project met expectations; additional development opportunities were identified
- Green Ribbon - Project has not met standard criteria
Grand Awards
Grand Awards are based on judges' reviews, recognize the projects in each grade level and judging category that demonstrate the greatest potential contriubtions to science, exemplify student creativity and curiosity, and reflect a student's personal and academic growth.
Grand Award Levels
Grand Award Judging Categories
- Behavioral and Social Science
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Engineering
- Family and Consumer Science
- Mathematics and Computer Science
- Physics & Astronomy
Young Scientist Achievement Awards
Young Scientist Acheivement Awards are given to the top project in 3rd through 6th grade level (all judging categories combined).
Additional Information and Resources
Elementary Judging Form - Scientific Method and Engineering Design