A SCIENCE FAIR GEORGE N. CAR~THERS, SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL, R O S ~ L L NEW , MEXICO
Students of botany, zodogy, physics, and chemistry took part i n the Science Fair herein described. The Fair, consisting of fifty-one exhibits, urns open two days and menings. Students were given extra credit for completed exhibits. Manufacturing concerns and local patrons were very liberal with materinl and assistance.
. . . . . .
For several years our science club had discussed the possibilities of holding a science exhibit for the public. The opportune time arrived when the parents and teachers association asked the science department to take charge of their program for May. The Science Fair was planned and executed under the joint direction of the three science teachers in the school: Miss Winifred Crile (zoology and botany), Mr. Paul H. Deaton (physics), and the author (chemistry). Any member of a science class was eligible to participate. The exhibits were selected by the students from a list submitted by the teachers. Material and information were collected, school stationery being used for all correspondence. Merchandise was borrowed from local firms and the individual student held responsible for it. The exhibits were planned to show (1) the evolution of a product, (2) the process from the raw material to the finished product, or (3) some scientific fact. The Science Fair was held in the school auditorium, a room thirty-four by sixty-four feet. Booths were erected by the students and arranged around the walls. The color scheme for decoration was uniform; red and white, the school colors, were used. Each student furnished the crepe paper, a t a cost of about thirty cents, for his own booth. In addition, a canopy ceiling formed of red and white crbpe paper strips, an enormous globe (constructed by the physics students) covered with hundreds of small bits of mirrors and hung in the center of the hall, and effective arrangement of lights made a very attractive setting for the exhibit. The local papers cooperated with the club in giving publicity to the plans and outstanding features of the Science Fair. A portable victrola and an amplifier loaned by a local music firm added a pleasing atmosphere. May 1st and Znd, Thursday and Friday, were the dates of the Science Fair. The doors were open from eight-thirty in the morning until ten in the evening. Each exhibitor was required to be on duty each evening from seven until nine a t which time the largest numbers were in attendance. This gave an opportunity for the pupils to meet the public and also for the public to ask questions of the exhibitors. In order to preserve a permanent record of the exhibit, pictures of the outstanding booths were taken. We will now make a tour of the hall and see some of the exhibits. 244
From the stage we get a general view of the auditorium in day time. The exhibit center front is that of "Six Types of Bridges." A road-way, mirrors under the bridges, toy automobiles, a detour, a road camp, and road signs bearing X e w Mexico insignia all contribute to the realistic appearance of this exhibit.
Upon leaving the stage we come f i s t t o the booth displaying theinward parts of thevarious kinds of electrical cells and batteries. Next we see, neatly mounted andlabeled, an exhibit on ores, p w e metals, and alloys. An effective display of physical apparatus adjoins it.
Our attention is next attracted to a neatly arranged booth exhibiting rayon and real silk. The various steps in the manufacturing processes of these materials are shown, the former consisting of samples of spruce wood to the woven cloth, and the latter of silkworm eggs to a spool of thread. To the right of this booth we see an exhibit on the metric system and to the left, one displaying the various types of light shades.
specimens of cacti, prairie dogs, homed toads, and lizards.
The model by-product coke oven you ser on the extreme left was operated in the laboratory, by its huilder, producing coke and other decomposition products. Two boys from ranches arranged the artesian well exhlbit. Thesc wells make our section of New Mexico a veritable oasis. And the explosives exhibit which you see nest was worked up by a boy in the local battery of the National Guards. On the extreme right may be seen a display showing the geographical location in the U. S. of all the mare important inventions.
Continuing our tour, we come next to the exhibit on cane and sirup, the chart behind it showing the steps of cotton manufacture from the boll to the thread and cloth; t o the right and in the center, is a very neat display showing the methods for making Indian jewelry. Rack of this is shown the process of electroplating. On the extreme right may be seen the many
.
.
The booth t o the left on paints and pigments took a practical angle when the youthful artist demonstrated haw thesecould he put on canvas. The bowery effect of the next booth shows a student's love of nature a t first hand. Here we have real birds and their homes. The exhibit adjoining might appropriately be called "Why Students Fail." for it consists of a complete set of apparatus, plainly labeled, found in a chemistry desk.
Thc modern local airport no doubt served as an inqpiration for the exact reproduction of the port. The small field lights outline the field. The box a t the right contains a small motor t h a t controls the beacon light which rotates. The model planes are suspended from the ceiling t o give theappearancc of planes in the air ahout t o land.
Before we leave we must visit the model airport.
254
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
FEBRUARY, 1931
A complete list of the exhibits follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26.
Ores, Pure Metals, and Alloys. Batteries and Insulation. One Cell Organisms. Physics Apparatus. Cement. Breakfast Table of 1930. Blue Prints. Silk and Rayon. Metric System. Types of Light Shades. Telephone. Telegraph. Electrical Fuses. Wheat to Flour. Glass. SilverSmithing. Southwestern Life. Potash. Oil Industry. Map of Inventions. Exolosives. Windmills. Corn Products. Common Foods. Electroplating. Cotton.
27. The Uses of Cane. 28. Reflection of Light. 29. Chemistry Laboratory Desk Equipment. 30. Birds and Their Homes. 31. Paints and Pigments. 32. Rubber. 33. The Modern Banana. 34. Electric Clack. 35. Mechanical Toys. 36. Plant Parts. 37. Electric Signs. 38. Steam Engines. 39. Electric Irons. 40. Marine Life. 41. Writing Materials. 42. Development of Transportation. 43. Graf Zeppelin. . Refrigeration. 45. Six Types of Bridges. 46. Model Airport. 47. Glider. 48. Evolution of the Washing Machine. 49. Model Airplanes. 50. Carburetors. 51. By-product Coke Oven.
According to the register, over a thousand persons attended the Fair. The most popular booths determined by the votes of the registrants, in the order of their popularity, were: (1) Types of Bridges, (2) Air Port, (3) Glider, and (4) Southwestern Life. Since the work connected with the various exhibits differed widely, it seemed worthwhile to evaluate them. Every booth in the Fair was given a base grade of seventy per cent. To make a perfect score one would have to make thirty per cent additional. The ten following items, worth three per cent each, were used: the idea, amount of work, originality of idea, artistic merit, amount of decoration on the booth, clearness of explanation, effectiveness of display, value of instruction to the individual, instruction to the public, public notice. Grades were given out to the individuals as are examination grades. The grades ranged in value from seventy-four to ninety-seven per cent. Realizing that often the enthusiasm of doing a thing will carry one into a project but not to completion, a rule was made that each student who successfully completed a project should receive an additional five per cent on his last six weeks grade. To successfully complete a project meant to dismantle the booth and properly return all material. This additional credit insured cooperation.
VOL.8, NO. 2
A SCIENCE FAIR
255
The exhibitors were allowed to keep any material they wanted. The remainder was kept as valuable material for classwork demonstrations. Great care was taken to see that all borrowed articles were returned. The hearty cooperation of local firms in lending articles was essential to the success of the Fair. However, no firm's name was displayed a t the exhibit. A notice thanking all who had assisted, hut without mentioning the names of the firms, was inserted in the local papers after the Science Fair closed. The Fair w& not commercialized and no admittance fee was charged. However, there was some expense connected with the decorations which had to he met. This was done by selling pop-corn and soft drinks, donated by local firms. The success of this Fair has set us to planning for another one in about two years with a complete new list of exhibits. The Science Fair fully qualified as an educational project, for i t enabled the exhibitors to learn from books, people, and things. Acknowledgment I n addition t o personal help and information obtained by attending Professor J. 0. Frank's classes a t the University of Colorado, I am indebted t o the sources listed below for material and inspiration t h a t made this project possible. 1. W o o o ~ m o ,O m s , and B n o m , "Enriched Teaching of Science in the High School," Bureau of Publications, Teachers' College, Columbia Uniwsity, New York City, 1928. 2. "What a Chemistry Club Can Do," J. CHEM.EDUC.,5, 1335-9 (Oct., 1928). 3. "Commercial Material for Science Classes," ibtd., 5, 1350-1 (Oet., 1928). 4. BELL, "A Chemistry Exhibit,'' ibid., 5, 280-90 (Mar., 1928). 5. FRANK, "Teaching First-Year Chemistry," J. 0. Frank, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 1926.
