ISEF students’ hard work is finally coming to a head at the beginning of next week. The science fair will be on Monday of next week and judging will be done on that Tuesday.

ISEF students spend the whole school year developing their projects, often with the assistance of a partner. For some students, they even start thinking about their projects before school starts.

Junior Annika Martin says she starts coming up with her science fair project in the summer: “Over the summer I start to get a general idea of what I want to study, and then start honing in on exactly the area and application of what my project is going to be.”

This year’s science fair will be held at Riverside High School, and students will start setting up their projects and rehearsing over the weekend. It can be interesting for students to see other students’ projects, even helping them develop ideas for future projects.

“West Linn, Wilsonville, and Riverside students come together to share readership and then compete with our projects,” Martin adds.

The fair doesn’t end on Monday though, because the all-awaited judging happens on Tuesday.

“Judging lasts about four hours over the whole day. Students sit in front of their poster boards while judges come around and interview them,” ISEF director Danielle Schroeder informs.

Danielle Schroeder has been helping students prepare for the science fair and getting their projects ready for judgment. Judges are experts in their ranging fields from doctors to engineers, so some students may get five to eight interviews throughout the day.

The science fair opens up many opportunities for the students who compete. Students may receive ‘special awards’ from colleges or organizations, these may be scholarships or internships.

Judging starts at 10 am on Tuesday morning and public viewing of the projects is at 6:30 PM.