The 65th Annual Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair (GSDSEF) took place March 13-17, 2019 at the Balboa Park Activity Center. Students throughout San Diego and Imperial Counties spent “judging day” sharing their student STEM research projects with industry professionals. Student exhibitors discussed their project design, experimentation, and results with three to five category specific judges. There are fourteen categories in the Senior Division (grades 9-12) and fifteen categories in the Junior Division (grades 7-8).
Categories include Animal Sciences, Behavioral and Social Sciences, Computer Science, Engineering: Materials and Bioengineering, Medicine and Health and Plant Sciences. Students also speak with STEM professional societies, organizations and companies who wish to recognize the excellence in their work.
This year San Diego Unified had nine projects in the Senior Division representing the following schools: La Jolla High, Scripps Ranch High, Serra High, and University City High. Forty-eight projects in the Junior Division were from SDUSD middle schools (De Portola, Farb, Marshall, Marston, Mt. Everest Academy, Pacific Beach, and Wangenheim). The sixth-grade showcase debuted this year at the GSDSEF with eight projects from Marston Middle.
San Diego Unified students showed their excellence beyond competing in the Fair. Morse High School’s Hungry Tiger culinary arts students catered the breakfast service for 300+ professionals who volunteered their morning to judge the Fair. In the afternoon, they catered lunch with continued professionalism to 100 judges who decide the Fair’s top winners. Judges appreciated and raved about their excellent service and food.
Eighty-nine students from the GSDSEF will move on to compete at the California State Science Fair in April. The GSDSEF is an Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) affiliate fair. A limited number of Senior Division Sweepstakes Award winners (highest award) will go on to compete at Intel ISEF in May for university scholarships, educational trips (such as the Nobel Prize ceremony) and cash awards in Phoenix, AZ.
