State High School Science & Engineering Fair Celebrates the Power of Inquiry
From Carrie Schluter
The Johnson Athletics Center buzzed with excitement on May 4th and 5th, as hundreds of students from towns across the Commonwealth gathered to exhibit their science projects at the Massachusetts State High School Science & Engineering Fair. MIT has donated space for the event every year since the founding of the Massachusetts State Science & Engineering Fair (MSSEF) in 1949. “MIT’s contribution to the success of the Massachusetts state high school science fairs over the past 63 years has been tremendous,” said MSSEF Executive Director Cora Beth Abel. “I can’t imagine a more impressive and inspirational setting than MIT for these bright, motivated high school students to showcase their hard work.”

More than 350 volunteer judges, with both academic and professional credentials in STEM fields, made the 2012 event possible, giving careful consideration to each of their assigned projects. WBZ-TV meteorologist Joe Joyce joined the judging pool, evaluating some of the weather-related entries, which included “What is the Best Ice Melt Product on the Market?” and “Will White Roofs Reduce Global Warming?”

For the 350 participants, the moment of truth came on Saturday at the awards ceremony held in Kresge Auditorium with close to 1,000 in attendance. With half a million dollars in scholarships and prize money up for grabs, anticipation ran high. Billy Costa, host of WGBH’s “High School Quiz Show” and well-known radio personality, emceed the ceremony, with Paul Parravano, Director of MIT’s Office of Government and Community Relations, offering welcoming remarks.

The grand prize – the annual Genzyme Award – provides the student with the top-scoring project with a check for $10,000 and a paid internship, and rewards the science department of that student’s school with another $10,000. In addition, the student’s science teacher receives a $5,000 teacher externship courtesy of Genzyme.

In 2012, Garrett Parrish, a 16-year-old junior at Lexington High School, took the Genzyme Award for his project, “Spherical Swarm Robotics: Re-Imagining Motion Mechanics for Collaboration.” (See photo below) According to Garrett, “This research focused on mechanically re-envisioning robots so that teams can collaboratively gain and synthesize information and increase their efficiency, adaptability, and applications.” The technology he developed has practical applications in the sensing, mapping, and disarming of mine fields in military operations.

Full results of the 2012 Massachusetts State High School Science & Engineering Fair may be found at: http://www.massscifair.com/high-school-fair/2012-high-school-fair-results/default.aspx. Preparations are well underway for the State Middle School Science & Engineering Fair, scheduled for June 2nd at Worcester Technical High School.

For more information about MSSEF programs, or to find out how you can serve as a judge, email info@scifair.com.

Carrie Schluter is a PR Specialist with the Massachusetts State Science & Engineering Fair.

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