Merced City School District students showed their creativity, critical thinking ability, and communication skills during the districtwide science fair.  It was held at our new STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) Center on January 19.

The competition featured a total of 65 projects from our elementary and middle schools, and many of them aimed to improve the lives of others.  One group of seventh graders from Rivera Middle School created a vibrating steering wheel designed to help alert hearing impaired drivers when emergency vehicles are approaching.  A team from Tenaya Middle School developed a plan for a smartphone app that notifies asthma sufferers when their inhalers are running low.

Other district winners included two Cruickshank students who analyzed the stress levels of various walnut trees to determine which type is the most drought tolerant and a Hoover student who focused on the way fear changes with age.  The elementary projects were equally impressive, including two Burbank fifth graders who studied magnetic field disruption and a Chenoweth sixth grader who used her coding skills to create a video game that provides sound cues for the visually impaired.  Those are just some of the many remarkable entries that took top honors.  You can find the complete list of winners at the bottom of this article.  

The difficult job of judging was done by community members who have backgrounds in science and/or engineering.  The district is so appreciative of the time those volunteers spent carefully considering each project to select grade level winners as well as overall district winners.  We were also fortunate this year to have several local experts provide support for our students ahead of the science fair during three separate “Ask a Scientist or Engineer” nights, which were also held at the STEAM Center.

Now the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade district winners are preparing for the next round of competition at the countywide STEM Fair hosted by the Merced County Office of Education in March.  Last year, our students swept the top three spots and went on to compete at the California State Science Fair in Los Angeles.  It was an excellent learning experience for the students and staff members who attended, and we hope more of our young scientists will have that opportunity this year.  We also hope our students’ passion for solving problems and helping others continues well into the future as they become the innovators, educators, and leaders of tomorrow.

Here is the complete list of grade level winners.  Those with "DW" at the end were selected as district winners and will go on to compete in the Merced County Office of Education STEM Fair on March 8.

• A district employee, or
• An eligible dependent (at least 18 years of age), enrolled in SISC medical benefits, or
• A district retiree enrolled in SISC medical benefits.

• Enrolled members (18+) who make an online appointment and receive their health numbers at the health screening event will receive a $25 Amazon.com gift card.
• Participating SISC members will also be entered into a monthly drawing of $500.