It's hard to believe we're less than 5 short weeks away from the 2018 San Mateo County Office of Education STEM Fair & Arts Expo, an exciting event that — for the first time ever — combines our 30th annual SMCOE STEM Fair with a public showcase of student art projects. The STEM Center is positively abuzz with preparations for this can't-miss occasion!
With our March 4, 2018, event date rapidly closing in, we'd like to take a moment to share with you the various opportunities for attending, participating or otherwise getting involved. Please read on for appropriate details — and don't forget to forward this email to your friends, family and colleagues!
STEM Fair Participating Students
(and Teachers of STEM Students):
It's not too late to submit a STEM Fair project! If you — or a student you know — would be interested in participating in this year's STEM Fair, please visit the SMCOE STEM Fair website and review the information on the Students and Parents page. The registration link can be found there as well.
The deadline to register your project is Thursday, February 15. Contact SMCOE STEM Fair Coordinator Doron Markus at dmarkus@smcoe.org if you have any questions about submitting.
Arts Expo Participating Students
(and Teachers of Arts Students):
The Arts Expo will showcase and celebrate students’ creativity in BOTH Visual and Performing Arts from Grades K–12.
Teachers: Please request your students' art project allocations by submitting the required information to this Google Sheet no later than Friday, February 9. Take a look at this FAQ sheet for Arts Expo details and logistics, and please contact SMCOE Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator Michelle Holdt at mholdt@smcoe.org if you have further questions.
STEM Fair Judges:
This year, to accommodate our record-breaking number of STEM Fair submissions (over 500 projects!), we are in need of more STEM Fair judges than ever before. If you have knowledge or experience in the disciplines listed below, please help us by registering as a judge at www.stemfair.net/app/signup/judges.
We are currently seeking judges with expertise in each of the STEM Fair categories:
- Behavioral Sciences
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Engineering
- Environmental & Earth Sciences
- Materials Sciences
- Mathematics
- Physics
What's It Like to Judge?
A few weeks before the event, you will be sent a PDF of the abstracts (summaries) for the projects you will be judging, along with a link to images of the project boards. Then, between 11:00 AM – 3:30 PM on Sunday, March 4, you will interview students and deliberate with other STEM Fair judges to determine the best projects within your assigned category. And yes, lunch is on us!
Please support our students as they venture into their STEM careers! Please contact STEM Fair Coordinator Doron Markus at dmarkus@smcoe.org with any questions.
Visitors and General Public:
You don't have to be a student or a judge to enjoy the SMCOE STEM Fair & Arts Expo! Everyone is invited to attend our free, public open house taking place on Sunday, March 4, from 4 – 7 PM. Please join us, bring your family along, and get the word out to friends and colleagues with our Eventbrite link!
Come cheer on over 1,000 San Mateo County students as they share the results of their hard work in STEM and the arts, and take part in a variety of engaging learning activities facilitated by SMCOE as well as many of our partners in innovative learning. You're bound to learn something new — and have a blast, too!
