When the pandemic first started in April of 2020, we hosted our first virtual science fair and it presented us with a question many had been asking: how do we adapt an original concept to what’s currently happening in the world?
Now, almost two years later, we’ve been honing the answer to this question. Here are 10 tips for how to host any virtual outreach event in 2022.
At REAP, a key piece of promoting clean energy in Alaska is educating the next generation of Alaskans on where their energy comes from and the importance of renewables. Since Alaska has many remote villages, we’d already had experience pre-pandemic on how to educate virtually. So, here’s what we’ve learned.
At REAP, we’ve been proactively looking for ways to engage Alaska’s students who are at-home, not only to provide continued STEM education but to connect students together. One of the pillars of science education is the yearly science fair. Instead of throwing in the towel on this tradition, REAP and Alaska Resource Education (ARE) found a creative solution via hosting the science fair online.
Over 15 students representing Anchorage, Girdwood, Fairbanks, Nikiski, Kenai, McGrath, Juneau, and even Klamath Falls, Oregon, conducted energy and natural resource themed experiments in an attempt to be crowned the Virtual Science Fair Champion.
Students virtually convened every Friday during April to discuss the progress of their experiments. The calls were hosted via Zoom and extra points were awarded for student participation. This allowed students to ask REAP and ARE educators questions regarding their project as well as gain a point advantage when final scores were tallied.
The weekly check-ins connected students in an interactive and fun setting, with no shortage of Zoom gaffes.
Finally, on April 28th and 29th, students gave their final presentations to a panel of judges from REAP and ARE, as well as other volunteers. Students used a variety of formats to wow the judges with innovative experimental designs, beautiful tri-folds, and clearly communicated results. The experiments answered some of the following questions:
The students were judged based on project presentation, creativity and comprehension. The biggest challenge with presentations was the presentation medium itself. Some students created rather professional PowerPoint presentations that were shared in real-time with judges. Other students stuck with the tried and true tradition of cardboard tri-fold displays. After students presented their findings, judges asked a few questions to assess comprehension and consideration of future studies. The Virtual Science Fair created an amazing outlet for student creativity, which flourished through elaborate displays, inventive project ideas, unique experimental designs, and thoughtful future study ideas.
There were four 1st Place winners: Milan, Elea, Noel, and John Paul! And a special shout-out goes to Ayahnah, the winner of the Judges Choice Award!
All of our winners clearly comprehended their project topics, understood the scientific method, communicated results with accurate visualizations, and were excited about their topics. They were both engaged and proud of their experiments.
The COVID-19 pandemic is requiring us to approach life like an experimental design. We are living in our own science fair. Researching best practices, hypothesizing how to move through the world, implementing necessary changes, learning from what worked and what failed, and drawing conclusions from our experiences. Hosting a virtual science fair was just one-way we are creatively adapting to our situation.
Overall, the fair was a success and we will take our learnings into our other online educational offerings. Just like a science experiment, in the end, we must continue to refine our practices. It may not be the same, but it provides a whole new way of adapting and learning. Thus, making it special in its own right.
Originally Published on May 12, 2020
Updated on November 12, 2021