2025 Timber Ridge Science and Engineering Fair

Registration is Open - Link at the bottom

What is the Science and Engineering Fair?

The Science and Engineering Fair is a wonderful way for all elementary-aged students to participate in and experience a scientific or engineering project firsthand. These projects involve research, design, and imagination on a topic of individual interest. The educational benefits to the students who complete a project include developing writing, oral presentation, creative thinking, problem-solving, and time management skills.

Who participates?

Participation is voluntary and is open to all students in grades K - 5 individually or in a group of up to 3 students. Group projects CAN be formed with students from different grade levels; however, please note the criteria below for advancement to the County Science Fair. Each project must consist of a student-led scientific investigation or engineering design (following accepted scientific methods). Parents/Caregivers may provide support with the execution and planning of their student’s entry, but it is essential that it remains a student-led project.

Only projects from grades 1-5 (inclusive of group projects of up to 3 students from the SAME grade) will be eligible to advance to the County Science Fair.

All projects must be registered to enter.

The deadline to register your project is January 10th, 2025. 

When is the TRE Science and Engineering Fair, and what will happen on the day? 

The TRE Science and Engineering Fair will be held on Wednesday, January 22, 2025.

Students will bring their presentation boards to school early so they are set up and ready for display before the school day starts. Judging will take place during the school day, and classes will have the opportunity to view all of the projects with their teacher.

In addition to this, there will be an evening event for all participating students and their families to attend the same day (01/22/25) from 6-7:30 pm. Students will orally present their projects (this will not form part of the judging process and is solely to enhance the student’s experience of the fair) while parents/caregivers rotate around the fair, engaging with student participants.

Students and their families will then be entertained by an exciting Robotics Expo highlighting projects from local robotics teams, including our own Timber Ridge Robotics Team!!!

What makes a great Science or Engineering Project?

Before you begin your project, you need to decide what you are going to do. A good Science Fair project will have two main qualities: it should be related to a student’s interests and aim to answer a question or share new data.

Once you’ve decided on an exciting idea, it’s time to get started. You’ll need to follow the scientific process to ensure you complete each important project stage. Mrs. Dunford will ensure all students understand this process well during their time in the STEM lab, but students are likely to need some support from home as well. Parents/Caregivers - this is where your support and guidance are invaluable, especially with younger students.

Once your project is completed, it’s time to present the work on a presentation board so it’s ready for the fair. Included within the ‘Science Fair’ section of the PTA Toolkit, you will find several documents that will help guide you through what to include in your project and how to display it so it’s ready for the judges!

Keep in Mind -- Parents/Caregivers are encouraged to guide students but not create the project. Projects will be judged according to grade level, and remember, a good project is planned and developed over a period of time.

Rules and Regulations:

• Safety first!
  • Never eat/drink during an experiment.
  • Wear protective goggles/gloves when needed.
  • All experiments should be supervised by an adult.
• No premade or pre-fab projects.
• No experiments with molds or bacteria of any kind!
• No models, including volcanoes or robots.
• No experiments involving alcohol, drugs, firearms, and/or explosives.
• Parents are encouraged to guide students, but Science and Engineering Fair projects should be student-led.

How are projects judged?

All projects will be presented on a standard tri-fold poster board. Judges will use a rubric to evaluate your question, hypothesis, background research, variables and controls, design, procedures, data (tables/graphs), and solution/conclusion. Consideration will also be given to creativity and poster presentation.

Students will NOT be present for judging. Be sure to include all aspects of your project on the poster board. Please refer to the judging rubrics accessible on the PTA Toolkit under ‘Science Fair’, for the successful planning and execution of your project:

The top five projects in grades 1-5 will advance to represent TRE at the Cobb County Science Fair on April 26, 2025. Further support and information will be provided to students progressing to this stage in the competition.

Additional information can be found on the Cobb County Science Website at: http://www.ccsdscience.com/1-5.html

2025 TRE Science & Engineering Fair Committee:

Stephanie Stewart

Ginger McIntosh

Mrs. Alison Dunford

Please contact the TRE Science & Engineering Fair Committee with any questions you may have at: trptasciencefair@gmail.com

Science and Engineering Fair Documents

Start planning your project today and register for the TRE Science and Engineering Fair in December!

We can’t wait to see what fun and exciting projects are produced this year. Good luck!