GKCSEF Awards Ceremony 2019
73rd Greater Kansas City Science & Engineering Fair
AWARDS
Looking for project ideas? Consider a project category that could lead to winning fantastic prizes and opportunities! We’ve put together a list of Special Awards from last year, along with descriptions. We highly recommend perusing them, as we anticipate this year’s list will be equally impressive!
Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s Science & Engineering Fair and congratulations to all of the award winners.
Grand Award Winners:
Winner: Mahi Kohli
School: Olathe North High School
Category: Computational Science, Bioinformatics, and Math
Title of Project: SynAPPse: A Novel QSAR Modeling App for the Rapid Identification of AChE Inhibitors for Alzheimer’s Disease
Winner: Elizabeth Barnes
School: Shawnee Mission West High School and SMSD Biotechnology
Category: Earth and Environmental Science
Title of Project: Analysis and Removal of Microplastics Through the Study of Sand
Winner: Adriana Sarinana
School: Van Horn High School
Category: Engineering Mechanics
Title of Project: A Hands-Free Approach to Adhesive Bandage Application for Enhanced Sterility and Convenience
Winner: Soyee Cho
School: Olathe North High School
Category: Microbiology
Title of Project:The Effect of Available Oat Flake Mass on Physarum Polycephalum Path Efficiency
About | Schedule | Student & Registration | T-Shirt Design Contest |Campbell Family Educator Grant | Charles N. Kimball Awards Ceremony | Awards | Sponsors
Union Station Kansas City is dedicated to science education, a celebration of community and preservation of history. We are proud to host the 73rd Greater KC Science & Engineering Fair and want to thank all the students, teachers, parents, mentors and volunteers who help make it a success!
Students in grades 4-12 from public, private, parochial, charter and home schools in 15 counties in and around the KC metro area are eligible to participate in the GKCSEF. The Fair is filled with exemplary projects developed by talented students, some of whom win a piece of the nearly $20,000 in awards and honors.
Kansas | Missouri |
Johnson, Wyandotte, Leavenworth, Douglas, Franklin | Jackson, Bates, Cass, Clay, Platte, Henry, Johnson, Lafayette, Pettis, Benton |
Annually, top senior-level projects that meet the stringent requirements for entering the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) win the prestigious GRAND AWARD. This year, Grand Award winners and their teachers receive an all-expense-paid trip to the 2024 Regeneron International Science & Engineering in Los Angeles, California. Every year, tens of millions of students participate in science fairs around the globe but only about 1,800 of them earn the right to compete for nearly $5 million awards and honors bestowed each May at ISEF. Some of our very own science fair participants have gone on to win amazing awards at ISEF and you can, too!
For More Information About ISEF
A message to students: Thank you all for another inspiring Science & Engineering Fair! We know how much time it takes to plan, execute, and present a project for the Fair, and we applaud your dedication to contributing to the success of the 73rd Greater Kansas City Science & Engineering Fair. The Fair has showcased thousands of student projects over the past 70 years, and many of those students have continued their studies and gone on to pursue a career in a STEM field.
A message to parents, teachers and mentors: Thank you for motivating your students, for guiding their curiosities, and for promoting critical thinking. Thank you for encouraging your children to ask questions, to push themselves, and to not give up in the face of failure-or an unexpected result…after all, that is part of the beauty of doing science. Your guidance and support is an integral part of the accomplishments of their projects, the success of this Fair, and most importantly the shaping of who the students will become.
Contact Emily Meyer for Sponsorship or Special Award information at [email protected]
2024 Schedule
Friday, February 16th, 2024 |
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NO LATER THAN 5:00 pm |
PRIOR APPROVAL FORMS DUE If your project requires PRIOR APPROVAL, please submit forms BEFORE your RESEARCH START DATE! Unsure about prior approvals needed? Email the GKCSEF Scientific Review Committee at [email protected]
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Friday, February 23rd, 2024 |
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NO LATER THAN 5:00 pm | ALL FORMS AND REGISTRATION DUE
Any application received after February 23rd, 2023 will not be accepted. The $7.00 entry fee must accompany registration for the application to be complete. |
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Wednesday, March 27th, 2024 |
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8:00 am – 3:00 pm | PROJECT SET UP Students may set up exhibits at Union Station in Grand Hall and Grand Plaza. All projects must be set up by 3:00 pm. |
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4:00 – 10:00 pm | ACADEMIC JUDGING The Fair is closed to the public. |
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7:00 – 8:00 pm | STUDENT INTERVIEWSStudents should be at their projects to interview with academic judges.JUNIOR LEVEL INTERVIEWS (optional) SENIOR LEVEL INTERVIEWS (required) |
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Thursday, March 28th, 2024 |
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7:00 am –12:00 pm | SPECIAL AWARD JUDGINGThe Fair is closed to the public. | |
10:00 am – 4:00 pm* | PUBLIC VIEWING and SCHOOL FIELD TRIP EXPERIENCESThe Fair is free and open to the public. Science Fair booth closes at 4 pm, Fair is still open for public viewing!*Subject to change | |
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Friday, March 29th, 2024 |
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9:00 am – 4:00 pm | PUBLIC VIEWING and SCHOOL FIELD TRIP EXPERIENCES The Fair is free and open to the public. |
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4:00 – 7:00 pm | REMOVAL OF PROJECTS All projects must be removed by 7:00 pm. Projects not picked up will be discarded! |
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Saturday, March 30th, 2024 |
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10:00 am – 12:00 pm | THE CHARLES N. KIMBALL AWARDS CEREMONYGrand Plaza
Awards valued at $20,000+ Students receiving top academic or special awards: Blue Rosettes and White Ribbons, are invited to attend. Parents, teachers, relatives and friends are invited to attend as well. |
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2024 Science & Engineering Fair Theme: “Igniting Curiosity!”
We have a winner! A big CONGRATULATIONS to John Pace, 10th grader from Liberty High School, for their outstanding design submission in our 73rd Greater Kansas City Science & Engineering Fair T-Shirt Design Contest! His design, revised by our graphic design team, will go on all Fair t-shirts and will be the front cover of our Fair program book! He will receive a $100 amazon gift card and Fair swag bag, while his teacher will receive a $50 gift card and swag bag!
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in the contest. Each submission brought its own unique flair and perspective, making the decision a challenging one. Local students’ enthusiasm and talent are what make our community so vibrant and inspiring!
Volunteer at the Fair!
Be a Judge!
The 73rd Greater Kansas City Science & Engineering Fair, to be held in-person at historic Union Station from Wednesday, March 27th – Saturday, March 30th, 2024. The commitment for judging at the GKCSEF is approximately 4 hours on the evening of Wednesday, March 27th from about 5-9pm.
That evening we will host our Judges Meeting and Dinner from 5-6pm, dinner provided, with judging and student interviews happening that night. More details will go out as we get closer to the Fair!
If you have any questions about the Fair or about judging, please email Emily Meyer, Fair Director at [email protected]
General Fair Volunteer
General Volunteers will help at the Fair booth throughout the week of the Fair. Volunteers may sing up for one or more time slots, and each shift will be 3 hours.
Be a Mentor!
Become a mentor today! Mentors can range in commitment from a simple phone call to full blown experimental help. Signing up does not automatically assign you to a student, but adds you to our ever-growing mentor list.
FORMS & REGISTRATION
Submit forms for prior approval to [email protected] by February 17, 2024.
Fair categories subs and descriptions 2024
FORMS- GRADES 4-8
Rules Summary for Junior Division (grades 4-8)
- Form 1 – Human Tissue
- Form 2 – Human Participants
- Form 3 – Hazardous Materials
- Form 4 – Bacteria and Mold
- Form 5 – Vertebrate Animal
ISEF FORMS – GRADES 9-12
Rules Summary for Senior Division (Grades 9-12)
- Form 1 – Checklist for Adult Sponsor
- Form 1A – Student Checklist
- Form 1B – Approval Form
- Form 1C – Regulated Research Institution
- Form 2 – Qualified Scientist
- Form 3 – Risk Assessment
- Form 4 Human Participants
- 4 – Sample Informed Consent
- Form 5A – Vertebrate Animal
- Form 5B – Vertebrate Animal
- Form 6A – Potentially Hazardous Biological Agents
- Form 6B – Human Vertebrate Animal Tissue
- Form 7 – Continuation
Register Here
- Senior TEAM Registration
- Senior INDIVIDUAL Registration
- Junior TEAM Registration
- Junior INDIVIDUAL Registration
- Intermediate TEAM Registration
- Intermediate INDIVIDUAL Registration
SCORING GUIDES
These scoring guides are used by our distinguished judges to score projects. We follow a mastery level scoring, rather than a numbered system.
Educator Support
Campbell Family Educator Grant – For more information click here
AshGrove New Fair Teacher Grant – For more information contact Emily Meyer at [email protected]
Marie Miller Educator Award – For more information click here
AWARDS
Academic Awards: Each year over 250 scientists, engineers, physicians, educators, and other Kansas City professionals volunteer their time and expertise to judge the science projects at the fair. Every project earns a gold, silver or bronze ribbon. The most outstanding projects in each division and category receive a blue rosette ribbon and will receive an Academic Award crystal award at the awards ceremony.
Special Awards: Both national and local STEM organizations with a devoted interest in science education provide special awards for projects entered into the Fair. Each organization selects its own award criteria, and provides judges to select the winning projects.
Pioneers in Science The Pioneers in Science Awards are given to the top 7 Senior Division projects across all categories. Winners will receive a plaque as their award.
Grand Awards: GRAND AWARDS are presented to the top 4 Senior Division projects that meet the stringent requirements for entering the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. Grand Award winners and their sponsoring teacher will receive an all- expense paid trip to compete at the 2024 Regeneron International Fair held in Los Angeles, California from May 12th-17th, 2024.
Special thanks to these supporters
For more information on Fair Sponsorship please email Director of Development, Sara Lissaur at [email protected]