Nine Hundred Students Will Compete for Top Honors at 56th California State Science Fair

LOS ANGELES, CA - More than 900 of the state’s top middle and senior high school students will convene for the final round of competition in the 56th annual California State Science Fair, May 22, 2007 at the California Science Center in Exposition Park.

Students from around the state must first qualify at the regional or county level before advancing to the State Science Fair. The projects span 19 categories -- from aerodynamics/hydrodynamics to zoology -- and will be judged by a volunteer pool of over 350 scientists and engineers from private industry and higher education. In addition to the winners in each category, top honors will go to Student of the Year (senior only), and Project of the Year (in both junior and senior high divisions). Science teachers, nominated by junior and senior high school students, will also compete for Science Teacher of the Year. The selection is determined by a panel representing the California Science Teachers Association, the California Science Center, THE MUSES of the California Science Center Foundation, and educators.

Many interesting titles submitted to this year’s Science Fair include:

-- Paper or Plastic: Which is Requested Most, More Cost Effective, More
Durable and Better for the Environment?
-- Effects of Chelation on Catalase Activity: Implications in Alzheimer’s
Disease
-- Which Erosion Prevention Method is Most Effective for Earthen Levees?
-- A Nutritional Analysis of Japanese and American School Lunches

Ideas for projects often come from real-life experiences. In addition to the recognition and prize money, participating in the fair provides additional benefits for students. The process gives them the opportunity to develop a unique set of abilities, such as using scientific methodology to reach a conclusion, marketing techniques to create clever project titles and eye-catching graphic displays, and interviewing skills to explain their research to Science Fair judges.

Mr. Al Guenther, noted educator and lecturer, will share his experiences and inspire young scientists with the keynote address during Opening Ceremonies. Mr. Guenther is a former science teacher, whose imaginative and effective teaching method has been recognized with numerous awards, including the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching and the National Science Teaching Award. In addition, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, President and CEO of American BioScience, will be the featured speaker at the Student Orientation Meeting. American BioScience is a private development laboratory which focuses on nanoparticles, a science aimed at making injectable medicines. Through this research, Dr. Soon-Shiong developed Abraxene, an experimental breast cancer treatment that was found to significantly slow tumor growths with fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy drugs.