SRC Science Fair Registration Deadline Extended to May 18

The deadline for schools to register for the Scientific Research Council’s (SRC) Science Fair has been extended to May 18.

The fair, which is open to students at primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, will be held in Kingston on June 12.

Categories under which schools can participate include Education; Agriculture; Food and Agro-processing; Energy; Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Electronics; Health; Security; and Sports.

The event will be staged in collaboration with the Youth Employment in the Digital and Animation Industry (YEDAI) programme under the theme ‘Youth-centred Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development’.

Prizes will be awarded for best use of indigenous materials, most innovative project, best use of digital media, and best commercial application.

Coordinator for the SRC’s Science and Technology Education Unit, Amanda McKenzie, told JIS News that the fair aims to identify, produce and commercialise products and services geared at improving national growth and development.

She said persons who have projects not falling in any of the designated categories may submit their entries under the ‘other’ category.

The Coordinator said that in addition to school displays, there will be exhibits from other organisations showcasing new and innovative products.

“This will encourage persons to seek a career in those areas or to develop products and services that can improve on those existing,” she said.

Ms. McKenzie further said that there will be a Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) symposium as well as numerous science and technology-based competitions.

She pointed out that the competitions “will allow students to apply the knowledge that they have in a fun way that will challenge and show them that science and technology can be used for just about everything, as it… is used in everyday life”.

Meanwhile, Ms. McKenzie said the SRC is encouraging persons who study other subjects, such as business, to participate in the fair as “you also need persons who will examine the feasibility of the project from a marketing standpoint”.

“At the end of the day, you want to ensure that the projects that they come up with can be commercialised,” she added.

For more information, persons may send an email to steu@src-jamaica.org or call 876-927-1771-4.