0 CommentsA fair to remember
The exhilaration I experience before a science-fair competition isn’t all that different from that of an athlete before the start of a race. The sight of my entry standing among thousands of other tri-fold posters is one that makes me both proud and excited.
Award-winning science-fair participant Carrie Li, a junior at Bellaire High School, enjoys the thrill of scientific competition but not the paperwork that goes along with it.
While my passion for science fair may not be common, I love the mindset that it has helped me achieve, the experience I’ve gained, and the people I’ve been able to meet. I’ve been participating in science-fair competitions for the past four years. In eighth grade at T.H. Rogers Middle School, I won first place in the cellular and molecular biology category at the state level.
During my sophomore year at Bellaire High School, I took second in the senior division for the same category, also at the state level. My other awards include those at regional and city competitions. The perks these trophies and medals provide give me not only a sense of pride for my hard work, but motivation to keep striving, because I know I can always do better.
The knowledge I’ve gained from these experiments, which have had their share of mistakes along the way, has taught me to view everyday dilemmas with the objectivity of a scientist. I must admit that science fair has given me an advantage in the classroom as well. These competitions have given me an opportunity to share my knowledge with some of the best scientists in their respective fields, who have in turn given me valuable insight into my own endeavors.
When I’m in the lab, I feel as if I’m always on the verge of making a discovery. I feel like an innovator. It is a lot of work though. It’s an effort that I’m willing to put forth because I can see the prize at the end of the road. Of all the summer work, weekend work, holiday work, after-hours work, it’s only the paperwork that inevitably accompanies science fair that bothers me.
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