John Paul’s Robin Basra, left, and Sam Kelly, overallwinners of the NIWA Bay of Plenty Regional Scienceand Technology Fair 2013. (Gould Photography))
Mark Franken, Chairman of the Bay of Plenty (BOP) Science Fair Inc. which organises the NIWA Bay of Plenty Science Fair, has welcomed funding from the Rotorua Trust.
The Trust contributed $2,500 towards the costs for the 37th fair, held in August this year. The budget to run the Science Fair is about $20,000, including costs such as hiring the Rotorua Convention Centre and the Concert Chamber for the prize-giving.
There is also the cost of hiring trestle tables for exhibitors, white boards for judges, prize money for students and lunch for the 50 judges.
This year, 210 students attended the fair from 19 schools, with a total of 174 entries.
Mark Franken says the fairs are important because they introduce students to methods of scientific investigation and technology development.
The judges are looking for the correct methods when applying a scientific investigation and an understanding of the science involved.
“It’s a definite bonus if the students come up with something original.”
Mark says there was some original work at this year’s BOP Science Fair, including the overall winners who were two boys from John Paul College. They studied oxygen levels in Lake Rotoiti after the construction of the groyne (a wall built out from the riverbank) designed to reduce sediment flows from Lake Rotorua causing algal blooms in Lake Rotoiti.
The Science Fair is run in conjunction with the Kiwanis Club of RotoWhenua, which has been largely responsible for providing the required manpower for the past 14 years. The BOP Science Fair accepts school entries from Katikati, Tauranga, Mt Maunganui, Rotorua,Reporoa, Taupo and Whangamarino schools.
For more information about the BOP Science Fair, contact:
Mark Franken, Chairman, BOP Science Fair Inc.
Kiwanis Club of RotoWhenua Inc.
07-348 9213