As a Liberty Science Center staff member, it was a great privilege for me to meet future STEM scientists in their natural habitat—outside of school, presenting their amazing work. Students in grades 5-8 had been working on their investigations since the fall, and had successfully competed in science fairs at their schools. Now, these young scientists had an opportunity to express their genius in a public setting, in this case Liberty Science Center, and present their investigations in a poster board session at the Jersey City District Science Fair on January 11.

Liberty Science Center’s Governors Hall and Jennifer Chalsty Center for Science Learning and Teaching were organized with row after row of elaborate posters that were placed with care by the young scientists waiting to share their investigations and results with a judge. Each judge was given a folder with a rubric that defines what is expected of each student to get a particular score on their presentation and display.

At 9:00 am the energy in Governors Hall and the Chalsty Center seemed to be charged with excitement as the judging was underway. As a judge, I too was feeling the excitement. How can you not, when the eyes of these creative individuals start to dart around trying to guess at who will be the one to listen to their presentation? By 11:00 am, the judging was over. The air of excitement soon settled to one of curiosity and the young scientists began to relax and behave as all young visitors do when they are in the science center, exploring the environment around them.

The top three projects from each grade level will go on to compete in the Hudson County Science Fair. The first-place students and projects from each grade:

• Grade 5: Tyler Riscoe, “Shake, Rattle and Fall”
• Grade 6: Morgan Canizares, “Do You Eat Germs?”
• Grade 7: Masha Musthafa, “Electromania”
• Grade 8: Mariam Nasief, “Vapor Cigarettes Less Hazardous than Regular”

“I love having the opportunity to partner with Liberty Science Center to create a space for students to not only share their knowledge but also their imaginations,” said Dr. Darrell S. Carson, K-8 Science Supervisor of Jersey City Public Schools. “The scientific process teaches students that pushing through failures can yield incredible discoveries using their knowledge and creativity.”

Judging at the science fair, I met ten bright minds that perfectly illustrate Dr. Carson’s point. I wish all participants continued success.

Rosa Catala-Steidle is the Director of STEM Innovation and Media at Liberty Science Center. Rosa manages the Live From Surgery program and the Electronic Field Trip program.