Warren Wilson College Hosts Science Fair
Lili Jones | February 1, 2024
On Jan. 26, K-8 students from The Learning Community School (TLC) filled the Bryson Gymnasium at Warren Wilson College (WWC) with projects, scientific experiments and cultural research. Students and community members were invited to critique and commend the projects in an exciting event for all ages.
Preparation for the TLC’s Science and Knowledge Fair took place throughout January at the school. The highest-scoring science projects were selected to participate in the Regional Science & Engineering Fair at Western Carolina University (WCU).
Mr. Noah, a seventh- and eighth-grade science teacher at TLC assisted his students with their science projects and helped to facilitate the event. He explained how the school provides opportunities for students to explore their interests by including both “Science” and “Knowledge” categories in the fair.
“Eighth grade, sixth grade, fifth grade and fourth grade,” Mr. Noah said. “All do ‘science’ and the others do ‘knowledge.’ So once they step up next year into the next grade level, they do the other thing. We find that the excitement comes from the ideas—sometimes they’re so big we have to harness them and say: ‘this just isn’t practical in the time we have’.”
The “Science” category encompasses classic science, technology, engineering and math topics that are found at most science fairs. Students are evaluated on their use of the scientific method, their creativity and their presentation ability.
The “Knowledge” category is focused on the liberal arts. Students choose a topic of interest, research it and then create a presentation. Students are graded on their research, poster presentation and interview presentation.
Maya, a TLC student who gave a Knowledge presentation on the similarities and differences between her parent’s cultures, Japan and Greece, employed a Q&A style presentation about common foods and holidays.
“Both [Japan and Greece] are very loyal, “Maya said. “They both don’t like to be [involved in] trade and [the people] are very loving. They all celebrate the holidays with deep connection.”
Allison Lienemann, a second-year WWC student judging the fair, was surprised by the attitudes of the students she spoke with.
“The experiments were well-researched, especially for students of their age,” Lienemann said. “A lot of them shook my hand and introduced themselves before giving really great presentations. They all had good attitudes and it was nice to see kids so excited for science. I wish I could have spent all morning there.”
Mr. Noah said that WWC has hosted the TLC science fair annually for many years, disrupted only briefly by the COVID-19 pandemic. He expressed his excitement about college students engaging socially and scientifically with TLC students.
“I appreciate everyone who came out.” Mr. Noah said. “These kids get really great experience from this. Just presenting and standing and talking about your findings, being able to communicate even though there may be a script; there’s something they can find out with just two individuals in the world. It’s really important that we communicate.”
This year’s Knowledge winners included “The Impact of Graphic Novels on Dyslexia,” “Fightin’ Chitin” and “Space Exploration.” In the Science category, “Fry to Fuel,” “Bridges: Wide vs. Narrow,” “Fossil Fuels Aren’t Worth It” and “The World of Hot Air Balloons” won.
Jeni Bittner-Hugney, the organizer of the fair and ambassador between WWC and TLC, expressed her gratitude to Warren Wilson Students.
“The students who participated as judges this year went above and beyond to effectively engage with students,” Bittner-Hugney said. “They also took the time to carefully total their rubrics. We always appreciate our partnership with WWC faculty and students for this event, but this year was extra special.”
WWC students who are interested in judging and critiquing for the TLC Science and Knowledge Fair next year can reach out to the Office of Student Engagement at TLC or directly to Bittner-Hugney. They will be added to a list of interested students for next year.