
Northern Virginia Elementary and Middle School Science and Engineering Fair
affiliated with The Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge!
Hosted by: George Mason University, College of Science
and Pinnacle Academy!
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NVSE Fair 2023- Will be held
in-person on April 29th, 2023
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Please note: All Registrations are
now closed- Good luck to all the
Participants!
Information Sessions were
held in March 2023
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PARENTS
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Wednesday, March 29th, 2023 from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
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Parents may register for the information session here.
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TEACHERS
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Thursday, March 30th, 2023 from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
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Northern Virginia Regional - Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge - Elementary and Middle School Grades (1-8)
Organized by the College of Science, George
Mason University and Pinnacle Academy!
Dear Colleagues:
We would like to invite you and your students to join us at Northern Virginia Regional STEM Fair. This fair was previously known as Fairfax County
Science and Engineering Fair, in 2021, now includes the greater Northern Virginia area. It is organized by Pinnacle Academy and George Mason
University's College of Science. The Science Fair will be held in person in collaboration with George Mason University on Saturday, April 29th, 2023.
Pinnacle Academy is a math and science-focused elementary and middle school that seeks to immerse students into a multicultural learning environment that promotes critical thinking and problem-solving. Pinnacle Academy’s curriculum includes a heavy STEAM emphasis and encourages students to think of learning material in context to real-world applications. Annually, Pinnacle Academy students participate in a variety of academic competitions and a school-wide science fair. We value the importance of science fairs as an essential part of a
student’s learning experience as they help to strengthen both research and communication skills. We, at Pinnacle Academy, have noticed that there is no opportunity for elementary- and middle school students to share their projects on a larger scale and initiated the first regional fair last year.
The STEM Accelerator Program was established by the College of Science at George Mason to increase the number of STEM majors, and improve retention of Science majors, and reduce the time to graduation, career advising, and job placement. The Accelerator program runs STEM initiatives at all levels including STEM Mania (a summer camp for grades 3-5), FOCUS (Females of Color Underrepresented in STEM for middle school girls), High School Mentored Research (through a partnership with school districts), STEM Boot camp (a pre- interventional program to get high school students ready for four years of college in STEM), Undergraduate Learning Assistants Program (offers peer-to-peer
mentoring opportunities both within the university, as well as partnering with community colleges), Research Experience for undergraduates, graduates, and Post- Doctoral students (through experiential learning), Discipline-Based Education Research (a platform for sharing best teaching practices between faculty), and STEM Teacher Professional Development Programs (for taking effective pedagogical practices back to their classrooms). The STEM Accelerator is proud to partner with Pinnacle Academy to host this Science and Engineering Fair which is
a great way to promote the much-needed awareness of STEM to solve real-world
problems.
We are planning to host around 150 students representing different schools! Our event is open to all area schools – public, private, and homeschool associations. We will accept projects in the areas of Life and Earth Sciences, Physical Science,
and Engineering.
All the students will be treated as winners and participation certificates and ribbons will be awarded to each participant. In addition to the individual acknowledgment each student receives, we will also recognize the top three entries in Division I
(grades 1-3), Division II (grades 4-5), and Division III (grades 6–8). The top three winners will receive a medal and a plaque.
Additionally, we are pleased to announce our partnership with Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (Math, Applied Science, Technology,
and Engineering Rising Stars).
We encourage all potential participants to visit our website. Here you will be able to learn more about the fair, as well as view past projects. If your school is interested in participating in this year’s fair please register at www.nvsefair.com no later than TBD.
Registered schools will receive additional information regarding the exact number of entries allowed for their school, school entry, and student entry forms. Both forms need to be submitted by TBD.
For additional information, including the fair rules and guidelines, please check our website: www.nvsefair.com.
We look forward to having your students join us this year!
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Lyndsey Eksilli
Academic Principal
Pinnacle Academy| 703-537-0355
principal@paedu.org
Padmanabhan Seshaiyer, PhD
Professor, Mathematical Sciences,
NVSE Fair Director
College of Science, George Mason University| 702-993-9787
pseshaiy@gmu.edu
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Mrs. Yasmin Arif, MS.ED
School STEAM Coordinator
NVSE Fair Director
Pinnacle Academy| 703-537-0355
yarif@Paedu.org
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Registration Details
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The registration fee is $30 per school for Science & Engineering fair on April 29th, 2023. Parents will pay additional $20 for their child's registration on the separate form (Step 3)
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Each school should have registered 2 volunteer Judges/10 students. Volunteer Judges can sign up on the volunteer Judges form on the homepage. Judges will be reached out for background checking purposes.
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Please indicate how many students you would like to send and their grade levels. This does not guarantee any spots.
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Registration closes after April 20th, 2023
Information for School Participation:
The NVSE Fair, formerly the Fairfax County Elementary and Middle School Fair, is in its 8th year. The event encompasses elementary and middle schools in Washington, DC, Loudoun, and Fairfax. Elementary schools in Arlington County, Prince William, and Manassas are encouraged to participate.
However, Middle school students participating in the Northern Virginia Regional Science and Engineering Fair (Falls Church, Arlington, Alexandria) and the Prince William-Manassas Science Fair are ineligible for this competition.
Projects submissions:
A total of 10 submissions/schools can be submitted, which include: ( for more than
10 submissions- add another Step 2 application)
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5 Life and Earth Sciences
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5 Physical Science and Engineering an
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Projects format Trifold Poster Board with the Scientific/Engineering Design Process:
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Grades 1-5
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Grades 6-8 (If participating in the :
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(The Lemelson Early Inventor Prize: https://www.societyforscience.org/lemelson-early-inventor/
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The Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge )
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Please have a digital poster and up to 3 minutes of video entry if you qualify for the awards)
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