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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