Posted on: Friday March 25, 2011
If you’re like me, we probably look back on your elementary school days with a mixture of nostalgia and dread. Yes, your hair really was that bad back then! However, there were likely some standout moments as well. For me, it was the annual science fair – the time of the year it was OK to be a science geek. I remember the brainstorming for topics, the hand-lettered backboards with pencil crayon drawings, the obligatory volcano and solar system model made of Styrofoam balls. For me, the science fair led me to a career in science communication – now I have a nicer backboard and better pencil crayons, but essentially I get to do science fairs every day!
Most people think they can’t do that sort of thing anymore – but now you can. “Fairly Scientific” is a community science fair open to anyone. Your project must be on a standard tri-fold cardboard or foam core backboard, but other than that you can do any sort of project you want (well, no explosives, toxic fumes, or injuries allowed). There will be a volcano contest for those who don’t want to do a full-on project.
So, who is this for? Well, students who want to continue their school science fair projects for one, but it’s especially aimed at the people who don’t get to do science fair projects any more. Folks who watch “Mythbusters” and always wanted to try something like that; grad students who want to take their thesis topic and have some fun with it for a public audience; basement tinkerers or inventors who want to show off their latest creation; it’s all appropriate for the science fair.
The projects will all be on display in the Planetarium Concourse downstairs at The Manitoba Museum on Saturday, April 9 as part of our Yuri’s Night celebrations. To get involved, contact Fairly Scientific.
![A simulated view of the "parade of planets" on March 2, 2025. [Image: Stellarium]](https://manitobamuseum.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/stellarium-001-e1740764429838-486x320.png)
