30th Annual San Francisco Middle School Science Fair
Each February, the Randall Museum plays host to a remarkable gathering of the City's young
scientific talent. Last school year brought the 29th annual San Francisco Middle
School Science Fair! Special thanks to 2011 Science Fair sponsors Genentech, the United States Geological
Survey, and Randall Museum Friends.
Click here to read the 2011
Science Fair report.
All public and private middle schools (grades 6 to 8) in
San Francisco are invited to participate. We hosted 210 entries done by 266
students at twenty-nine schools this year. Teachers: If your school would like to
participate this year and did not receive information
email the Fair coordinator to be added to
our teacher mailing list. You do not have to host a fair at your school for your
students to qualify for this county-level fair, but you do have to RSVP in advance and
receive an entry quota.
Homeschoolers age 11 to 14 residing in San Francisco and doing science at the 6th to
8th grade level may also enter. You are encouraged to
contact the Fair coordinator if you would like
to enter. All projects must be supervised by a credentialed science teacher
or qualified scientist. The goal of the Fair is to emphasize the joy and accessibility of science and
participation over competition; therefore, winners are not awarded cash prizes, but instead
are offered a day trip to a Bay Area location of educational and entertainment interest
(last year, we took a science cruise on the Bay with Call of the Sea). The
judging criteria are designed to reflect these goals.
Seventh and eighth grade winners can also qualify to enter the
San Francisco Bay Area Science Fair. All participants
receive a ribbon and a certificate of achievement.
Members of the public are able to view the projects during regular Museum hours
(10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday - Saturday) after the judging is complete and before project
check-out: between Friday, February 24 and Friday, March 2. The Awards Ceremony
will take place on Saturday, February 25th at 10:00 a.m.; students placing 1st through 3rd in their grade
and category groups will be recognized onstage.
Important Guides and Links:
Science Fair Rules & Guidelines
2011-2012 Science
Fair Calendar
Student's Guide to the San
Francisco Science Fair
Teacher's Guide to the San Francisco
Science Fair
San Francisco Bay Area Science Fair
(regional fair one level above this fair)
Important note to students & teachers:
If your project involves human subjects (including people filling out surveys, or even people
you are observing anonymously), animals, pathogens, or controlled substances, you
must fill out a Project Proposal Form before you begin your experiments
and, in most cases, send it to the S.F. Bay Area Science Fair's Scientific Review Committee
by February 1 (exceptions: 6th graders and team projects must fill out the form and
keep copies but do not need to send it in because they are not eligible to enter the SFBASF).
If you are working with human subjects, you must also obtain informed consent
from each person at the time of your experiment. The forms are available at
the SFBASF website, under the Paperwork tab. Feel
free to contact our fair
coordinator if you
have questions or concerns about this or any other aspect of the entry process.