UW-Extension Milwaukee County’s 4-H Program will hold its seventh annual science fair and recognition ceremony on Wednesday May 17.

The event will take place at Journey House on 2110 W. Scott St. The science fair will be held from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. with a recognition ceremony from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Seventh and eighth grade students from seven Milwaukee schools currently take place in the UW-Extension 4-H SySTEMatics Program. The science fair is the capstone project of the program. Students have selected a topic they are interested in and will present to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) professionals.

“This event is a way to bring together youth from across the city and celebrate their knowledge, work, and time that they have put towards their future. The science fair gives the youth a chance to work on a project they are interested in and present their hard work to a STEM professional that can serve as a role model, which I have personally seen to help boost their confidence in their skills,” said 4-H SySTEMatics Coordinator Eva Terry.

Each participant will receive a 4-H ribbon for acknowledgement of his or her hard work in the program as well as a UW-Extension certificate that can be used when applying to high school and other programs. Top science fair projects will receive honors, including the Thiry of Science award, named after program founder Mary Thiry.

Three of the science fair judges are UW-Extension 4-H SySTEMatics Program alumni, including two graduating high school seniors who are preparing for their college studies in STEM fields. Seniors Batoul Jaber and Alex Ocampo will receive an alumni award for their hard work and dedication to the STEM program. Jaber will be attending MSOE’s Biomedical Engineering program and Ocampo will be attending UW-Milwaukee School of Engineering.

Vice Chancellor of UW Colleges and UW Extension Aaron Brower will be this year’s guest speaker and will help present alumni awards after sharing words of encouragement and inspiration with the students. State Program Director of 4-H Youth Development Dale Leidheiser and 4-H County Supervisor Sequanna Taylor will also attend the event to help present science fair awards and support the program. Mike Dietrich from LAB Midwest will be attending to discuss a new summer 4-H SySTEMatics opportunity, where students will participate in a 2-day experience that includes visiting Milwaukee STEM companies, as well as tour UW-Madison’s STEM programs to learn about the university.

The 4-H SySTEMatics program promotes interest in STEM fields and the continuation of STEM education through high school and college. Students have spent the year participating in hands-on activities, including an event at UW-Waukesha where students could participate in STEM activities and learn more about college life. Last year, youth reported that they believed their confidence and presentation skills increased from participating in the Science Fair, along with their STEM knowledge and how to complete a scientific procedure.

This event is open to the media, as well as program participants and family members. Those interested in volunteering with 4-H SySTEMatics or bringing the program to their school are also welcome.

For more information, please contact Communications Assistant Grace Arend at (651) 968-7820 or grace.arend@ces.uwex.edu.

UW-Extension

UW-Extension offers timely access to University research and knowledge through educational colleagues in 72 county offices, on five 4-year campuses and within three tribal nations, offering educational programs that address the important issues of individuals, families, businesses and communities. For more information on UW-Extension Milwaukee County, visit Milwaukee.uwex.edu.

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