Who We Are
Delaware Valley Science Fairs, Inc. (DVSF) is a forum for middle and high school students to display scientific research and engineering projects that they have completed. The purpose of the Fairs is to connect these hard working and inventive young minds with professionals in their fields. During the fair the competitors will be interviewed and have their research evaluated. The primary goals are that the students will gain some insight into new directions for their research, learn new ways of thinking, and, in some cases, be connected with people who could help bring a potential product to market. All of this takes the form of a competition with winners receiving recognition, scholarships, and monetary prizes, as well as a chance to compete in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.
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Many of our competitors go on to some of the top colleges and universities followed by careers in STEM. Many of our past competitors have credited the work that they did for DVSF and the feedback that they received from our judges with starting them on their path. It has been proven that the "inquiry-based hands-on" approach to learning STEM is effective. In fact, "inquiry" is now a top priority in the state educational standards for Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
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Our young competitors are some of the best and brightest, having won at the regional level before advancing on to DVSF. Of course, these bright students would not have gotten to this point without the dedication and guidance of their parents and teachers. Here at DVSF, we celebrate those who work tirelessly to improve the education and instill the confidence needed to perform at such a high level. Without the teachers taking more time from their busy schedules to add the extra burden of guiding a young researcher through a science fair project. As a society we ask a lot of our teachers and they continue to give more to help their students succeed.
The parents of our competitors also need to be recognized. While the more visible and vocal parents are well known, the parents of our competitors also go that extra mile and are great advocates for their children. Most of this research cannot just be done with time and an internet connection. This research often needs a lab or other facility to do properly. Just like sports and life, there are the inevitable emotional let downs. Parents are there to lend the support, transportation, and consolation needed.