March 17, 2004 — Scores of middle and high school students from five Utah counties will compete Friday March 26 and Saturday March 27 during the Salt Lake Valley Regional Science and Engineering Fair at the University of Utah.

An estimated 150 to 175 students have entered projects with such fascinating titles as “Bacteria vs. Toothpaste,” “Shoe Shock,” “Which Type of Building Best Withstands Earthquakes?” “Got Decay? Does What We Drink Affect Our Teeth?” “Amazing Glue,” “Mining Pollution Effects on Daphnia and Brine Shrimp,” “What Can You Tell from Smell?” and “Thumbs Up to Bubble Gum.”

The fair will be held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on the University of Utah campus. Free parking is available in designated spaces in the lot due east of the Huntsman Center. Enter from South Campus Drive.

On Friday March 26, students will set up their projects starting at 8 a.m., and 65 volunteer judges will evaluate the projects from 1 to 4 p.m.

The fair will be open to the general public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday March 27. Ribbons and other prizes will be awarded from 2 to 4 p.m. that day.

New media representatives may cover the fair on either day.

First-, second- and third-place winners will be named in 14 research categories in both the junior division (grades 6 through 8) and the senior division (grades 9-12). The top five winners in the senior division will receive an all-expense-paid trip to enter their projects in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Portland, Ore., on May 9-15, 2004.

Students in the Salt Lake Valley fair attend public and private middle and high schools in Salt Lake, Davis, Wasatch, Summit and Tooele counties.

The fair is sponsored by the Utah Engineering Experiment Station at the University of Utah.

Special awards will be provided by several businesses, government agencies and private organizations, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, the Intel Foundation, Eastman Kodak, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association, International Society of Optical Engineers, National Society of Professional Engineers, U.S. Metric Association, Utah Wetlands Riparian Center, Water Environment Federation, Yale Science and Engineering Association, American Industrial Hygiene Association, American Meteorological Society, American Psychological Association, ASM International Foundation, Association for Women Geoscientists, Discovery and the Utah Energy Office.

The goals of the regional science fair are to promote student interest and involvement in science and engineering; provide opportunities for students in middle schools and high schools to develop their scientific research and communication skills; publicly recognize the achievements of students who enter research projects in the fair; and recognize science teachers for their outstanding dedication and commitment to their students.