Students to battle it out for top honours in regional science fair

Water Box innovation by students. PHOTOS: MARY MWENDWA/STANDARD

Busia, Kenya: Over 600 students will battle for top honours at this year's Busia County Science and Engineering Fair to be held at Namenya Girls High School in Bunyala sub-county.

The fair scheduled for March 25 to 27 will bring together students from 70 secondary schools in the county who will compete in 11 listed categories to qualify for the regional fair to be held in May at Lwanya Girls High School in Samia sub-county.

A total of 616 students will present projects in various fields before panels of seasoned teachers in the respective fields. The fields include computer science, environmental science and management, mathematical science, food technology, clothing and textiles, as well as engineering.

Other disciplines include biotechnology and applied biotechnology, energy and transportation, biology and applied biology, agriculture, physics and chemistry.

According to the fair's Secretary General Daniel Mutoro, projects to be presented should originate from innovative student ideas and are meant to empower learners with scientific knowledge and skills applicable in real life.

"The competition is stiff so we expect perfect ideas from students. These ideas can be put to use to enhance the practical study of science in our secondary schools. They will also improve creativity using locally available resources," Mutoro explained.

He said only the best four performers from each category would be picked to represent the county at the regional contest.

SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS

The regional event at Lwanya will bring together students from Busia, Bungoma, Vihiga, Kakamega, Turkana, West Pokot and Elgeyo Marakwet, which constitute the Nzoia region.

Kaaga Girls High School in Meru will host the national competition in June, with the continental contest scheduled for August in Arusha, Tanzania.

This year's fair, previously known as Science Congress, is the second one to include 11 categories. Previous events mainly involved projects in chemistry, mathematics, physics, biology, agriculture, computer science and applied sciences.

Kamolo High School science patron in Teso North, Kelvin Olima, who is one of the selected judges, said the number of categories was raised to accommodate engineering, which involves heavy application of scientific concepts.