Preparation

On October 31st, Science Fair was held at Shanghai High School International Division. A few days before it, a union, known as The STEM Doges, released details of the Science Fair. One of them is the newly added event: the Science Bowl. Ms. Chen, who is responsible for the Science Fair, said that the main goal of this year's Science Fair is to let the students have opportunities to do club showcases on their own and experience high-tech science in order to improve students’ subjectivity and participation, such as robotic competition, racing car, and more. Since it is student-oriented this time, it was arduous for the teachers to coordinate with each club and organize the Science Bowl during the preparation process.

Club Showcase(1)

The Science Fair for grades 9-12 took place on October 31st in Xianmian Building. It was a grand assembly of all the STEM clubs at SHSID, ranging from Math Modeling to Linguistics, Envirothon to Computer Programming, iGEM to Brainbee, Chemistry to Physics, and many more. Their showcases included presenting PPT, playing videos, exhibiting practical works, displaying posters, posting quizzes, and giving out presents. The students also had the opportunity to participate in fun games and experiments such as car-racing, DIY soaps, making dry-flower bookmarks, and more. Other new features were added to the multitude of activities, for instance the Science and Technology Innovation Expo, Science Bowl, and the heated STEM debate. Immersing themselves in experiments, everyone enjoyed his/her share of intellectual challenges and grew to be awestruck by the intricacy of science.

Club Showcase(2)

Many clubs participated in this science fair and showcase.

In SHSID's Science Fair, the GT Racing team prepared their own stand to participate in the exciting activities. The team provided students with a small racetrack where students were able to get hands-on experience with racecar driving, and also hosted small competitions where students drove racecars against one another to win prizes. Other than providing entertainment for the students, the GT Racing team also introduced students to the components of a rover, and displayed their various achievements in competitions that they have attended in the past. Through participating in the SHSID Science Fair, the GT Racing team has not only raised their own presence, but has also helped other students understand STEM and understand racing better.

At the Physics Bowl stand, students made their own electric motor by using their DIY skills! This activity required little knowledge beforehand, so the students felt free to watch and tried it themselves. In particular, an electric motor, similar to the ones used in vacuum machines and automobiles, was created using simple components such as magnets, copper coil, wires, and batteries.

The MEV (Mobility Electric Vehicle） show was incredibly impressive. In the driving simulation, real-time imaging from the driver's perspective allowed students to immerse themselves in the cockpit of the vehicle, allowing them to experience a specialized transportation teleoperation.

In the FRC (First Robotic Competition) room, the robot operation was displayed. The goal was to lift the box and place it in a higher position. The operation of the robot included movement in all directions - front, back, right and left. One significant part of the robot was the intake, which attractd and held the box to complete vertical motion functions.

In addition to experiments and experiences, some clubs organized their activities as presentations. The AIME club at the science fair introduced their club in general, as well as what they do in the form of pascal triangles. Through the posters that they put up at their stand, the characteristics of pascal triangles was fully explained by their members.

Feedback

When the fair began, the students rushed into their classrooms, full of anticipation and excitement to try out the fun projects that lay waiting for them. It brought enjoyment while learning new things, and helped them to realize that studying is not just what they learn in a textbook – it is about experiencing things by themselves. From this event, students have learned the mechanics of making lipsticks, the process of the competitions, and looked at blood pumping activities.

Here are some reflections from students and teachers:

James Kot: “It's enjoyable and relaxing. I had a lot of fun with my friends throughout the entire activity.”

Gaia: “Well-planned. Very mind-opening.”

Ms. Chen: There are more STEM clubs this year, which is nice, because students can increase their interests toward those activities and get in touch with uncommon robots.

Mr. Hong: This activity is really good, since it is held by the students. They can experience a lot from it.

(Written by High School Students Pictures by High School Students and Teachers Supervised by Hazel Gu, Sophia Yang, Yixin Zheng, Junyu Xie)