PANAMA CITY — Can milk cartons make good boats? Can cars move along a track with magnets?
These are some of the questions 140 students answered during the 54th annual Three Rivers Regional Science and Engineering Fair, which is open to the public Wednesday from 8 a.m. until noon. Judging was Tuesday and awards will be announced Thursday night at 7.
Chris Paige, a Newpoint Academy eighth-grader, used milk cartons to build boats for his project.
“My dad is in shipbuilding,” he said of the inspiration behind his project.
According to Paige, the fair was “kind of fun.” His project involved different types of cartons, he said.
Parent Kali Zaborski had two sixth-graders entered in the fair. Zaborski waited in the lobby after all the students and judges entered the project display area, which was closed to parents, teachers and media. Zaborski said her children did a levitation project to see if cars could move along a track with magnets.
“It’s their first time ever,” Zaborski said of her children participating in the fair.
Fair coordinator Katie McCurdy said the 55 judges were selected from around the community.
“It started back in August,” McCurdy said of the work that went into getting the fair together.
McCurdy said the fair allowed for students to show their creativity and innovation. From this regional fair, 20 students will be selected to go to the state fair, where it’s likely the students will continue exploring their passion projects.
“It’s what the students are interested in,” McCurdy said.
Want To Go?
- What: Three Rivers Regional Science and Engineering Fair
- When: 8 a.m. until noon Wednesday
- Where: Florida State University Panama City Holley Academic Center
