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HISTORY

In the United States , science fairs first became popular in the early 1950s , with the ISEF, then known as the National Science Fair. Interest in the sciences was at a new high after the world witnessed the use of the first two Atomic Weapon s and the dawn of Television . As the decade progressed, science stories in the news, such as Jonas Salk ’s vaccine for Polio and the launch of Sputnik , brought science fiction to reality and attracted increasing numbers of students to fairs.


CRITICISM

Some people have pointed to primary school experience as one factor which may actually discourage students from taking further interest in the sciences. {Link without Title} They claim that traditional science fairs, as well as programs like the Westinghouse Science Honors Institute, place too much focus on competition, a charge which science fair supporters answer by pointing to the real life competitive nature of awarding scientific grants and even the Nobel Prize .


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In Popular Culture


  • Elementary school science fairs (many of which are required as part of the students' overall grade) are a recurring theme in Nicktoons .

  • A successful science fair entry was the subject of the 1999 film October Sky .




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