63rd Fair Events
Logistics for Friday, February 17 and Saturday, February 18, 2023
Hosted by The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley at the UTRGV Edinburg Campus (Edinburg, TX)
Greetings from UTRGV!
This email is being sent to all teachers and campus/district coordinators of students participating in this weekend’s 63rd Annual RGV Regional Science and Engineering Fair at the UTRGV Edinburg Campus in Edinburg, TX. We have more than 500 students registered for the competition, and we hope you’re ready for an exciting competition and event! We look forward to hosting you and your students.
The required parking permit for Friday set-up can be found HERE. Please print it and display it on your dashboard if you are attending on Friday. A parking permit is NOT needed on Saturday.
Friday, 2/17/2023 4:00-7:00 pm
Check-In and Project Set-Up
Location: EMAGC Mathematics & General Classrooms Building Lobby 1st floor (#40 on the campus map).
Check-in will begin at 4:00 pm; we cannot accommodate earlier check-ins. Each project’s specific room location will be available on site and will be sent Friday via email. Project boards or posters will be set up first and then inspected for safety. The display and safety guidelines can be found HERE so that you can check boards/posters in advance. Our Fair will print and provide the Abstract, Form 1C, and Form 7 for each project to be displayed. (Abstracts cannot be part of the board or poster.) The only item required is the board or poster, which must remain overnight. All other approved optional items (notebook, binder, laptop, tablet, model, etc.) may be brought home and then returned Saturday morning (an approval form to do so is NOT needed).
A visitor’s parking permit is required on Friday and can be used in any lot near the building. Be sure not to park in handicap accessible spaces unless you are authorized to do so. Park in lot E12 or any other nearby lot. The parking permit can be found HERE. Print it and display it on your vehicle dashboard. Some permits will be available on site if you need one. (If arriving by bus, busses will need to park in lot E33 on the map after drop-off.)
Saturday, 2/18/2023 8:30 AM – 7:00 PM
8:30 AM: All students required to be at project boards.
Busses park in lot E33 near baseball field after drop-off.
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Students remain at project in their assigned room for in-person judging interviews. Each project will have 2-3 interviews by a team of judges who will determine winners together. Project judging criteria used by judges can be found HERE, which is aligned to the criteria used at the affiliated state and international competitions.
12:00-1:00: Schools provide their own lunch to students. Each school will have an assigned room in #39 or #30 on the map. You may also eat outside. Those room locations will be provided Friday via email.
1:15-3:20 PM: Outreach activities and lab tours. Students and teachers will be provided a schedule to rotate through various events, including science and engineering lab tours! Rotation schedules will be provided by Saturday.
3:30-4:00 PM: Public viewing of projects in EMAGC #40; open to the public. Students required to be at projects.
4:00-4:15 PM: Project tear-down. Rooms will be provided on the 1st floor of EMAGC #40 to stack project boards until after the awards ceremony, or they may be placed in vehicles/busses at this time.
4:30 PM: Doors open for awards ceremonies; open to the public. There are 2 awards ceremonies simultaneously to expedite the end-of-event departure time.
· Middle School Awards: #17 Student Union (a 10-minute walk from the projects)
· High School Awards: #33 Library Auditorium (very close to the projects)
4:45 until ~7:00 PM (may end sooner): Awards ceremonies, including category awards followed by special awards.
· 1st-5th place will be awarded in each category.
· 1st & 2nd place in each category are eligible to advance to the Texas Science & Engineering Fair at Texas A&M University in College Station from March 24-25, 2023.
· Several Grand Champion high school projects will be announced and eligible to advance to the Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair from May 13-19, 2023, in Dallas, TX.
After Awards Ceremonies, students and sponsors will return to competition sites to pick up all project boards, posters, and materials.
Sincerely,
Tim Sears
Fair Director, 63rd Annual RGV Regional Science and Engineering Fair
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley