Hundreds of middle and high school students from Marion and Sumter Counties will compete head-to-head this week during the annual Big Springs Regional STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Fair.
On Wednesday, February 7, the event will be held at the Circle Square Cultural Center inside On Top of the World, which is located at 8395 SW 80th Street in Ocala.
The regional competition will feature individual winners from public, private, charter, and home schools. During the event, participating students will display their own unique science projects, and dozens of awards will be handed out in various categories.
The student projects will be open to public viewing from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Judging will take place on the day of the event, and winners will be announced on Friday night, February 9, at a special awards ceremony in the Browne Greaton Cole Auditorium at Marion Technical Institute (1614 E Fort King Street in Ocala).
The regional winners will advance to the Florida State Science Fair, which will take place in Lakeland on April 4 through April 6.
High school students who are selected as the top state winners will then advance to the International Science Fair in Los Angeles, California, which will take place on May 11 through May 17.
For more information, contact Erin Benavides via phone (352-236-5401) or email (Erin.Benavides@marion.k12.fl.us).