WHAT IS GARSEF?

The Greater Austin Regional Science and Engineering Fair or GARSEF is one of the largest regional science fairs in Texas, open to students in grades 3–12. For Kiker Elementary School students, the Elementary Division participates in the regional fair held right here in Austin (GARSEF) — this is the final level of competition, as elementary participants do not advance to the state fair.

While GARSEF has a competitive element participants will compete against themselves not one another.  The true goal is to spark curiosity and inspire students to explore STEM in ways that excite and interest them. It’s less about competing and more about discovering the joy of scientific investigation.

Each project will be judged using age-appropriate guidelines via rubric that focus on the scientific process, understanding of the topic, and how clearly the project is documented and presented. 

At GARSEF, students can earn 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place ribbons based on their scores. Some projects may also receive Special Awards for outstanding work in specific areas like renewable energy, health, or environmental science — so creativity and curiosity really do shine!

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

GARSEF is only for students in 3rd through 12th grades. A Kiker Elementary School student (3rd to 5th grade) can only  participate at GARSEF if their project is on the 16 projects selected to advance from the Kiker Elementary School Science Fair. GARSEF will be the end of the road for our elementary school students.

Students from 3rd to 5th grade at Kiker Elementary may work individually or in teams of up to three. If a team includes students from different grade levels, the project will be judged according to the highest grade level represented on the team.

TYPE OF PROJECTS ALLOWED

Students may choose from three types of projects: Experiments, Engineering Designs, and Exhibits.

• Experiments involve testing a hypothesis — a scientific question — by following the steps of the scientific method.

• Engineering Designs focus on solving a problem by planning, building, testing, and improving a design. Examples include creating a bridge that can hold the most weight, building a balloon-powered car to see how far it travels, or testing which pinewood derby car shape is the fastest.

• Exhibits center around explaining or demonstrating how something works, such as researching “How does my toy windmill work?”

For students advancing to GARSEF, 5th graders are encouraged to complete an Experiment or Engineering Design project rather than an Exhibit.

TYPE OF PROJECTS NOT ALLOWED

A project will be disqualified if it includes any of the following items: 

• Growing mold or bacteria of any type

• Firearms, explosives or discharge air pressure canister devices (ex. potato guns)

• Causing pain, suffering, sickness or death of an animal

• Breaking local, state, federal law

• Production of any amount of consumable alcohol 

• Any activity of substance that presents a danger to the student, other people or the environment (including hazardous chemicals, radioactive materials and dangerously sharp objects).
  
  

DISPLAY GUIDELINES

• Must use a sturdy tri-fold display board (available at office and craft stores)

• Maximum display size: 15" deep, 48" wide, 60" high.  Projects will displayed on tables that are 36" high.  Project Display Boards can be purchased online at Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Office Depot, Walmart or other similar retailers.

• Display items (writing, photos, charts) must be securely attached to the display board with tape or glue, absolutely no staples.

• Only paper and photos can be used on display boards. No unattached demonstrations or experiments can be used.

JUDGING CRITERIA

• Judges will be volunteers from our community who work in a STEM field or have a STEM background.

• All regardless of grade level are judged by criteria (understanding, clarity, process, documentation) rather than by direct peer to peer competition.

• At GARSEF:  Judges will review all project display boards and ALL 3rd through 5th grade will participate in a brief interview lasting about two to three minutes. All students who are interviewed should be prepared to clearly explain their scientific question, hypothesis, variables, method, data, conclusions, and possible improvements to demonstrate their understanding of the scientific process.

• Judging Criteria is based upon a rubric and each participant is judged against themselves, not against their peers.