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Gwinnett County Public Schools

2022 Gwinnett County Regional Science, Engineering + Innovation Fair: Inspiring the next generation of science and engineering leaders from the classroom to career

The 2022 Gwinnett County Regional Science, Engineering + Innovation Fair marks the 44th anniversary of this prestigious event that shines a spotlight on outstanding science students. The event—which took place using Zoom and a digital platform—featured more than 450 projects produced by students from 64 elementary, middle, and high schools, one special entity, and one non-GCPS school that operates in the county.

These projects, representing the best of student research and engineering in Gwinnett County, showcase the creativity and innovation of nearly 1,000 students. They were judged by professionals and scientists from all around the world who assessed them on scientific quality, accuracy, creativity, engineering precision, and experimental design. Top project categories this year include Chemistry, Robotics & Intelligent Machines, Environmental Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering.

Jessica Holden, GCPS director of Middle and High School Science, is impressed by the quality of the projects this year. “This year’s Regional Fair involved more projects than we have had in recent years when the event was held in person,” Holden said. “Our students are developing projects that are increasingly focused on applying knowledge, skills, and passion to better our world. In addition, student projects are showing innovation and application on a greater level than we’ve seen previously. Middle school students are producing projects with titles such as Application of Thermoplastics: 3D Printed Pediatric Prosthetic Foot and IdentiCan: The App That Detects Lung Cancer. High school projects are rivaling industry and research institute quality with titles ranging from The Role of Ribosomal RNA Modifications in Ribosome Biogenesis and Optimizing Machine Learning Algorithms for Multiclass Neuroimaging Segmentation.”

Students with an entrepreneurial take on their projects competed in Innovation in Action, a “Shark Tank” style competition where members of the local and global STEM community select top projects to receive seed money that will assist students in turning their project into a product. With the event being virtual this year, Innovation in Action also featured a “fan favorite” competition, where the Gwinnett community could view these projects on the Fair platform and vote for their favorite projects the day of the Fair.

In addition to participating in in-depth project interviews with judges and the Innovation in Action competition, students had the opportunity to take part in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) workshops that provided activities and ways for students to engage with more than 15 local and global community partners to learn more about STEM careers and opportunities. 

Holden says the event is just one more example of how GCPS is preparing students to be tomorrow’s leaders. “The district’s commitment to science education is a commitment to preparing our students for their futures,” Holden said. “Science education equips students with content knowledge, but also with the skills necessary for future success in college and career. Science is a verb, and we are committed to providing students experiences and opportunities to practice developing and applying skills and content learning in relevant ways. Specifically, a commitment to instructional opportunities like the science fair inspires students to blend their interests and passions with their learning in meaningful ways—which has a lasting, positive impact on both students and our community.”

Place awards were given to top middle school and high school prizes across each of the 22 project categories and sponsors will award over $15,000 of scholarships and special awards. An awards ceremony video is being developed to capture the excitement and celebrate the amazing work of students. The high school and middle school students who earn top honors at this regional competition will move to the next round at the state level and will compete in the Georgia Science and Engineering Fair held this spring. The top six high school projects also qualify for the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, held May 7-13, 2022, where Gwinnett students will compete against students from 77 other countries.

The sponsors for this year’s gathering of student STEM excellence include Presenting Sponsor: PCOM Georgia; Award Sponsor: Broadcom Foundation; Innovation in Action Sponsor: Boehringer Ingelheim; Platinum Sponsors; Jackson EMC, Brace Family Foundation; Gold Sponsors: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta; Delta Community Credit Union; Nordson; Silver Sponsors: GCPS Foundation, GCPS TV; Bronze Sponsors: Woodward & Curran, MetroPower, and Atlanta Gladiators.

The following 64 schools have students and projects competing in this year’s event:

Archer Cluster:

  • Archer HS
  • Harbins ES
  • Lovin ES

Berkmar Cluster:

  • Berkmar MS
  • Sweetwater MS
  • Corley ES

Brookwood Cluster:

  • Brookwood HS
  • Crews MS
  • Five Forks MS
  • Craig ES
  • Gwin Oaks ES

Central Gwinnett Cluster:

  • Central Gwinnett HS
  • Jenkins ES
  • Simonton ES

Collins Hill Cluster:

  • Collins Hill HS
  • Creekland MS
  • Taylor ES
  • Walnut Grove ES
  • Rock Springs ES

Discovery Cluster:

  • Discovery HS
  • Alford ES
  • Baggett ES
  • Benefield ES

Duluth Cluster:

  • Duluth HS
  • Chesney ES

Grayson Cluster:

  • Bay Creek MS

Lanier Cluster:

  • Lanier MS
  • Sycamore ES
  • White Oak ES

Meadowcreek Cluster:

  • Meadowcreek HS
  • McClure Health Science HS
  • Radloff MS
  • Meadowcreek ES
  • Graves ES
  • Nesbit ES
  • Rockbridge ES

Mill Creek Cluster:

  • Mill Creek HS
  • Jones MS
  • Osborne MS
  • Harmony ES
  • Ivy Creek ES

Mountain View Cluster:

  • Twin Rivers MS
  • Freeman’s Mill ES
  • Patrick ES

Norcross Cluster:

  • Paul Duke STEM HS
  • Summerour MS
  • Baldwin ES
  • Simpson ES

North Gwinnett Cluster:

  • North Gwinnett HS
  • Level Creek ES
  • Suwanee ES
  • Riverside ES

Parkview Cluster:

  • Camp Creek ES

Peachtree Ridge Cluster:

  • Peachtree Ridge HS
  • Hull MS
  • Northbrook MS
  • Mason ES

Shiloh Cluster:

  • Shiloh HS
  • Shiloh MS
  • Partee ES

South Gwinnett Cluster:

  • South Gwinnett HS
  • Grace Snell MS

GCPS Special Entities:

  • Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology

Non-GCPS Schools:

  • Wesleyan School

For more information about the event or science education in Gwinnett County Public Schools, visit www.gwinnettsciencefair.com or contact Jessica Holden, GCPS Director of Science, at 678-301-7036.

News media representatives are welcome to review the Regional Fair digital platform at https://www.gwinnettsciencefair.com/virtual-expo/