The 2021 Virtual Southern Tier Scholastic Science Share at SUNY Broome

Of the many lessons learned from the CoViD19 pandemic, one lesson stands out…relying on evidence-based information remains the best way to tackle and solve problems.  Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) has considerable value in our technological society and in education as it helps students to develop important critical thinking skills and encourages them to answer questions and develop solutions to problems that matter to them and the world.  Even with the challenges of pandemic-mandated social distancing, we can develop innovative solutions to encourage lifelong success built on a firm foundation of science and critical thinking.

In keeping with the Southern Tier Scholastic Science Fair’s mission and in the spirit of positive change, the local Triple Cities NY Chapter of Sigma Xi-the Scientific Research Honor Society and SUNY Broome Community College presented the 2021 Virtual Southern Tier Scholastic Science SHARE (STSS-Share) this Spring semester. The main goals of this event were to fuel curiosity and motivate students in grades 5 through 12 to pursue their interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and to provide a forum for creative and innovative thinking.  Since we could not gather in person to discuss their brilliant projects, we invited students to step outside of their traditional project-presentation parameters, put on their critical thinking caps, and to let their curiosity wander and wonder in ways that would not have been possible at our traditional in person science fair.

Major sponsors of the STSS-Share event include SUNY Broome, BCC Foundation, Triple Cities-NY Chapter of Sigma Xi, Lockheed Martin, UHS, Raymond Corporation, Miller Auto Team, IBM, Delta Engineers Architects & Land Surveyors, Diamond Visionics, and more.

Thank you to all the participants and their encouraging teachers. We were impressed with the scope, breadth, and unique problems and potential solutions that were proposed and described by the student participants.  All students who completed a submission received a participation prize. Thank you to the Chemistry Outreach Program (ChOP) at BU for providing educational videos. Thank you to the following dedicated STSS-Share Planning and Executing Committee members from the Health Sciences Division and the STEM Division who have worked so hard to make the 2021 virtual Southern Tier Scholastic Science SHARE event a success:

Bill Hollister
Rachael Hagerman
Amanda Hollister
Tracy Curtis
Jen Musa
Carol Church
Maureen Hankin
Denise Abrams
Tamika Gordon
Susan Schwing
Sarah Stevenson
Julianne Klepfer
Karen Goodman
Rob Congdon
Ciara Cable
Lori Smudde
Fermin Romero
Carine Surdey
Phyllis O’Donnell

For more information, please visit www.bccsciencefair.wordpress.com or contact fair co-Chair Dr. Phyllis O’Donnell at odonnellpm@sunybroome.edu.

Respectfully submitted by Phyllis O’Donnell and Jen Musa

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