The level of excitement reached epic proportions last Saturday morning at Gifford Middle School, as students competed in the 27th annual Indian River Regional Science and Engineering Fair, hosted by the Education Foundation of Indian River County in partnership with the School District of Indian River County.

Terms such as salinity, osmosis and conduction were bandied about as more than 500 students in kindergarten through 12th grade from 26 schools presented science projects ranging from animal science and engineering to physics and robotics. Students vied for more than $1.7 million in college scholarships and cash prizes, with select finalists advancing to the State Science & Engineering Fair of Florida and the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair.

The passionate young thinkers sought to solve such everyday problems as creating a toilet that can flush a LEGO as well as those with worldwide consequences, such as melting ice caps.

“I realized how bad and dangerous microplastics are to the environment,” said fourth-grader Avi Johnson, who learned of the issue as an Environmental Ambassador at the Environmental Learning Center. “It’s a common problem that needs to be fixed.”

“The science fair set a foundation for me in computer science. It instilled a passion for science, technology and engineering,” said St. Edward’s School senior Omar Shareef.

Judges listened carefully as students pointed out their findings on colorfully designed project boards, patiently questioning their procedures and outcomes, and offering suggestions for further research.

“Being an Air Force guy I know something about parachutes. I thought the 19-inch parachute would have given a softer landing, but it turned out it was the 14-inch,” said retired USAF Col. Martin Zickert, surprised by a student’s results on how parachute size affects landing impact.

Local realtor Diane DeFrancisci volunteered as a judge in hopes of empowering young women to pursue careers in engineering and math.

“This encourages students to think scientifically,” she said. “You can sit in a classroom and listen to what the teacher says, but these kids have taken the scientific method and put it into action.”

“They gain confidence and learn how to organize and present their work,” agreed Gary Payne, adding that it helps students develop critical skills. “My grandson can intelligently interact with adults because of the experience he’s had at the science fair.”

“This is a wonderful example of community collaboration,” said Cynthia Falardeau, CEO of the Education Foundation, which assists private and public school students to develop the skills needed to meet the challenges of higher education and vocational interests. “We are the only Education Foundation in the state of Florida that runs a regional science and engineering fair. We believe the science fair is a driver of science achievement.”

For more information, visit edfoundationirc.org.