UKIAH, Calif. – The Mendocino County Office of Education (MCOE) invites the public to attend the 32nd annual Mendocino County Science Fair on Saturday, March 10, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the Mendocino College Gym in Ukiah.

Students in grades third to 12th who received top scores for their science projects at school and district science fairs around the county are invited to compete.

The top 10 projects in grades sixth to 12th will be selected to advance to the California state science fair, scheduled for April 23 to 24 at the California Science Center, Exposition Park in Los Angeles.

“Our goal is to help children develop a love of science through experimentation, and to teach them to apply the scientific method as they do research,” said Kimberly Barden, MCOE manager of Educational Services and Student Events.

Students can submit science fair projects as part of a class project, as a team with two or three members, or as individuals.

Projects can cover any number of topics in the following categories: Life sciences A (biology, botany, zoology, microbiology, biochemistry), life sciences B (medicine, health, behavior and social sciences), physical sciences (physics, chemistry, aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, electronics and electromagnets, mathematics, software and computer science), earth and space sciences (geology, astronomy, ecology, atmospheric science, environmental science), and engineering.

Barden encourages those interested in participating to download the student science project handbook available online at www.mcoe.us/District/Department/27-curriculum-/Portal/Science-Fair .

MCOE also offers a step-by-step guide for science fair coordinators, including forms, rules, submission specifications, judging criteria and more.

Science fair judges review each project against standard criteria and interview participants about their projects.

Those interested in serving as judges or volunteers at this year’s science fair should register online. To judge, visit https://goo.gl/f4ojrC. To volunteer, visit https://goo.gl/EFs55A.

For additional information, contact Barden at 707-467-5100 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..