Challenge Competitions

Chemistry Challenge

Aluminum, copper, and nickel seem environmentally friendly because they can be recycled and don't flake off like rusting iron. Is mining any of them environmentally friendly? Is there an environmental price that is not included in the market price? Is there a "best" way to use each of these metals? Take the challenge and learn as much as you can. Under the supervision of your teacher or adult mentor, test your ideas and tell about them.

Green Challenge

When your parents were growing up, they knew the 3 Rs as Reading, 'Riting, 'Rithmetic. More recently, there has been an emphasis on another set of 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse, And Recycle. Now there is a 4th R: Recover. After you have Reduced the amount of paper you use; after you have Reused paper by printing on the back; after the paper is ready for Recycling, there is still one more thing that can be done. You can Recover it and find another life for it. Your challenge is to find what this new life or improved product might be for paper.

Kite Challenge

Kites can be different sizes, colors, shapes and designs. They can be small, delicate and fly gently with a minimum of motion. Use your creativity and your ingenuity to make a kite that is tiny, light, beautiful, stable, and flies smoothly. Give it a try. Kite flying can be uplifting.

Rally Can Racer Challenge

Roll ‘em! For decades, that was the way of saying "Lets get started" when a new project was beginning. It still is said today, only for the Expo it refers to racing cans instead of starting a new project or investigation. Your challenge is to build a racer that "can" go faster than those of your opponents. Even, if you don’t win the race, you might win the competition. Are you ready? Roll ‘em!

Wind Instrument Challenge

Do you like music? Do you like making things? Do you like experimenting? If so, then take "note!" This challenge is for you. Your challenge is to make a wind instrument that you can play like a pro and then tell others about the fun you had doing it. When the judges, who are all interested in science education, listen to the student explanations they will each think "This is music to my ears."