Saturday, March 6, 2010, 10 a.m.
SJND's Anthony J. Aiello Science Center

It will be a first for the Diocese of Oakland and a first for Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School. SJND will host the first annual Diocese of Oakland Science Fair, for middle school students, on Saturday, March 6, 2010.

Educators agree that the sciences play a critical part of today’s school curriculum. Since SJND is home to the state-of-the-art Aiello Science Center, the upcoming fair is slated to be a winner.

A key champion of this inaugural event is Simon Chiu, principal of Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School.  “The United States is continually importing scientific talent from other countries. With all of the educational resources available today, there is no excuse for that,” says Chiu. SJND is proud to be able to support science education in the Bay Area. 

Chiu proposed the idea for the science fair to the Diocese of Oakland and he supported Sr. Barbara Bray, Diocesan Superintendent of Schools, this past summer as she worked to develop a science fair that would best serve the students and schools of the entire Diocese. “When you look at what this country is lacking —qualified scientists and engineers – it becomes quite clear that we need to step up our efforts in science education opportunities,” says Chiu.    

Preparation for the event at SJND is underway. Seventh and eighth grade students from over 40 Diocesan schools will be invited to participate. Local college and university science educators will serve as judges for the competition. The winners will have the opportunity to move on to compete in the San Francisco Bay Area Science Fair.

In addition to the competition, science demonstrations, projects and on-site experiments will be exhibited throughout the afternoon for students, parents, and educators to enjoy. Lunch will be provided for all participants and science prizes will range from award medals and certificates to family field-trip opportunities.

As a precursor to the Science Fair, SJND will host a workshop for Diocesan science teachers in October to present guidelines and offer support.  For more information regarding the Science Fair and the Science Fair Teachers Workshop, contact Kristina Stone, SJND Science Department chair at (510) 995-9540 or
Jenn Costa, administrative associate, at (510) 995-9458.