Southern Arizona Pilots Science Fair Director Conference
Program HighlightsSuccess Stories
Broadcom Foundation Sponsors Coding Workshop to Propel Programming into More Projects
Over 60 science and engineering fair directors and educators attended the very first SARSEF (Southern Arizona Research Science and Engineering Foundation) Fair Director Conference in Tucson, AZ, on September 16th, 2023 where Broadcom Foundation sponsored a 90-minute coding workshop, led by Raspberry Pi Foundation & Code Club.
“The opportunity to introduce conference attendees to the value – and ease – of learning to code using the free resources of the Raspberry Pi Foundation was an exciting offshoot of the foundation’s coding retreat in Portland this summer,” said Paula Golden, President, Broadcom Foundation. “This was a fantastic opportunity to train the trainers and help science fair directors understand the myriad of applications coding has in projects today – whether in research, application, engineering, or presentation. Coding is the 21st Century+ skill that every child needs, especially in states like Arizona where vast manufacturing projects are underway because of the CHIPS Act.”
Many Arizona educators who attended had little to no experience with coding and programming. Attendees gained hands-on experience working with a coding project using Raspberry Pi Foundation’s resources and Scratch, resulting in sixteen new Code Clubs signing up throughout Arizona!
“The type of impact that inspires people to make change is exactly what the SARSEF Fair is doing,” said Kevin Johnson, North America Interim Program Manager, Code Club & CoderDojo, Raspberry Pi Foundation. “We are so grateful (to bring) more opportunities for youth to experience the excitement of coding and to support the educators who are creating space to make that happen!”
“The Raspberry Pi session was great,” said one Arizona educator. “I feel better about leading our second-grade science fair night. I know how to better support students in their science fair projects.”
In addition to the coding workshop, attendees heard from other speakers in the science fair world, including educators, fair directors, and judges, with sessions such as Beyond The Volcano: A Guide to Science Fair Project Basics and State Standards Integration or Empowering Tomorrow's Scholars with Authentic Research, focusing on the creative process, data literacy, student support, and integrating opportunities for research into state standards using cross-cutting concepts.
“I feel more confident in what I (can do) as both the teacher guiding all middle school grades in their projects and as the fair director designing the actual fair at our school and setting its standards,” said another educator and school Science Fair Director. “I appreciated being able to talk with more experienced fair directors, educators, and even some judges -- Wow! What a help!”
Thank you to Dani Wright, Director of Events and Volunteers, SARSEF Regional Fair Director, who spearheaded the conference, impacting over 15,000 students in southern Arizona.
