October 14th, 2024
(Tucson, Arizona) On Friday, February 7th, 2025, SARSEF will be hosting an event to celebrate the upcoming 70th annual Regional Science and Engineering Fair.
The SARSEF 70: Decades of Discovery is the beginning of the Fair festivities and will take place at Bear Down Gym (1428 E University Blvd Tucson, AZ 85721) from Friday, February 7th from 6pm-9pm.
The SARSEF 70: Decades of Discovery welcomes past, current and future participants, as well as the community at large to help celebrate SARSEF’s impact in STEM education and Southern Arizona.
As we celebrate this important milestone, SARSEF is asking anyone with a story or connection to the Fair or organization to share your thoughts and testimonies with us at https://sarsef.org/70th-anniversary/ . Submissions will help showcase the impact of SARSEF from the perspective of those who were involved. Stories of involvement with SARSEF—whether as a student, judge, educator, caregiver, or volunteer—are vital in inspiring the next generation of curious observers to world-changing innovators.
The SARSEF 70: Decades of Discovery event will include hundreds of community members, teachers, students, advocates, volunteers, supporters, and industry professionals. Attendees can anticipate interactive explorations of STEM, community testimonies and experiences, speakers from throughout the decades, and celebrations of the future of SARSEF. More information can be found at https://sarsef.org/sarsef70.
“It’s hard to overstate the impact the SARSEF Fair has had on our community,” says Dani Wright, SARSEF’s current Fair Director, “In my five years in this role, I’ve witnessed how [science fair] projects have become a family tradition, shaping generations’ approaches to science, engineering, and their career paths. I regularly encounter SARSEF bumper stickers in the wild and meet community members who fondly remember participating in their youth. It’s an honor to be part of this legacy and to explore its rich history this year.”
A Tucson institution, the Regional Science Fair first started at Bear Down Gym in 1955. Beginning with just 120 projects from Tucson, Casa Grande, Yuma, and Bisbee, the SARSEF fair has grown over the last seven decades to be one of the largest science and engineering fairs in the world. Alongside the Fair, SARSEF has grown into a year-round STEM education nonprofit whose mission is to create Arizona’s future critical thinkers and problem solvers through science and engineering. From this mission, a variety of programs have emerged to support PreK-12th grade students, caregivers, families, and educators in our community and throughout the state.
The largest of these programs remains the SARSEF Regional Science and Engineering Fair. In the last year, over 5,200 students participated from 135 schools across the region. The Regional Science and Engineering Fair will be held March 1st – 8th, 2025 with both virtual and in-person events throughout the week.
”The SARSEF Regional Science and Engineering Fair is a Tucson tradition. Because of that, for the last seven decades, Southern Arizona residents have had an annual opportunity to celebrate and recognize the importance of science education,” Julie Euber, SARSEF CEO shared. “We are proud that for many Southern Arizona students, the first check they receive is with their award from science fair because they are smart, innovative, creative scientists and engineers.”
SARSEF welcomes individuals, families, corporate partners, and foundations to learn about sponsoring the organization to be recognized throughout the year and at this large-scale event. For those interested, please contact Chelsea Bowdren, Development Manager at chelsea@sarsef.org or at 520-525-5352. Information on sponsorship opportunities and benefits can be found at https://sarsef.org/donate/corporate-sponsorship/
Event Date: Friday, February 7th, 2025
Event Time: 6pm-9pm
Event Location: Bear Down Gym, 1428 E University Blvd Tucson, AZ 85721
Media Contact:
Chelsea Bowdren, Development Manager
SARSEF
520-525-5352
Chelsea@sarsef.org