As someone who was always interested in science and science research, science fairs have been a big part of my life. I started in elementary school with the standard potato clock and toothpaste volcano and slowly progressed through middle school and early high school studying the effect of water temperature on glow sticks, salinity’s effect on the digestive enzyme amylase, and different puzzles’ (think word search or crossword puzzle) effects on stress in teens. Over the past couple of years, I’ve met some insanely talented people with really impressive projects that have definitely restored my faith in this generation and what we are able to accomplish.

Recently, I attended a science fair-type conference called the 2022 Georgia Junior Science & Humanities Symposium in Athens, Georgia where about 50 high school students came together to present their original research projects to experienced judges in their respective research fields. It was such a great experience, and I would definitely encourage anyone with an interest in research and a research project/paper to apply next year, especially you AP Research kids! While at the symposium, I met high schoolers from so many different high schools across Georgia and learned so much through the variety of projects presented. There were students who had invented algorithms to detect cancer, created environmentally-friendly products for architecture purposes, and some were even on their way to creating a cure for COVID-19.

And while these projects were nothing short of amazing, they all had one common feature that really got me thinking about the socioeconomic side of science fairs. A lot of the top projects that went on to win various awards and scholarships were conducted in actual science laboratories using equipment and materials that I had never heard of before. Numerous students were mentored by professors with several years of experience, some of which were their own parents, relatives, or friends. Other students had access to special equipment, science rooms, and instruction within their own schools. One school in particular had a specific class just for science research and entering science fairs.

There was a correlation between students having access to various resources and guidance and their success at the science fairs. For example, a student who worked in a laboratory under a physics professor may have been able to study particle motion and create a project around that, placing higher in the competition than another student who conducted their project at their home and maybe sent out a survey to study teenage eating habits. Essentially, those with access to better equipment and resources were able to conduct more advanced projects that overshadowed the other projects in terms of the actual competition.

In addition, the students with these resources and opportunities often came from predominantly high socioeconomic backgrounds with greater access to well-funded schools and facilities. Those with more limited resources came from schools in more rural areas where entering science fairs was not as common. It wasn’t that some students just chose to put in more effort and work in labs with all these fancy materials while others didn’t. These students were always just a step behind, since they didn’t have facilities available to them or anyone to guide them through the process. In my opinion, having all of these students compete together doesn’t seem fair since they aren’t given access to the same resources. It would be like having two groups of students build a model rocket, but one group would be given the materials beforehand and the other group would have to gather materials themselves.

I’m not saying that the students with greater access to resources didn’t work hard for their success or don’t deserve to win. I know that working to fully utilize the resources you are given requires lots of hard work and dedication, and these students deserve every bit of the success they get from the work that they do. I just think that they could change up their competition and maybe compete against others in similar situations. Especially with all the different cash prizes and scholarships involved for the winners of these science fairs, there are so many students that can benefit from the money but are just not able to reach that point.

I know that, if you’ve read this far, you’re probably thinking “That’s just life. There are going to be people who have more resources than you and perform better than you — deal with it” and you’re right. Life isn’t fair and it never will be because there will always be people who are better off than others. But these are high school science fairs I’m talking about, and I feel like all students should be given equal opportunities. If we leveled the playing field, no student would be limited in what they can and cannot do, setting us up with a stronger foundation of young minds faced with an endless sea of opportunities.