For the past dozen years or so, my wife, Myra and I have been privileged to be judges at the Regional Science Fair at Northeast Colorado Junior College. Covid (last year's fair was "virtual") and a lack of participation by some area schools in this important event had in the past several years witnessed a significant decline in participation, however, this year, the Fair experienced a bit of a rebirth.

Whereas several years ago, only nine students participated, this year's fair had 52 scientific research projects that were completed and exhibited by students from Wray High School and Junior High School, Merino High School, Liberty High School and Junior High School and Idalia Junior High School.

Twenty volunteer judges from around the region evaluated various projects and ultimately, 16 of the projects were selected by the judges to represent the northeast region at the Colorado Science and Engineering Fair, held at Colorado State University in April.

As judges, our job is to engage the participants in conversation, have them explain succinctly their hypotheses, their processes and their conclusions and answer whatever questions might occur to our inquiring minds. Participating in these interviews is by far my favorite aspect of judging the science fair. Without exception, the young people that I interviewed this year were articulate, thoughtful, and quite capable. Each had an excellent "presence," maintaining eye contact with the interviewer and answering the varied questions in a very "professional" manner.

Although in the past there have occasionally been "behavioral science" related projects, this year there were more than I can ever remember. One of my favorite projects was developed by a young woman in Yuma who was looking at media bias as it relates to the news. Another participant attempted to evaluate the effects of students doing without their phones for a week. She had attempted to recruit 132 participants, but only eight were willing to even consider giving up their phones for a week.

Student winners not only receive awards and recognition for their efforts, but cash prizes as well. The Hugh and Velma Gerber Trust provides funding and this year Ted and Penny Propst of Sterling provided a $1,000 scholarship. Fatima Duran of Yuma was the Senior Grand award winner for her project "Shining Lights: How Curing Lights Polymerize Different Thicknesses of Pigmented Dental Filling." In addition to the Propst scholarship, she also received a $1,500 stipend to attend the Regeneron ISEF in Atlanta this coming summer.

In talking with Sonya Shaw, the tireless director of the regional fair, she indicated that 14 different schools are invited to participate. That less than half sent participants is reason for concern. It is imperative that our young people be challenged in scientific exploration. Whether or not they ultimately go into scientific study, all young people should learn the process of "Problem, hypothesis, test, and conclusion." This teaches critical thinking and helps expand a young person's ability to reason.

Additionally, if America is going to continue to be a powerful force in the world, it will be incumbent upon us to have a wealth of young scientists who will learn to more effectively harness energy, will learn how to feed a growing world population, and who will learn how to do these things in a manner that is consistent with responsible stewardship.

It is tempting to lay the blame squarely on the schools. After all, they are the ones who promote the value of learning and encourage young people to participate. And in truth, school districts should shoulder some of the responsibility. Is science valued in the school district? Are school boards vigilant in promoting the value of scientific exploration and creating an expectation of scientific excellence? The same would apply to administrators and building principals. The fact that some schools still participated (several of whom are among the smallest districts in the state) would suggest that it is still possible in today's world to have students engage in this type of learning activity.

In talking with educators however, there is another, more insidious reason for declining participation in events such as the Regional Science Fair. "High stakes" standardized testing has compromised, to some extent, the ability of schools and teachers to devote the necessary time and resources to areas of learning that fall "outside testing parameters." It is high time our legislature looked at the mess that increased testing has created and did something about it.

As a judge, I have been impressed over the years with the number of rural farm kids whose projects reflect their love of farming. This year, seventh grader Tyler Wise did a project on soil compaction that took first place in his division, but perhaps more importantly was done because he wants to be part of his family's farming legacy; part of the next generation of farmers.

Several years ago, I asked one young man from Liberty High School what inspired him to do his project. His project was agriculturally related, and his answer just blew me away. He said, "Well I want to eventually be a farmer when I grow up and I want to be able to make a living for my family in a way that is responsible to the land." He paused and then added, "But even more importantly, did you know that in the next 50 years, we're going to have to produce as much food in the world as has been produced collectively in the previous 7000 years? We've got to get busy."

His words have resonated with me over the years. Science is of utmost importance and needs to be an emphasis. Yes, it takes "intentionality" from teachers, administrators, and school boards, to actively promote the value of scientific exploration, but it is, in my opinion, well worth the effort.

When it comes to equipping our young people with the knowledge they will need to be competitive in a global market, this young man's words reflect a profound truth: "We've got to get busy."