WAC Lighting to Sponsor Invitational Science Fair for 15th Year
Created to help promote the education and careers of young scientists, the WAC Lighting Invitational Science Fair is sponsored by WAC Lighting and held at Syosset High School on Long Island, New York each spring. The symposium offers nearly 500 students from Long Island high schools the opportunity to present their research projects to a panel of judges from leading institutions and businesses.
The Research Association of Long Island is a consortium of 11 high schools represented by teachers who advise students that scientific research is an active avenue into understanding the true nature of science.
“The great thing about this science fair is that our judges are scientists, and they engage our students in high-level conversations about their work,” explained Allyson Weseley, President of the Research Association. “We are very thankful to WAC for making this science fair possible.”
The fair includes nine categories: General Biology; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Medicine and Health; Behavioral and Social Science; Chemistry; Earth and Environmental Science; Physics and Astronomy; Engineering; Computer Science and Modeling.
Winners are selected from projects developed and completed by high school students (grades 9-12). Awards and scholarships will be presented to winners of First, Second, and Third Place as well as Honorable Mentions. The topics of research are as varied as the students. Students may spend months or years exploring cures for cancer or producing inexpensive, energy-efficient fuel alternatives.
Participating students have gone on to pursue advanced studies at leading educational institutions, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stony Brook University, Harvard, Yale, Brown, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, the University of Rochester, Carnegie Mellon, Dartmouth, Princeton, Columbia, and New York University (NYU).
Judges include 135 academicians and professionals affiliated with leading universities, hospitals, and other institutions, including Brookhaven National Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Columbia University, Long Island University, New York University, North Shore University Hospital-LIJ Medical Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, Hofstra University and Mount Sinai Medical Center, St. John’s University and Fordham University, Adelphi and Hofstra Universities.
The 2025 WAC Invitational Science Fair will be held at Roslyn High School on April 27, 2025.
