For Immediate Release; Coverage invited

Contact:         Maryjane Briant
                        News and Media Relations Director
                        Galloway, N.J. 08205
                        Maryjane.Briant@stockton.edu
                        (609) 652-4593
                        stockton.edu/media

Galloway, N.J. - Stockton University again this year will host the Jersey Shore Science Fair, the region’s largest with nearly 600 students from 43 middle and high schools from across New Jersey competing on Saturday, March 18.

Over 545 projects submitted by students in sixth through 12th grades will be judged on criteria including creative ability, scientific thought/engineering goals, thoroughness, skill and clarity.

“Stockton is proud to host the region’s largest and most prestigious Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) competition,” said Dean Peter Straub, of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. “I am continually amazed at the depth and breadth of scientific inquiry that the students bring to their projects and am excited that this competition will honor their achievements.

Cathy Jaggard, fair director for 18 years, said: “The Stockton JSSF has been recognized as one of the best in both quantity and quality of projects.”

First- and second-place winners from sixth through eighth grades will go on to the Delaware Valley Science Fair, to be held in Oaks, Pa., with judging on April 5. Students who have participated at the Jersey Shore Science Fair at Stockton have gone all the way to the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) and placed in previous years, according to Henry Disston, director of Delaware Valley Science Fairs, Inc. This year’s ISEF will be held in Los Angeles from May 17-19.

Stockton faculty, staff and students will participate in judging and helping run the science fair, which starts at 9 a.m. on March 18 in Stockton’s Sports Center. The public may view the projects between 12 noon and 1 p.m., followed by an awards ceremony at 1:30 p.m.

For more information about the Jersey Shore Science Fair, visit www.jssf.us.                                                   

For more information about Stockton University, visit stockton.edu.