Lehigh Hosts Budding Scientists for 36th Annual Lehigh Valley Science & Engineering Research Fair

Every March, students from Northampton and Lehigh Counties gather in Lehigh University’s Rauch Fieldhouse to present their research as part of the Lehigh Valley Science & Engineering Research Fair (LVSF).

Sponsored by Lehigh University, LVSF offers students in sixth through 12th grade the opportunity to conduct and present original scientific research while competing with their peers by grade and category.

"LVSF provides a unique opportunity for students with a passion for science and engineering to explore their interests through research," said Jill Forrest, Lehigh University’s director of academic outreach and LVSF director. "After 12 years of supporting LVSF, I continue to be amazed by the depth, creativity and quality of projects these young scientists bring to the competition each year."

This year, 82 judges representing Lehigh alumni, faculty, staff and graduate students, as well as volunteers from the medical and technology sectors, evaluated the 185 projects that were slated to compete at the fair held on March 14–15. The judges interviewed students about their research and caucus to determine the winners.

LVSF is one of thirteen regional fairs from throughout parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware whose winners move on to the Delaware Valley Science Fair (DVSF). Fourteen winners from DVSF advance to the Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF), where they compete against students from around the world.

Aashka Sevak, a senior at Emmaus High School, participated in her fifth and final science fair this year. Since the eighth grade, Sevak has presented research in the chemistry, physics, environmental, behavioral and biochemistry categories, and has had the opportunity to advance to DVSF.

“I feel like competing in the fair has given me a greater advantage to learn more about the science realm,” said Sevak. “I’ve made the best memories, I’ve met great people and have been exposed to so many opportunities that I wouldn’t have been exposed to otherwise. I feel like I have an advantage over classmates who have never competed in the fair. I’m really happy that eighth-grade me decided to do it.”

Sevak’s participation in LVSF has inspired her to major in biology when she enters college this fall on the pre-medicine track with the goal of conducting research in cancer or diabetes.

For the past thirty years, Alan Flory, an engineer from Iron Horse Environmental, has seen many students such as Sevak develop an understanding of the scientific method through projects that are often inspired by their own lives.

“LVSF has grown dramatically since I began judging in 1995,” Flory said. “When you turn on the news, you don’t see younger generations represented as hard-working, curious and scientifically minded, but judging the fair has proven that wrong. The caliber of presentations this year, as well as the dedication of the judges, was unparalleled. It gives me great hope for our collective future that Lehigh continues to foster and reward the curiosity of these young scientists.”

For more information about the Lehigh Valley Science & Engineering Research Fair, please visit https://lvsf.lehigh.edu/ or contact Jill Forrest at jsf212@lehigh.edu.

Story by Jessica Jackson