Science fairs and increasing interest in STEM

As an engineering & technology teacher I get all excited about new things in the STEM field. I was excited to see the pictures of the black whole. I am enjoying getting deeper in subjects like hover craft, hot air balloons, writing html, exploring robot design, and much, much more. Sometimes the kids are with me and sometimes the kids are not. I will admit I get a little bummed when the kids are not as excited as I am but I remind myself that not everyone is into STEM. Which brings me to what i want to write about today: increasing interest in STEM fields.

One tool used to peek kids interesting in STEM is the good old fashioned science fair or as some are calling it the STEM showcase. The science fair has been around for decades as a way to show off the work we are doing in science to the community and help get kids interested in the topics of science. In a nutshell it is being used as a motivational tool. But how motivational is it to kids in getting them interested in STEM?

I ask because my twins are at the grade level where the science fair is done at the elementary level and I am finding 2 very different levels of interest. One kids is mildly excited about doing the tried and true volcano project (thanks to our recent trip to Mt. St. Helens). The other is doing everything she can to get out of it. This came as a shock to my wife and I as she has showed a real interesting in her science time as well as in playing with 2 robots at home. Yet any mention of the science fair is having her shut down and bring on bouts of anger/fear. As a teacher I know that no learning will happen when a child is angry and/or fearful. I have learned to pull back and find other things for my students to focus on or if there is time I try and have a conversation with them to see if I can break them through their anger or fear. Which is what I am doing with my own child. The root of the issue is that like me she is shy and hates "presenting" (yes I know I am a teacher how could I hate presenting; but that is another topic for another post). I looked more into the flyer that went home and see that for 5th grade students it is a requirement. When talking with her about this she is pretty adamant that she will not do it and would rather take a zero.

Don't worry I will get her through this with little to no trauma but it got me thinking. What are good ways to motivate students' interest in STEM fields and is forcing them to present at a science fair the best course of action? I have heard the arguments that if we don't require it they won't do it, or we must do it as a PR piece for voters, or my personal favorite because we have always done it. All, except the last, are valid excuses but what is the impact on motivating students interest in STEM? I can tell you for my daughter and I it is a huge demotivator. While I have learned to suck it up and present something she has not acquired the confidence yet to just suck it up.

I could really care less if she presents or not, what I am more concerned with is keeping her interest in STEM. As we all know girls interest in the STEM field wanes over time even thought we know they do better in these fields. She is one whose interest in STEM has grown over the years. She struggles with reading and writing (like father like daughter) but to see her interest in environmental science with her ability to talk and recall info at the dinner table brings joy to my heart. She is able to describe the parts of studies they did in class and talk about the affects of pollution on the environment from an article in class. She loves playing with the robots I bring home from my classes and exploring how they work both on her own and with her brother. There are even times when she will ask to come out in my shop to help me work on building things or fixing things around the house. She also has acquired an interest in playing video games with her brother where there are missions to solve. All of these are examples of a high interest and confidence level that is utterly erased at the mention of science fair.

So my question to you all is forcing kids to participate in the science fair the best way to motivate kids to explore interest in STEM? What other ways can we motivate kids to explore STEM? Some that I have explored are:
1. Virtual presentations
2. Creating challenges relevant to student interests
3. Student choice in projects
4. Alternate methods of assessment
5. After school clubs
There are many more out there that I would like to hear about as well as your thoughts on the importance of the good old fashioned science fair.

As always go forth and do great things.