Flip the Fair: Elementary school students visit public library to judge graduate student science projects

Flip the Fair puts power directly into children’s hands, inviting them to judge Virginia Tech graduate student science research projects. At the fair, graduate students practice communicating their research to a young audience, while children have the opportunity to see themselves as valued contributors in science. This program is designed in partnership between Virginia Tech graduate students and the Roanoke City Public Libraries (Roanoke, VA). At our event, graduate students present posters about their research, with an audience of over 200 local elementary school students. Virginia Tech discovers that, by hosting the Flip the Fair event at the Roanoke Public Libraries, barriers to entry for participants is lowered and allows them to reach a more diverse and under-engaged audience. While judging posters, children learn about a wide range of leading-edge research and have meaningful interactions with diverse scientists in small-group collaborative learning settings. Conversely, for graduate students, this event provides an opportunity to practice communicating their research to a new audience. Meanwhile, the Roanoke Public Libraries are able to introduce children and their teachers to their library branch and newly renovated STEAM lab. This library program supports early childhood experiences with science, technology, engineering, and math. It also contributes to the development of perceived occupational self-efficacy, which in turn influences the range of career options that children may consider. Flip the Fair is an innovative approach that addresses both the need for science outreach to children and the need for graduate student training in science communication. Supporting the Libraries mission to "Educate, Empower and Engage," this program puts children in a position of power as judges and encourages participating children to feel a responsibility to pay close attention and provide a thoughtful evaluation of the science fair projects.