Joseph Henry Science Fair

The Joseph Henry Science Fair is open to students in grades 4-8 in the city of Albany. Schools conduct their own competitions and send their winners to the Joseph Henry Science Fair, making it the biggest science competition for Albany’s elementary and middle school students. The goal is to promote inquiry-based science research among students in the 10-14 year age group. The competition stimulates the creation of hundreds of projects each year, as individual schools determine which of their students will go on to the citywide science fair.

Students’ projects range from simple to complex and span all major areas of scientific study. Each project must include a poster, data tables, a data log, and a three-dimensional component, such as the apparatus used to collect the data. Projects are evaluated by a group of judges from the scientific, technological, and academic communities of the Capital Region. Students are given the opportunity to discuss their projects with each judge.

The fair’s namesake, Joseph Henry, was born in 1797, the son of Scottish immigrants. From 1826 until 1832, he served as professor of mathematics and natural philosophy at the Albany Academy, where he did his most important scientific experiments. He served on the faculty of Princeton University from 1832 until 1846. He is considered to be the inventor of the electric motor and the father of daily weather forecasts. In 1846, he became the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, a position he filled as the “greatest living American scientist (of that era)” until he retired. Henry died in 1878. In 2001, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution to honor Henry “for his significant and distinguished role in the development and advancement of science and electricity.”

The Joseph Henry Science Fair is one of several initiatives in which Saint Rose is involved related to improving the state of science education. For information on related programs and events, visit the College’s Institute for Science and Mathematics Education.