Jackson EMC is a major sponsor of the Georgia Science & Engineering Fair (GSEF), as well as the Regional Science & Engineering Fairs in Athens, Gainesville and Gwinnett.  Our cooperative sponsors these fairs because they allow us to support education through engineer-driven programs, including energy, while reaching hundreds of students in our service territory. 

Students from across the state compete for money, awards and prizes during the regional and state fairs held each year.  The state fair is traditionally held in Athens in the spring.  

The GSEF provides junior high and high school students an opportunity to learn how to isolate and solve problems all within the framework of organized, logical thought, and in the biological and physical sciences.  The GSEF also gives students the initial opportunity to exhibit research projects.

Students get project ideas from interests, hobbies or problems they feel need solving.   At the fair, their work is judged by professional engineers and scientists who look not only for an attractive and functional presentation, but more importantly for the contribution the work has made to new information and for the basic understanding the students have of their research.

Awards are given to the middle and high school students by government, professional and educational organizations, colleges, universities and individual sponsors.  The awards include certificates and scholarships.  Monetary awards are given to selected exhibitors and teachers.  They may also receive expense paid trips to the annual International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF), held this year in Reno, Nevada. 

Jackson EMC sponsors five projects or ten students in the GSEF, including the top GSEF award, the Pinnacle Award, that provides ISEF affiliation and funding.

This pre-college program allows students to succeed and to flourish in an increasingly complex and highly technical world by becoming problem solvers, critical thinkers, inquirers, reflective learners, and more productive and influential members of their communities.

The GSEF is made possible by the support of the University of Georgia, Georgia Institute of Technology, Merial, Inc and Jackson EMC, along with other local corporations and businesses.

For more information see www.georgiacenter,uga.edu/oasp or contact Kay Parks at kparks@jacksonemc.com for more details.