The 36th Galveston County Science and Engineering Fair is set for Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Aggie Special Events Center on the campus of Texas A&M University at Galveston, 200 Seawolf Parkway.

All Galveston County students in grades 7-12 are encouraged to apply to present at the fair, which experienced a hiatus during the 2017-18 school year because of the impact of Hurricane Harvey.

Registration is currently open at http://www.tamug.edu/scifair/registration.html. The deadline to register is Feb. 1. No late registration, on-site registration and substitutions will be accepted.

Exhibit categories include behavioral/social science, biochemistry and microbiology, botany, environmental sciences, medicine and health, zoology, chemistry, computer science, space and earth sciences, engineering, mathematics and physics.

Student participants who win in their category will be awarded trophies, certificates, scholarships and/or cash awards.

Judging will begin at 8:30 a.m. The general public is invited to view the exhibits from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The Galveston County Science and Engineering Fair is the result of a long-standing tradition of collaboration between the faculty and staff from Galveston College, Texas A&M University at Galveston and the University of Texas Medical Branch to encourage Galveston County students to engage in science, engineering, technology and mathematics through competitive projects and exhibitions.

Science fair co-chairs are Dr. James Salazar of Galveston College, Dr. David Baca of Texas A&M University at Galveston and Dr. Marguerite A. Sognier of the University of Texas Medical Branch. Committee members include Michael Sweeney, Texas A&M University at Galveston; Dr. Adrian Recinos, Dr. Cliff Houston and Alicia Simmons, University of Texas Medical Branch; and Dr. Dragoslava Zivadinovic, Dr. Tatyana Ivanova, Carol Langston, Cynthia Parra and Sandi Smith, Galveston College.

“Participation in a science and engineering fair can be a critical step,” said Dr. Sognier, a research scientist and inventor who holds five patents. “Students gain essential life skills such as critical/creative thinking, effective communication and perseverance, which will benefit them for the rest of their lives.”

For more information, contact Dr. David R. Baca at (409) 599-1441 or Michael Sweeney at (409) 740-4564.