Science Fair Highlights the Bright Young Minds of Tomorrow

Directed and produced by Cristina Constantini and Darren Foster (with additional producer Jeff Plunkett), the documentary entitled Science Fair was on display at The Music Hall On Friday, October 12 at noon.

The documentary follows the tiring and relentless pursuit of scientific glory for many teenage geniuses spanning across the globe. This glory, chased by fresh-faced adolescents from seventy-eight countries, like the United States, Brazil, Germany, etc., comes after many months of scientific research and experimentation that leads to a qualification in the International Scientific and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Los Angeles, California.

After winning regional competitions or placing as a top scorer in a national competition, over 1700 students from all walks of life, are invited to Los Angeles to participate in the week-long ISEF competition. It is here where they get to deepen their understanding of their own work, the work of others, and anxiously await the goosebump-inducing judging process. Amidst these pressures, the crazy, emotion-filled life as a teenager presses in their individually bright young minds too.

The film is a representation of the beauty of today’s youth and the potential that lies in research and the pursuit of knowledge if we allow it to flourish.

To quote Dr. Serena McCalla, a scientific research teacher and ISEF mentor for nine of her students at a high school in Jericho, New York, “These kids are going to change the world cause they’re the best and the brightest.”

By Ian Lenahan