On Saturday, February 2, 2013 over 300 students will participate in the Twenty-fifth annual Thomas A. Edison Inventors Fair. Public school, private school and home schooled students from Charlotte, Collier and Lee counties will be competing. Students from all school levels will be presenting their inventions, but a large majority of participants will be elementary school students. The judging will be in the morning and early afternoon and the projects will be on display to the public beginning around 1:30 PM at the Florida Gulf Coast University Alico Arena.
The projects at this Regional Inventors Fair will already have won at their local school-level fairs and will be competing for dozens of scholarships, prizes and trophies. The Inventors Fair program teaches our budding entrepreneurs what to do with an idea, what steps to take to develop it, protect it, pay for it and eventually share and profit from it.
The Inventors Fair is a sister activity of the Regional Science Fair that is taking place the same day at Alico Arena. The Inventors Fair has served as a launching pad for grade school students to apply their knowledge and skills, experience first-hand the scientific method, develop high order thinking and enhance library, computer, research and entrepreneurial skills. Most would agree that Thomas Edison would embrace the Regional Inventors Fair as a wonderful way for our community to improve our society by developing the talent of inventors and scientist. The legacy of Mr. Edison lives on in Southwest Florida.
Media representatives are encouraged to contact Jim Helms, Inventors Fair Co-Chair at taersifairs@gmail.com to make arrangements for access to the Fairs and for an inside look at this major Southwest Florida educational event and celebration.
The Thomas A. Edison Regional Science and Inventor Fairs (TAERSIF) Steering Committee works year-round to organize the Regional event that hosts more than 800 local students who have already won at their individual school Fairs. The Regional Fair and underwriting for student expenses for the Fairs is possible because of the support largely from the Fort Myers Kiwanis Club, Lee County Public Schools, Charlotte County Public Schools and strong support from The Edison Festival of Light, Florida Gulf Coast University, Hodges University, Edison State College, James and Eleanor Newton Scholarships and numerous other partners such as The Edison & Ford Winter Estates, The Imaginarium, Sony Electronics and The Home Depot.