The International Student Science Fair will come to the United States for the first time this summer, drawing students from Nigeria, the Netherlands, Mongolia and elsewhere to the West Side of Aurora.
There, at the campus of the Illinois Math and Science Academy, they will tackle what IMSA officials say are some of the largest problems facing the globe: clean energy, clean water and eliminating world hunger.
It is an event city officials said underscores the power of IMSA, and IMSA officials said has the power to raise Aurora’s profile. They touted both short-term benefits, such as sales taxes brought in by the science fair participants during their stay in the Fox Valley, and long-term exposure for the city to international visitors.
“We strongly believe that raising the international profile of Aurora will have long-term benefits,” said Tami Armstrong, director of IMSA’s office of public affairs.
The late June event is expected to bring students and staff from science, technology, engineering and math-focused schools in about 20 countries and several other states, said Mary Collins, director of special projects for IMSA. Students were supposed to come also from Iran but were not able to get permission, and there was concern about whether Russian students would be allowed to attend but so far they are expecting to come, she said.
West Aurora High School was also invited to attend, and some other suburban high schools are invited to some of the events, Collins said.
They will hear speakers surrounding the three topics of focus, attend workshops and search for potential solutions to the challenges. They will also attend a Kane County Cougars game, an ice cream social and a barbecue.
They are set to visit Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory near Batavia, Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Ball Horticultural in West Chicago and other companies. They will go shopping and one day will visit the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. IMSA officials are planning to highlight the area’s open spaces to the visitors, many of whom will be coming from large, densely populated cities, Armstrong said.
The goal is to show off the area and American culture, in particular since the event will be shortly before July 4 and has been designated a part of Illinois’ 2018 bicentennial celebrations, Collins said. At the same time, they are planning an international culture show one night.
IMSA’s international connection excites the city of Aurora, spokesman Clayton Muhammad said. There are long-term opportunities, but people need to come to Aurora first, he said.
“Of course, when you’re bringing in outside visitors nationally, internationally, that’s another chance to showcase your city,” he said.
The science fair will bring people to Aurora, which will open doors and bring additional opportunities, he said.
The visits could mean international exposure for both local businesses and for the area, Armstrong said. Giveaways will come from Fox Valley businesses. The visitors could go home and tell their friends and family about IMSA and Aurora. It’s possible one of the visitors could return home and spread the word about the Fox Valley to a spouse or friend with a company looking to expand to the United States, she said.
Armstrong said the collaboration among the attending schools is almost as important as the event itself. While there will be a winner at the science fair, the important piece is the interaction between teachers and students from across the globe, Collins said.
“We all face the same issues, no matter where we’re from,” Armstrong said.
IMSA has been participating in the event, in its 14th year, since 2007. Students from the school have attended science fairs in India, Japan, South Korea and Canada, Collins said.
Participation — and hosting this year — is part of IMSA’s work toward its goal of becoming a “recognized global leader” by 2022.
Participation has also already helped build relationships with schools in other countries, Collins said. One Canadian school is helping IMSA get a new type of refrigerator so they can work on international biology projects. Organizers hope schools visiting during the science fair will see some of IMSA’s spaces, such as the IN2 innovation hub, and bring those impressions back home.
“The more that we can train and expose our students to those global opportunities, the more prepared they’ll be to be those global citizens in a diverse world, which is really what we live in,” Armstrong said.
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