Rio Vista's 2026 STEAM Expo
Register to participate.
All young scientists wishing to display a project at the Expo must register in advance through this online form. We strongly encourage early registration in order to reserve your space. Final registration deadline is March 23.
Projects should be student driven.
Project ideas should come from the students, and the project should be driven by them. Parents should use their best judgment in deciding when to get involved, such as when there is a potential safety issue. For especially young kids, parents may provide some guidance, but it is important that the kids be able to call the project their own.
Working with someone else.
You may work on your project independently, or you may optionally work with a partner who is also a student at Rio Vista School of Applied Learning, for example, a classmate or a sibling. You can also do a project involving your whole class!
Need help choosing a topic?
When it comes to choosing a topic, the sky is the limit! What have you wondered about? The best topics come from your own genuine curiosity about how something works, or why something is the way that it is. But if you have trouble thinking of something on your own, the internet is full of resources to help you choose a topic.
Judging and awards.
Our goal is simply to encourage scientific exploration and discovery and promote a deep lifelong passion for science. Each participant will have an opportunity to briefly present their project to a judge, and they will each receive a ribbon or a certificate.
Project Setup and Presentations
Students will need to come to Rio Vista and set up their projects in the MPR on Wednesday between 4 pm and 5 pm. Students will present their projects to the judges during school on Thursday, and awards will be in the evening.
Volunteers needed!
A big event like the science fair wouldn't be possible without the help of numerous volunteers. We have all kinds of different jobs to be done, so if think you can spare an hour or two on the day of the fair, we would love your help. Please contact Luis Calderon at luis_calderon@avusd.org and sign up now!
Notebook Resources
The packets at this website, AVCI, will help you to make sure you have all of the parts in your notebook. Feel free to print the packet for your grade level and use this as your notebook, or create your own notebook, folder, or binder with the same information. If you don't have a printer, please reach out to your child's teacher or the STEAM Fair Coordinator for more information.
What requirements are there?
Once you pick your project type, check to see what should be on your board and in your notebook here.
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