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Beaverton Science Expos

BEF, Beaverton and Hillsboro School Districts partnered to put on a robust science expo program in 2025. BEF focused on empowering middle school students to see themselves as scientists who are capable of problem solving, discovery, and knowledge creation.

STEAM

Funded by: Analog Devices, Community Support, Genentech, Intel, Synopsys Foundation, Vernier Science Foundation

Five Oaks Middle School Science Fair supported by Beaverton Education Foundation

At A Glance:

BEF Investment: $20,000

427

Participants in the 2025 Beaverton Science Expos

4,000

Middle School students participated in school science fairs

BEF helped boost participation in competitive science fairs in 2025 and focused on building a pipeline of emerging young scientists at the middle school level.

In a partnership among BEF and the Beaverton and Hillsboro School Districts, the High School Science Expo was held on March 6, 2025, with 115 projects presented by 132 students. Of these, eight projects went on to compete at the International Science and Engineering Fair, and Beaverton students ultimately won several prizes and special awards, including 2nd place in Math, 3rd place in Biomedical Engineering, and 3rd place in Robotics and Intelligent Machines.

To build a pipeline of young scientists, BEF helped establish school-wide STEM fairs at additional middle schools across Beaverton with a push for broader participation by all students. From these, 236 projects by 295 students were presented at the Middle School Science Expo on March 13th and many of these emerging scientists went on to compete at the Northwest Science Expo, the state-level competition event.

A favorite moment was hearing a student say to their teacher, 'can you believe it? I won third place in Chemistry in the whole state! Me! I did that in...8th grade!' This is exactly the outcome we are hoping for: creating opportunities for students to see their own amazing potential

Beaverton Science Fair Coordinator

We had our first 8th grade STEM expo this year and had great family engagement. All students completed a STEM project, and about 70% showed up to the fair with their families. With a taco truck and shaved ice, everyone enjoyed our community night

Tumwater MS teacher

Our fair was packed with families exploring the projects. Younger students were given 'passports' to take notes on the various projects, this was also a huge hit.

Mountain View MS teacher

I loved talking with students about their posters and I could see how proud they were of their discoveries.

Parent

STEM in the classroom

BEF's Building STEAM 4 All Initiative teams up with the district and local businesses to engage students in hands-on, experiential learning. Thanks to the support of Analog Devices and First Tech Federal Credit Union, additional tech learning tools are now available to teachers through the Innovation Lending Library. This library is available to all schools across the district, especially in weekly "tech specials" taught at the elementary schools level. In January, tech instructors came together for a special morning of professional development and to learn about the new equipment available in the Lending Library.

Aloha High School Student Run Business: Doggie Dots

What started with a single social media post to a BEF fundraising site has resulted in video and television coverage, highlighting Doggie Dots at the Washington County K9 Trials and nearly $35,000 in donations from supporters around the world.

Middle School Extended Day Programs

Now in its 15th year, the Safe and Sound for Student Success (S4) program offered by BEF continued its vital work in the 2024-25 school year. Eight middle schools participated, serving 1,184 middle school students with an extended school day with access to extracurricular coupled with academic accountability.

Independent Living Skills for Community Transition Program Students

BEF is proud to support the Community Transition Program with a $10,000 investment for groceries and equipment needed to help students build independent living skills in the kitchen.