History Main / ScienceFair

* The second ''Literature/CaptainUnderpants'' Book.

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Plots of this nature are often be based around the BookDumb hero getting the project done at the last minute. Another option is the hero getting one of his/her parents to "help" on the project and then having the project get [[TheParentProducedProject commandeered by the parent]]. The TeenGenius is likely to strive to create a wonder that will turn science on its head, but will still lose to the [[CrackDefeat kid with the volcano]], possibly thanks to a DisastrousDemonstration that soaks, singes, or humiliates the principal and/or event judges.

Plots of this nature are often be based around the BookDumb hero getting the project done at the last minute. Another option is the hero getting one of his/her parents to "help" on the project and then having the project get [[TheParentProducedProject commandeered by the parent]]. The TeenGenius is likely to strive to create a wonder that will turn science on its head, but will still lose to the [[CrackDefeat kid with the volcano]], possibly thanks to a DisastrousDemonstration that soaks, singes, or humiliates the principal and/or event judges).

* [[Film/InspectorGadget]] does a stakeout at Riverton's annual science convention. It...goes about as well as one would expect.
* In ''Film/FantasticFour2015'',Reed debuts his functional teleporter at the school science fair. His teacher disqualifies him because he believes Reed to have faked it. Fortunately for Reed, Franklin and Sue know he's legit and recruit him.

* In ''ComicStrip/BloomCounty'', Oliver causes a panic in a science fair when he constructs a working nuclear weapon, scraping several thousand fluorescent wristwatches for the radioactive material.
-->Actually a case of art imitating life: Someone once panicked their community by trying for a nuclear weapon scout merit badge, scraping several thousand fire alarms for the radioactive material.

* In ''Film/FantasticFour2015'',My Science Project the plot revolves around the protagonist Michael trying to pass off an exotic looking found item Mcguffin as a science project. The item turns out to be of alien origin and manages to threaten the space/time continuum. Michael and his friends then have to stop the end of the world as we know it, though he does eventually get an A on his project.

A school event in which students (usually the entire class, or something to that extent) set up tables in a large, central location such as a cafeteria or auditorium and show off what's supposed to be a wide variety of science-related projects. Someone nearly always builds a volcano, a model of the solar system, or both. No one really knows why it's always those two specifically, but both seem to show up ridiculously often, to the point where it looks like that's all anyone ever does.

In terms of relevance and importance to a show, they can be anywhere from the entire focus of an episode to a minor side plot to simply being mentioned in passing.

Because ThisLoserIsYou, plots related to science fairs will often (though certainly not always) be based around the BookDumb hero getting the project done at the last minute. Another option is the hero getting one of his/her parents to "help" on the project and then having the project get [[TheParentProducedProject commandeered by the parent]]. The TeenGenius is likely to strive to create a wonder that will turn science on its head (but will still lose to the [[CrackDefeat kid with the volcano]], possibly thanks to a DisastrousDemonstration that soaks, singes, or humiliates the principal and/or event judges).

Mainly a US and Canadian trope as it's schools in those countries that have this characteristic event, although there's always EaglelandOsmosis to consider. For weirder examples, see MadScienceFair.

* A lot of the action in ''Disney/MeetTheRobinsons'' revolves around the results of a science fair, which has the obligatory volcano. And a few more interesting projects, such as fire ants, musical frogs and a brain scanner.

* Series/OneHundredThingsToDoBeforeHighSchool'': In "Be a Mad Scientist Thing!", stress and competition take their toll on each friend's quest to take home the winning prize at the Pootatuck science fair.

* Series/OneHundredThinsToDoBeforeHighSchool'': In "Be a Mad Scientist Thing!", stress and competition take their toll on each friend's quest to take home the winning prize at the Pootatuck science fair.

* The ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'' episode "Topsy" is centered around a science fair, which is run by the new Thomas Edison-obsessed science teacher who refuses to allow volcanoes to be submitted, seeing them as a cheap cop-out so kids don't have to do any actual work (this is an actual rule many schools have, as a matter of fact; the point of science fair projects nowadays is to perform an ''experiment'', and simply creating a demonstration doesn't qualify). Louise, who was going to enter a volcano that was destroyed in class by the teacher, opts to get revenge on him by reenacting the infamous execution of Topsy the circus elephant, which Edison is commonly (and mistakenly) blamed for because she was electrocuted to death, and Edison owned the patent for the camera the footage was filmed on. She uses Tesla coils, a rubber yoga mat, and makes Tina play the part of Topsy.[[note]]Edison did electrocute numerous animals and one human (the first ever execution by electric chair), all so he could prove that Tesla's alternating current was more dangerous than his own direct current. All it ended up proving was that first, Edison was kind of a dick, and two, Tesla's current was more powerful than Edison's, and therefore the smarter investment. But he wasn't directly responsible for killing Topsy.[[/note]]

* The ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'' episode "Topsy" is centered around a science fair, which is run by the new Thomas Edison-obsessed science teacher who refuses to allow volcanoes to be submitted, seeing them as a cheap cop-out so kids don't have to do any actual work. Louise, who was going to enter a volcano that was destroyed in class by the teacher, opts to get revenge on him by reenacting the infamous execution of Topsy the circus elephant, which Edison is commonly (and mistakenly) blamed for because she was electrocuted to death, and Edison owned the patent for the camera the footage was filmed on. She uses Tesla coils, a rubber yoga mat, and makes Tina play the part of Topsy.[[note]]Edison did electrocute numerous animals and one human (the first ever execution by electric chair), all so he could prove that Tesla's alternating current was more dangerous than his own direct current. All it ended up proving was that first, Edison was kind of a dick, and two, Tesla's current was more powerful than Edison's, and therefore the smarter investment. But he didn't kill Topsy.[[/note]]

Because YouSuck, plots related to science fairs will often (though certainly not always) be based around the BookDumb hero getting the project done at the last minute. Another option is the hero getting one of his/her parents to "help" on the project and then having the project get [[TheParentProducedProject commandeered by the parent]]. The TeenGenius is likely to strive to create a wonder that will turn science on its head (but will still lose to the [[CrackDefeat kid with the volcano]], possibly thanks to a DisastrousDemonstration that soaks, singes, or humiliates the principal and/or event judges).

* ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'' has the remains of an old science fair in the old abandoned Aperture Science labs. In its saner days Aperture Labs apparently sponsored science competitions for its employees' children as part of Bring Your Daughter to Work Day. The experiments on display are actually a Foreshadowing for stuff you encounter later in the game. All but one of the experiments is a potato battery. The remaining one is, naturally, a baking soda volcano. Wheatley, somewhat creepily, suggests that this was probably the child of working-class parents. One of the projects is also signed as made by "Chell", which incidentally is the name of [[HeroicMime the main character]].

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'', "Buster's Guide to Goofing Off", was focused entirely on Buster waiting until the last minute to build a model volcano for the school science fair. Typical in every way possible, and on purpose.

* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'': the chapter "Two Strange Girls" focuses on a school science fair and a string of sabotages against the various projects. Kat gets annoyed that people are ignoring her studies of protein crystals and are more interested in the [[GadgeteerGenius anti-gravity device she built.]] No volcanoes this time, though.

Mainly a US and Canadian trope as it's schools in those countries that have this characteristic event, although there's always EaglelandOsmosis to consider.