SARSEF

How Has SARSEF Impacted You? A Q & A Session with SARSEF Alumni Zach and Anika

SARSEF recently sat down with SARSEF alumni Zach and Anika, whose project won the Tom Grogan Award for Scientific Excellence, one of the top awards at SARSEF in 2026. Read our blog to hear about their experience with fair and discovering if science is for them.

Read now at our blog: https://sarsef.org/how-has-sarsef-impacted-you-a-q-a-session-with-sarsef-alumni-zach-and-anika/

Our first week of camps is almost halfway done! Today, students had a chance to design and build their own bridges with material constraints, and think about extremophiles and the environments they live in! We're having a good time 🙌

Image Description (created with the help of OpenAI):
Image 1: Three children standing in a classroom behind a table with a small paper structure resembling a bridge.
Image 2: A group of children working on a paper bridge construction project. A boy on the left has a surprised and excited look on his face.
Image 3: Three children assemble a paper bridge structure on a classroom table.
Image 4: Students working on "Design an Extremophile" worksheets at a classroom table.

What's Up at SARSEF: June 2026

June 8-12: Summer STEM Camps at PCC Northwest Campus

June 15-19: Summer STEM Camps at US Tech Parks

June 16: Our Place Under the Stars Teacher PD

June 22-26: Summer STEM Camps at UA Tech Parks (session #2)

June 19: SARSEF offices closed in observance of Juneteenth

All month: Registration open for Science Fair Director's Conference - Tucson

Image Description (created with the help of OpenAI):
Image 1: a brightly colored event schedule graphic with a gradient background of pink to orange. The title at the top reads "What's Up At SARSEF" in bold, white, whimsical font, with "June 2026" positioned in the upper right corner. Below, a series of circular orange boxes outlined in white list specific dates and events (listed fully in the caption).

Image 2: a promotional graphic for an event titled "Place-Based Learning." The background features a starry night sky and a desert landscape with various plants, including a large central yucca and surrounding cacti. There is a QR code on the left side with a stylized circular design. Above the event title are logos of NSF, NOIRLab, and SARSEF. The text describes event details, including the date, time, and format, alongside a note on continuing education certificates. The color scheme includes dark purples, blues, and earthy tones of the desert landscape.

Image 3: a promotional poster for the "2026 Science Fair Director's Conference" hosted by SARSEF. The left side of the poster features a large dark blue semi-circle with the year "2026" and the event's main title in white, bold letters: "SCIENCE FAIR DIRECTOR'S CONFERENCE." Below, a smaller font describes the event's purpose. Centered in the middle, there's a red QR code with the SARSEF logo. To the right, the background is white with three people holding trophies, standing on a blue abstract shape. The SARSEF logo, depicting a flask with a colored liquid, is at the top right. Important details like the date, time, and location are highlighted in bold aqua-colored text. At the bottom are bullet points outlining workshop topics and a teal banner with an email address.

We are ONE week away from Our Place Under the Stars! Join us for a place-based learning workshop for educators in Southern Arizona.

Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1988486468556?aff=oddtdtcreator

Join SARSEF and NOIRLab for OUR PLACE UNDER THE STARS: Place-Based Science in the Arizona Classroom 🌌🔭

This FREE, hands-on professional learning experience will help educators explore what place-based learning looks like in practice and how to bring it into the classroom through meaningful, research-based strategies.

The day includes a solar telescope machine lab tour, sessions facilitated by and educators, with participants gaining practical instructional tools for the 26-27 school year.

📅⏰ Tuesday, June 16 | 9 AM – 1 PM
📍🏢 NOIRLab Headquarters at the University of Arizona (950 N Cherry Ave, Tucson 85719)
✅✅ Registration: FREE
🪎🪎 4 hours of continuing education credit — light breakfast and lunch included

Register now by visiting: https://trecarizona.org/resources/our-place-under-the-stars-place-based-science-in-the-arizona-classroom/.

Navigating science fair can seem like finding the exit in the backrooms...until you find SARSEF!

Join us on August 29th for everything you have ever wanted to know about science fair. Seriously! Sign up today at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1988958922679?aff=oddtdtcreator

Image description: Stock image of liminal space, or "backrooms" with yellow walls and fluorescent lights. Transposed on the image is the SARSEF Flask logo.

Spend your winter in the desert as a NextGen Ranger in Environmental Education and Youth Programs at Saguaro National Park!

The Friends of Saguaro National Park (FOSNP) and Saguaro National Park joined together in early 2015 to establish a Next Generation Ranger Corps (Next Gen) program -- designed to enable young people interested in a career with the NPS to discover the agency and its different operational divisions, by providing college students an experiential, engaging, and supportive learning and working opportunity at Saguaro National Park.

The FOSNP NextGen internship program seeks to expand Saguaro National Park's outreach to underrepresented young people of southern Arizona; strengthen the Park's connection to local schools; provide targeted training, mentoring, and work experiences for qualified participants; achieve greater levels of engagement with underserved communities; provide competitive hourly wages to participants; achieve Park resource protection objectives; and create an ethic of conservation and resource stewardship.

Email resume or send an inquiry to [email protected]

Image description: NextGen Ranger Intern pointing out aquatic organisms with small group of children by small pond in a desert setting.

Before you know it, science fair season will be here again! Join SARSEF on August 29th, 2026 at the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona Campus for the annual Tucson Fair Director's Conference!

Attend workshops and hands-on sessions aimed to prepare you for science fair participation and bringing research into your science classroom, and receive 5 hours of professional development credits. Lunch will be provided!

Register today at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1988958922679?aff=oddtdtcreator

Image Description (created with the help of OpenAI): The image is a promotional flyer for the 2026 Science Fair Director’s Conference, organized by SARSEF. The left side features a large purple semi-circle containing the event title in white text. Below the title, there's a smaller section with additional information about the conference in white text. The bottom left corner displays a QR code. Beneath the QR code are bullet points about the conference topics, presented as purple circles with white arrows. On the right, against a white background, is the SARSEF logo featuring a laboratory flask, lightning bolt, and a globe. To its right are three people, each holding trophies, against a cut-out white background. Below, in a teal green section, the event details such as date, time, and location are displayed in bold white text.

Opportunity Alert! The APS Foundation Arizona STEM Acceleration Project (ASAP) Fellowship is now accepting application through June 21! ASAP’s mission is to boost STEM teaching and learning across the state at a grassroots level and help teachers and students achieve greater access to quality STEM education resources.

Become an ASAP Fellow and receive a $1,000 stipend, opportunity to apply for funding for classroom materials, and engage with professional development in STEM across Arizona!

Apply at https://forms.gle/rbndWU2hkRUu9ciy8

Image Description (created with the help of OpenAI): The image is divided into four quadrants separated by yellow borders. In the top-left quadrant, a group of people is gathered around an aircraft, with one person pointing towards it. The top-right quadrant depicts a group of individuals cheering inside a room decorated with American flags. The bottom-left quadrant showcases a model of the solar system, with the Sun and several planets displayed. The bottom-right quadrant features an outdoor setting with colorful, circular structures connected by lines, resembling a scientific model of DNA. At the center of the image is a circular logo with a blue border and yellow center, containing the words "STEM FOR ARIZONA." It also includes text on the border that reads "stemteachers.asu.edu" and "Arizona STEM Acceleration Project."

STEM Moves Us: SARSEF Summer STEM Camps at Pima Community College Northwest Campus! During this camp session, campers will explore many modes of movement and find out where STEM can take them in the future.

Visit https://sarsef.org/summer-stem-camps-2026/ to register today! We have limited spots available at this time.

Image description (created with the help of OpenAI): two children in a casual indoor setting. The child in the foreground, with a ponytail and wearing a light green T-shirt, is focusing on holding a small snake, supported by an adult's hand. The background features a beige door, a table with various water bottles, and name cards. Overlaid on the image is a white graphic of a laboratory flask with an atom symbol inside and the text "STEM Moves Us."