Louisville Regional Science and Engineering Fair

Help us continue six decades of encouraging Kentucky students in STEAM research.

LRSEF 2025 will be held on March 1 at the University of Louisville. 

What does your gift mean to Kentucky middle and high school students? 

LRSEF supports student creativity and real-world problem solving at our annual fair and in our outreach efforts. 

Our mission is to increase awareness that science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) skills are essential and attainable for all students in Kentucky. 

Your donation will be used to encourage and reward: 

• Over 350 students from at least 25 schools for conducting unique STEAM projects. 
• Independent research by students displayed in 22 diverse categories.
• All participants at this all-day event featuring engaging dialogue with professional judges.
• Everyone with a backpack, lanyard, T-shirt, breakfast, lunch and a celebratory Awards Ceremony.  
• The funding of cash prizes and ribbons at 1st, 2nd, 3rd place in all 22 topic areas, plus 4th place ribbons.
  
  

We appreciate your Give for Good gift. 

A gift of just $25 rewards Kentucky student achievement in the STEAM fields. Donors of $500 or more are recognized in all LRSEF media and our printed program with your organization logo. 

You can fund the prizes in a specific Junior Category ($150) or a Senior Category ($200). Check out last year’s Category Donors, then choose a category you want to fund.

LRSEF also invites companies and organizations to donate Special Awards of $25 or more. Prizes can be for research in a certain topic area, such as plant or animal science, environmental projects, or proposing best solutions to an engineering problem. See our 2024 Special Awards for ideas, then create an award of your own design.

LRSEF connects students to a global network of science & engineering fairs.

A gift of any amount helps local students present their ideas at higher levels, share ideas with their peers and receive international recognition. LRSEF nominates over 90 winners for the Kentucky State Science & Engineering Fair held each year at Eastern Kentucky State University.   

Top middle school students are nominated to submit their projects to the Thermo Fisher Junior Innovators Challenge with a chance to win to trip to Washington, DC. This year, four LRSEF students were named to the top 300 Junior Innovators nationally.

LRSEF is affiliated with the Society for Science and sends the Best of Fair high school students to the weeklong Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF) each year. All five students we sent to the 2024 ISEF competition took home awards ranging from $500 - $5,000. In 2025 ISEF will be held in Columbus, Ohio. Your donation supports travel grants to this prestigious annual event, which hosts almost 2,000 students from around the world. 

LRSEF is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization with a long history. 

We will host our 61st science & engineering fair on Saturday, March 1, 2025. Students from 59 counties are invited to register through their school fairs, or directly with LRSEF by mid-February. Over $14,000 in awards, trophies, and prizes are awarded for student creativity on that day. 

LRSEF is a proud partner of the Asia Impact affinity group at GE Appliances and of the Science Policy Outreach Group at the University of Louisville. The JB Speed Engineering School at the University of Louisville is our co-sponsor on March 1. 

Since our first fair supported by Kiwanis in 1964, many volunteer hours have been donated donated by STEAM judges, community leaders, teachers, and parents in support of student efforts. LRSEF is a Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity. View our 2024 Annual Report for recent accomplishments.